Drwecki

Hey guys, my wife bought me a b-17 brooks saddle for the holidays (yay, I knew there was a reason I married her). I'm going to throw this bad boy on my fixed gear bike (which looks cool enough that some people will try to steal it). I want to keep the seat mine for ever! What is the best way. I commute to work and lock it up on the bike rack outside, when I'm at home it's inside. I foresee only two options. 1) Bolting it on like normal and hope someone doesn't have a wrench 2) get the quick remove seat post bolt and hope that I don't forget to bring it in with me (I'm pretty forgetful). Let me know if what you do to protect your valuable seats.

thanks

Sprocket Man

Get one of these: https://www.universalcycles.com/shopp...&category=3006

Run it above and around your seat rails and secure it by attaching it to your U-Lock.

paxtonm

No idea where you live since it's not in your public profile. Living and riding in the Santa Cruz/San Francisco Bay areas (hotbeds of bicycle thieving scum) I'd suggest that your saddle is pretty safe. But, once broken in, it's a shame to lose something that amounts to almost a part of you. Lock the bike (Sheldon Brown has some great tips if you google for it), and put it where you can frequently see it. Again not knowing your location, where we live, it's not unheard of to see bikes parked or wheeled inside supermarkets, and my ride sits right next to my office door. When I attend meetings, it goes inside, and gets locked to a banister. It's never been challenged.

Your mileage may vary.

Pocko

I have never tried the brooks saddle... it looks awfully painful to sit on, even the one's with the coil springs. I can only imagine that it's my butt I need to break-in, not the saddle.

But I must admit... very, very, cool retro.

Is it comfier than it looks?

.

levinskee

No one will want to steal something molded to your butt. Duh!

Nah, just throw a cable lock around it. You should be fine though. I sometimes throw a newspaper bag over mine partly so it doesn't get any water damage depending how long I keep the bike outside but also just because it looks less flashy that way.

Rocket Boy

Umm, Sprocket Man has the best idea.
But as I lock one of my bikes in NYC, I use a old chain (the chain which goes from your Chain ring and your back cog) just long enough to go around the seat 'under bars/rails' then back around to the back top wheel stays (~12") then wrap the whole thing neatly in back electrical tape (seal it from the elements).
If you go to a LBS they always have old chains...maybe for a few bucks set it up for you?

After thinking about this I actually think is quite 'green' using old bicycles chains?

Yan 

+1 to the old chain. Get a Velox saddle cover too: it's black and will make your saddle less conspicuous when parked. Take it off when you're riding, as it wears fairly quickly.

frankenmike 

My nice saddles don't get used for commuting- ugly and torn up as a rule for bikes that get locked up in public areas.

tatfiend 

Another possible solution.

Get one of the old Campy two top bolt seatposts. Almost impossible to adjust or remove the saddle from it without the original special wrench Campy made as the bolt heads are difficult to reach.

Get a Pitlock for the frame seat clamp.

The two together should make saddle removal difficult enough to discourage thyieves unless one just saws the seatpost in two.

The chain idea is good but IMO a bit of a kludge.

nahh

I like the old chain solution, I've seen it in action. If done properly, it looks pretty good too.

dobber

While I have zero worry with having a seat lifted, the chain solution presents itself as simplistic and minimal. I've seen it implemented with the chain threaded thru a piece of inner tube to eliminate the chance of scratching up the bike. I'd think about maybe shrink tubing.

Velo Dog

Nothing to do with the original post, but the springs add zip to the comfort of a Brooks, except maybe on very rough roads. The (unmatched) comfort comes from a combination of the shape, the material and the fact that the leather conforms to your butt. I bought my first one when they were $70 and I made $74.50 a week (my whole bike only cost $170). Today I have B-17s on all my bikes except the one I ride in the rain.

As for keeping it safe, I just park where i can see the bike and try to keep an eye on it. In addition to the other recommendations here, you could make sure you have it set exactly right, then use a drill to ream out the hole in the allen bolt. When you have to remove the saddle, you'd have to use an EZ-out, but that's a once-a-year deal.

NormanF

Hard leather is actually quite comfortable. After a couple of months of pushing against it. the leather will comfort to the surface of your butt. No one says wearing leather shoes is uncomfortable... they do need to be broken in before their comfort is obvious. Once I tried Brooks, I never went back to a gel saddle again. And something hard is better for the relief of soft parts that are not made to bear much pressure.

Pocko

^ I'm really curious about leather saddles now... I'll have a look around and see what's available over here.

badmother

Somebody said glue a ball from a bearring innside the hole for the allen key. Easyer to deal with than a drilled out one.

I always have a bad feeling when parking a bike w a Brooks- I puy a seat cower, an old hat, a plastic bag or something similar. Also good for rain. If I go far or for a long time I bring seat + seatpost.

MrCjolsen

One nice thing about a Brooks is that you can fit a pretty fat cable between the rails. I have a cable that can go from my front wheel, through the saddle rails and attach to the U-lock that secures the frame to whatever holds it to the earth.

Bob Ross

I mark my stuff the way wild animals do: by urinating on it.

Drwecki

Thanks all great suggestions! I live in Madison WI, where most things are safe but bikes are regularly stolen (Not like in NYC or Chi, but I don't want to lose my baby). I didn't even think about the cable, I already use one to lock the back wheel down. My saddle is brand new so it's not broken in yet (and won't be broken in until the spring) I ride in the winter but not my nice commuter. Thanks for all the ideas, I think given that I already have the cable I'll do that. But the bike chain idea is good too. Thanks a bunch, I wasn't even thinking about putting the cable through the rails

jcm

Another nice aspect of Brooks saddles is that most people take one look and instinctively avoid what must surely be the most uncomfortable "bike seat" in the world. And that's among cycling enthusiasts. A thief might not even give a Brooks the benefit of a close pass. They'll likely grab the Huffy with the foam recliner seat...

Big_e

I like the old chain idea. I've also seen a member here secure his seat by using old cable from his brakes or gear shifter. He used crimps to secure the ends and it looked real neat.
Ernest

TromboneAl

To expand on this: use a cheap saddle cover, grunge it up and put duct tape on it. Just slip it on when you get off the bike.

Drwecki

Ah man, that is a great idea, have you ever seen Phil Hartman's Chameleon XLE skit (SNL) about this very nice luxury car that looks so crappy no one would ever steal it! It was great, Yeah my saddle cover will be called the Chameleon XL!!! HA HA that is super!
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