so

in the last six months i have purchased 3 brooks products that have failed.....wtf?

leather toe straps....broke within the first four hours of use.

alloy toe cages....snapped in half within two weeks of installation.

b17 saddle.....tensioning bolt rusted and snapped within 5 months.

i thought these guys had a good rep?

Maybe you've just had a run of bad luck. My B-17 is as better now than the day I bought it. Can't say anything about your foot retention though. Maybe it's shoddy. I do have Brooks tape also and aside from the sides being a little peel-y, I have no complaints.

I wouldn't worry about it. You are cursed.

3 brooks saddles and 3 happy experiences. Certain deformities are the nature of the beast when you buy leather products, but a rusted bolt? Did you buy it rusted? Did you get into some situation where you caused the rust?

Brooks has a 2 year warranty. Might wanna check it out.

I've seen cases where the bolt sheared off, but not due to rust. I'm also curious how it rusted....

alloy toeclips are notoriously not durable. the straps and the saddle should have lasted longer, and ought to be under warranty.

Ironic because I take so much **** for using plastic toe clips. I still don't see why plastic ones are "inferior". Everyone from my friends to Bike Snob keep telling me they are crap, but I just don't see it. And yes I have used all kinds of foot retention before, and the only thing that seems better (for some things) are clipless pedals.

Guess it depends how much stress you're putting on them. I've seen alloy and plastic both snap. Plastic happening more so.

it definately was not rusted when i bought it.
brooks sent me a new bolt which i popped in.
i never bothered contacting them re:the clips and straps, as i was lazy and now like powergrips

but god damn the two weeks of work that bolt was in the mail was the most painstakingly gooch killing experience of a lifetime

Wait, I don't understand.

It was not rusted when you bought it. Rusted after you bought it? Maybe caused by lack of care? They have warranties for most if not all products, but you were too lazy to pursue this? And you rode the brooks for 2 weeks without the bolt?

Not trying to be an *******, but seems like some of your problems are self inflicted.

Maybe he rode the bike without the seat...

I'm convinced there may be some brooks counterfeits out there. Maybe you got one.

i didnt persue the warranty on the toe straps or clips as i got them on sale so i didnt see the point going to the trouble of getting them shipped back to brooks.
i cared perfectly well for the saddle, i still cant understand how it rusted through so quickly....
i highly doubt its a counterfeit as i bought it from a genuine supplier

Did the saddle get wet? Did you leave it parked in the rain? Do you live in a salty environment?

no it didnt get very wet really.and no i dont live in salt.it would have seen rain, but not enough to rust through a bolt.
when i contacted brooks they said this has been happening, that they are needing alot of spare bolts sent out.i didnt want to have to replace the saddle entirely anyway so i was happy with a bolt

i call bull **** here, i am sorry
seriously
how do can all of these products fail so soon?

+1

i am riding alloy right now, so far so good...mks alloy clips with soma leather 0000 Nooooo!
it's seems strange to read about all of the failures people are having with certain gear but it all seems to last for me...what kind of riding are you guys doing anyway?

When it comes to toe clips, neither plastic or alloy. You need chromed steel for that.

meh, i don't buy it
i rode plastic clips for a year and the only reason they broke was because occasionally they dragged along the pavement wearing out the part that holds the strap in

alloy is working fine for me
let's see if i can break them

Maybe things have slipped over the years. I'm still using the Brooks Pro I bought over 25 years ago and it's holding up fine.

I work with and around steel. Lots of steel. And salt water. Lots of salt water. On large, steel, commercial vessels, on the Delaware & Schuylkill Rivers. That, I should think, qualifies me to make the following statement.
It is not possible that your bolt "rusted through" in that time frame (5 months, you said). It may have developed some surface discoloration, or even a little surface rust between the threads. It may have become slightly corroded and bonded to the nut, and then you may have snapped it off trying to tighten or loosen it. But, since you're not storing your bike under a pier next to an ocean, it is a vast prevarication to say that it rusted to the point of failure.

you shouldn't even have to tension the saddle anyway within 5 months

The only thing I can think of is a badly manufactured run of bolts.

user error, hands down.