wore out yet another saddle, this time a specialized body geometry.
decided despite the humidity and mold potential, wanted to try out a
leather saddle.

brooks way too pricey, but found a Gyes GS-17 online for $45 delivered.
similar to a brooks B-17, but has a woven covering bonded to the
bottom. came with hexkey and wrench to adjust tension. proofide too
expensive at $15/tin, but found dubbin for $3.



looked lovely in the box. single piece of thick, black leather. longish
rails, plenty of adjustment potential. wider and heavier (640g) than the
specialized it replaced (290g). skirts come pre-laced to prevent chafing.

test ride yesterday. first few seconds rather painful, had to learn where
and how to sit. hard surface but not uncomfortable. within a few minutes
was daydreaming, forgetting to monitor the feel of the saddle. got in
about 20km when the storm clouds blew in.

another 25km today. feels really comfortable, who needs a break-in
period? of course, we'll see how it feels after 50 or 75km.

seems to go with the flutterby bars and the full-length fenders.

swap out that seat post for a suspension one and comfy for a lifetime. great find btw.

Molten wax saturation helped my Brooks be impervious to wet tours, though I do put a plastic bag over it when really pouring .

Tbs of the Proofide applied in the mid 1970's.. warmed in oven upside down.

So the Gyes is 120 more grams than the boat anchor, formerly known as Brooks B17 36 spokes may not be enough?

btw, if Proofide is too expensive or not available, always consider bees wax or sno seal which does a nice job of water proofing without damage to the leather.

I see the Tins they put it up in, now, are a lot smaller than they were in 1975.

tin of proofide sold by itself..........40g..........$15

brooks care package...........25g........$14 (includes wrench and polishing cloth)

tin of dubbin.................100ml...........$3

I use Obenauf's Leather Paste made from beeswax. Has worked very well on our leather saddles and doesn't cause undo stretching. We have 5 Brooks and another leather saddle on the bikes in our fleet, all ridden in all conditions. I apply Obenauf's LP maybe twice a year, top and bottom. Perhaps 3-4 times a year on my main commuter which sees lots of wear, sweat, wet swimsuits, and wet weather. Also has a pleasant honey smell and treat my belts, shoes, hands with the same product.

as an update on the gyes saddle:

have put about 500km on the saddle now,
last couple rides 75-80km.

get a little butt-tired at around the 70km
point, which is a nice increase over the 35-40
limit with the specialized saddle when ridden
without gel cover.

put three very light applications of dubbin
on the upper surface, rubbed in and buffed
off. kinda worried about how the leather
will react to the local 112% humidity.
western hat, boots, belt turn green if
not worn for a week.

now have two of the most precious little
dimples forming about an inch in from
the two side rivets. is getting more
and more comfy.