chevy42083

I'll update this as I ride more and more. With mileage updates verse impressions of the saddle as well as the care/prep. Doing this because most logs I've seen are from tourers, who sit upright, and not many done by lighter riders, which I think might change break-in times, and comfort levels.

Seat: B17 Narrow black leather/rails silver rivets. Not cut, drilled, butchered or tied, but may cut it later for aesthetics as well as paint the rails, MAYBE rivets too. It's not ugly by any means, but I'd prefer a sleaker updated appearance <without the cost>.
Noticeably heavier than the stock Fuji vynal and foam covered plastic seat, but not a brick either; no measurements yet. Will hopefully weigh all three seats.

Bike(s): The seat will pull double time between which ever bike is getting the short rides at first to aid in break-in, and will later be finally left on my roadie (does the real long distance stuff), and if I like it, I may buy a second... although, I have zero problems with one of my current seats (just needed a replacement for the other).
Bike one: Mid 80s Fuji Valite w/ bullhorns.
Bike Two: '83 Bianchi Alloro with drops.

Rider: 5ft 7in; 125lbs

Conditioner: Fiebing's Golden Mink Oil Leather Preserver
Water Proofs, Preserves, Conditions all smooth Leather and Vynal.
Contains Silicone, Lanolin, and Vitamin E. Oil
6oz can/ 168g for ~$3 at the local Tractor Supply co., intended for horse saddles>

Prep 1: Saddle conditioner wiped over the entire top and underside... not too thick, just a light coat. Let it sit for 2 hours, then rubbed it all in till it was gone (probably mostly on the sock, but didn't touch the underside of the saddle). Then applied a second coat to the whole saddle, a little thicker this time (alot thicker on the underside), and let it sit for 14hrs back in the box (maybe lack of air around will influence absorbtion opposed to evaporation). Rubbed it in/polished it off. and let it sit (planned on riding later that night). But I didn't ride, so I applied a coat to the sit bone area only so it would be easy/quick to wipe off before the commute to work the next morning (12hr later).

Miles 1-7: Got the seat on the fixed gear for the commute to work. Got 1 block away... yeah, pretty hard, reminds me of when I sat in the wrong place on my BMX seat... just hard on the seat bones, and no pressure anywhere else. I slide forward and back equally... pretty much perched on the apex of my bones/seat, making a conscious effort to stay there to break it in. Feel more pressure/ harder (seat or butt? ) on one side.
Overall: Feels uncomfortable, but not sore, and no lasting feeling once off the bike AT ALL. No dimple marks (not surprised ).

jcm

The uneven feeling will go away when the leather begins to move in order to accommodate your asymetric bones. Few of us are perfectly even on both sides. You should see my 17's. I never knew how much my body had changed over 51 years!

I dont know what you applied to the leather, but my advice is to keep it as slick as possible for the air circulation as you ride. Don't be concerned about staying in the right place to center the dimples. If you have found the right position, and you aren't sliding onto the bars, the dimples will form just where they need to be. I fact, the saddle will form to your entire contact area, not just the sitbones. For a lightweight rider, that might take awhile.

As a 235lb guy. it took only 100 miles for the dents to begin to show, more like con-cave wrinkles at first. At 500, there were definite dents. At 1000+ the whole saddle has formed to my backside and has stopped forming just where it needed to. Still hard to the hand but giving to the tush.

Go easy on the conditioners. Wax if you want to, but you're done with conditioners or oils for a long time.

chevy42083

Maybe I'm mixing up terms. The "conditioner" I have is like a wax. I need to look up the ingrediants and name when I get home. I was thinking repeated application while breaking in was needed.

jcm

I understand. The thing is, alot of oils and conditioners are suspended in a beeswax/parrafin matrix. So, they look like wax - like mink oil in a small tub, etc. It looks like butter. From your discription of application, I think you've done enough conditioning. My advice is to just ride it now.

womble

I rode a B17 Narrow on a daily commute (10km each way) for just over a year, applying proofride every couple of months. By the end of that time, it was still as smooth and undimpled as the day I bought it. I weigh 140.

dobber

The purpose of Proofide and similar dressings is to protect the saddle from the elements, not to hasten the break in process. Chasing comfort with constant application of dressings will provide little if any benefit and may, over time, ruin the saddle. Especially if your dressing c once when Iontains oils or softeners.

I "proof" my Brooks upon purchase, again after a month or two and then every spring when they emerge from hibernation.

Mariner Fan

I don't even proofhide mine that much. I just treated it once when it was new and I'll do it again sometime down the road when I think it's getting dry.

chevy42083

Updated the first post with the stuff I'm using, but here's the ingrediants straight from the can.....

"Contains Silicone, Lanolin, and Vitamin E. Oil"

Small update.
Total of 21miles...
The saddle is wrinkling just BARELY at the sit bone area, but is still hard.
The last 5 or so miles I started riding in the drops more (headwind), and there is zero soreness in that position. It's still not a "soft" feeling, but not uncomfortable at all. Definatly not "perfect out of the box" like some say. Although, it's good enough that i wouldn't mind it at all on my roadie for some longer than 10mile rides.
I got a flat on the fixed, and haven't had time to fix it, so low miles this week.

Hask12

Stop putting conditioner on the saddle. Brooks recommends Proofide, which was stated above is to mainly protect the leather saddle from the elements, in other words making the leather a little bit waterproof. The best way to break in a Brooks is to sit on it when you ride. Most comfortable saddle I've ever owned.

chevy42083

I wasn't planning on continueing that trend of conditioner... I just know that I ride with little of my weight on the seat... and I have little weight to begin with.

I moved the seat to my Bianchi roadie. Maybe I nailed the position better, maybe I just have better positon overall on the Bianchi. It does feel more comfy. A little hard, but i feel like I've settled on a good position. No dimple marks, but seems to be a flatish spot where I sit, which is probably the main reason it doesn't feel like I'm either sliding forward or back all the time. It is far from broken in... but definatly feels good. The finish looks great, and the slickness is much better than my previous saddle... a rough leather/swede/swaid/swade... however you spell it. It is annoying at times (think sidewalk ramp or driveway ramp), but for most riding it's nice.

Now to put on the long hard miles, no more of this short fixed gear trips to work.

nmanhipot

How many miles does it take to break in a B-17 - ballpark or range is fine. I had one on a bike as a teenager but I've never owned one since. I'm doing 200-250 miles per week right now and I still get occasional saddle sores. I use a Specialized Toupe, which is pretty comfortable. Is the Brooks what I "need" or is it just a nice to have?

jcm

Truth be told? It's just nice to have. But, once you get hooked (or, Brooked), it'll be what you need. Brooks saddles are particularly well suited for long distance riding. Even more so if you sweat alot.

Break-in time? Well, that's as relative as whether or not you'll like the saddle itself. Generally, heavier riders get faster results. My 17's fit well at about 200 miles. At 1000, they stop moving and have taken their permanent form.

Set the peak tilt-up so the seat portion is level with the ground at first. If the one you get is ridge-straight, just tilt the peak up a couple degrees. The sling will form very quickly, then adjust so only the seat portion is level. Break it in from there and move it as you feel neccessary. If you get a 17 and you don't like it, PM me and maybe we can work out a deal.

chevy42083

I would say after the first 30-50 miles it loses the out of the box hard peak that points back at your sitbones making it bad. Seems to just be getting more comfortable from there (less ~100 on mine so no real numbers). It's at first that it's uncomfortable. The lack of sit-bone flats/dimples, makes the slipperiness worse cause you slide forward AND back with the same saddle position.
Then it's just gradually getting better once the saddle starts to flatten and dimple. If you ride 200-250 a week... I'd go for it. I mean, you'll know within a week or two how it's going to feel... then it should get better than that. The B17/B17N isn't outrageous in price anyways.... then if you want one of the $200 or $300 brooks saddles later, try that.

It's the people who rarely ride, or ride sub 10mile rides that really shouldn't get a brooks <for comfort sake>.

Rode to work again today on it, comfortable. Although riding no hands seems a little less "Steady" since I slip around a little compared to my previous seat. I can easily do it... just feels a little different when trying to steer around stuff no handed.
I have yet to wear cycling shorts... just board shorts (swim suits). I wonder if those will be more slippery.

I hope to put 50ish miles on it this weekend, and then swap to my fixed gear for a group ride the following weekend.

Jacobi

I would think that board shorts would help the break in. Cycling shorts will be slightly padded and might hamper the break-in process.

kf5nd

I got a B17 Narrow, took it to work today for the first ride, and I am concerned about my position on the saddle. The nose is slippery and hard, so my tendency is to move back really far on the saddle in order to find a perch for my pelvic bones. The pelvic bones are sitting only about 1 or 1.5 inches forward of the back edge of the saddle. My butt end is actually partially sticking out over the back end of the saddle. Is this correct? It seems too far back to me. My knee-pedal relationship is all messed up, now I have to move the saddle forward.

onbike 1939

Perhaps what should be mentioned is that Neatsfoot oil, being organic, can encourage mould after a few years.
All this comment about Proofide, which is only a wax type dressing and designed only to provide a minimal amount of waterproofing to the top of the saddle. The top-side of the saddle does not allow penetration of the Proofide at all so the application will rub off in time. It is only relatively recently that Brooks have advised that Proofide can be rubbed into the underside of the saddle. This I believe would be to cater for our American cousins who tend to ride without mudguards.

onbike 1939

I don't think that this is true. The determining factor as far as I'm concerned is the prominence of the sit-bones which, after all break the leather fibres in order to create the depressions. If you have a fat arse then you are at a disadvantage as I've learned to my cost.
An easy and quick shortcut which an earlier poster has suggested, is to take a short ride with a wet dishtowel below your tush. Uncomfortable perhaps but it does create the depressions needed for a comfortable saddle. Another method which I've used is to mark where your sit-bones are on the saddle (by sitting on foam/cardboard and transferring the marks) and then, covering the peen on a peen hammer with cloth, lightly hammer these marks in order to create the depressions required. Both of these methods merely speed up the process of breaking the saddle to the shape of your backside.

chevy42083

OK.... hard numbers...

At mile 45, I set out on a 35 mile ride w/ bike shorts. It felt hard, but the peaks had been pushed down so the top of the seat was flat. No pain, little discomfort.... basically what you get sitting on any bike for 35miles down city streets and bike lanes.... not the smoothest of pavement. Finished this ride with....

80miles on the saddle. 25mile ride after work netted nothing worth noting,... finishing with....

105miles on saddle. Set out on a very sweaty 46 mile ride, one of few with padded bike shorts. Lots of paceline, lots of riding in the drops on the hoods... very little sitting up. At mile 27ish, I noticed the seat kinda bothering me.... light pressure, and just a little pain. Understandable, since most of my rides are 20-25ish miles, and have only done a couple recently over 30miles. Before our stop at 34 miles, I had forgotten about it completely... no pain, no discomfort. It continued that way till the end of the 46 miles, which brings the total to.... 151miles. The dimples which had to be searched for, and were really just flat spots on a convex seat were now looking more indented. The leather looking more wrinked there.

Set out on a 24 mile ride after work one night, and noticed zero discomfort. Perfect.

Observations at the grand total 175miles so far.
The more pronounced the dimples the less I feel like I'm slipping around. It's still just as slick... but I have my "groove". The seat seems like it's softer... I can now notice the sides flaring out when pushing on the top.... this is with my hand, haven't noticed any ill effects while riding. Not that it's "soft", but more pliable.... for those who don't know leather/brooks. Didn't want you to think it's squishy or anything
I will probably cut the seat sides eventually, but am waiting till it's more broken in to decide on how much to leave incase I want to tie the sides together / lace it. The cutting will be done for aesthetics... the lacing to minimize sag after cutting.

Saintly Loser

I've got a bit over 100 miles on my new B-17. Right out of the box it was more comfortable than the seat it replaced (an ancient Ideale), which isn't to say it was comfortable. But it's improving. It's beginning to show signs of dimpling. I have to agree with Onbike 1939 -- it's not the weight that does it, it's the prominence of one's sitbones. I'm no heavyweight (6'2", 165-170 pounds). My skinny butt certainly has prominent bones.

I didn't put any dressing on it other than Proofide. I don't know if the Proofide has any softening effect. I mainly put it on for the protection.

I don't slide around on it much. Maybe because I don't wear bike shorts? I just wear regular cotton cargo shorts (gotta have pockets). I find that I'm comfortable with the seat pretty much horizontal, although many people report that they like the nose a bit above horizontal.

So far so good. It's an improvement over the old seat, and it's getting better each time I ride. It's not perfect yet, but the trend is good.

jcm

Not to start anything, but rider weight does indeed affect the break-in time of a Brooks, ischial prominence notwithstanding. It's gravity relative to downforce - that's all. Certainly, a skinny rider with pointy sitbones is going to force an indent quickly, but a heavier rider, given the same miles, will move the entire blank very quickly indeed. Maybe the ischial indents won't be as pronounced, but the whole saddle will form quicker.

It's force. Just as a baseball player with very large hands will break-in his glove faster than a player with smaller hands. The greater the force, the faster the break-in. I ride with clydes and ex-clydes who, to a man, agree.

john bono

I(5'10" 290) started out using my Brooks B17 Champion(I just had to have the British Racing Green) last friday on a 5 day 210 mile tour. On the first day, I noticed how hard the saddle was, and after 40 miles, faint dimples showed up. In the early portion of the first day, it hurt, but other than that no real problems. By the third day, the dimples were much more pronounced. By the last day, yesterday, in that rain storm, the dimples from the sit bones were undeniable, and the saddle was much more comfortable on the last day than the first. Also, something else I noticed was that I experienced far less chafing w/the brooks than I have with the Spec Milano that was originally on my bike.

jcm

My Sequoia came with a Milano. Good saddle for short rides out to about 40 miles, but definitely a chafer after that. 17 mo bettah. I just put on my fifth one today.

PDXJeff

Here's my "Butchered" B-17. Treated with a whole can of Proofide before use. Applied in thick coats like car wax, then set the rails on an electric oil/radiator heater (low). After full absorption I polished with a cloth and repeated several times until I ran out of Proofide. The cloth never yielded much Proofide and after a year and a half, it's comfy, clean, and waterproof (mostly).

stokessd

The roads also make a HUGE difference on break-in time. I put 200 miles on my team pro here in the states with virtually zero break-in, then I took it to Ireland and in 60 miles it was broken in way more than I did in the 200 domestic miles. Those roads beat the snot out of me and made me buy a Sprung brooks when I got home.


Sheldon

noahs44

That looks like a Swift. Sure that's a B17?? I just got a B17 a month ago. I haven't been able to ride as much as I would like lately, but I'm still adjusting and tweaking it to feel right. I have found the height in relation to the handlebars is key, as is its nose pointed up ever so slightly. I think they're great saddles, just take a bit of breaking in... as any new leather item does.

Cheers