[DVBC] Breaking in Brooks Saddles

[Drew Knox]

All,

On Sunday I noticed Deb's new Brooks saddle, hard as a rock, and
recalled promising to forward this article on breaking in leather saddles
and thought I would share it with all. Not sure when Bill and I penned this,
likely sometime in the late 70s or early 80s when I was editor of the
*TCA*newsletter. Long after I had forgotten about this article, I was
surprised
to learn it lived on and was distributed at Wheelsmith, and
eventually returned to me intact 5 years ago. I understand Brooks was
considering distributing these tips with their saddles but they never
approached us about permissions.

In any case, what goes around comes around and leather saddles seem to be
back in vogue. BTW, I followed this procedure several times and dyed my
saddles a deep wine color which *looked* really cool on red bikes. Personal
disclosure though: there's not enough money to get me back on cupped leather
saddles. With flat modern saddles, I no longer have the soreness and
numbness that plagued me for years using Brooks and Ideale. But, if you are
bound to sport the leather, here's how to reduce the break-in period and
preserve the fit.


*Put Saddle Sores Behind You*

*By Bill Boston and Drew Knox*



The first thing to do is go out and buy a brand new Brooks Pro saddle! And
when the salesman asks if you want Proofhide, tell him wear to rub it. I
recommend Brooks Pro because you want a leather saddle that is not
extensively pre-treated. My personal preference runs towards the looks and
leather of the Team Pro with the large rivets.



Put the saddle on the bike in the proper position. The nose should be about
flat or parallel to the ground. After it is set up, put a damp washcloth on
the rear part of the saddle about an hour before you go for a ride. Make
sure that it is about 2 to 3 inches in front of the rear-most part of the
saddle in the area where most of your weight will rest. The cloth should be
damp but not so soaking wet that it drenches your bike. Then, just before
you ride, take your thumbs and knead the area where your ischial will hit in
order to start softening the leather. Ride an hour or two with the washcloth
OFF. (Don't laugh, I saw a guy riding down the road leaving a dripping
trail, thinking, "Damn, this thing's comfortable already!")



Repeat this procedure of dampening and riding for five or six rides until
the saddle has noticeable indentations and has taken on a curve that looks
like a three- or four-year old, well-ridden saddle. All you are trying to do
is mold the leather, which is something you can't do with a plastic saddle
unless you have a mighty hot set of buns.



When your seat fits your anatomy, stop! Now that your saddle fits, you don't
want it to absorb any more water because it will continue to change shape.
Here's how you seal it: First, expose the pores on the top of the saddle by
rubbing the leather with triple-ought steel wool until the top turns white.
If you want a custom-colored saddle, now is the time. Select any leather dye
- not shoe polish - which comes in a variety of colors. The idea is to fill
up the pores with the new dye, which will last longer than the original and
keep the water out. Lightly scrub with the steel wool between coats, and
then allow the last coat to dry before buffing with a shoe brush and a
cloth. Let the saddle dry overnight, then rub in paste saddle soap and brush
off the excess. Remember to not wear light colored clothes as the excess dye
will wear off for a while. It will stop wearing off faster than the dye that
came on the saddle.



Let me take a moment to make an urgent appeal: do not oil your saddle. Oil
will allow the saddle to continue to change its shape. Eventually the horn
of the saddle, which should be very hard, will soften and spread and chafe.
The leather is formed by wetting and shaping it over a form. The tanning
agents, which stiffen the leather, are broken down and softened by the oil.
Wetting the rear of the saddle with water allows that area to be remolded
while the front part of the saddle remains stiff. You can't do that with oil
because you can't stop the migration of oil through the porous leather.



Now, to finish sealing your saddle coat the underside with a non-softening
snow-seal. Paste it on underneath the saddle and use a hair dryer to warm
and spread it. Also bee's wax or paraffin will work.



Finally, take precautions to keep rain off your saddle by using a shower
cap, baggie, or cheap plastic cover when not riding. Your fanny will do fine
as a rain protector while you are riding. You will find that your riding
shorts will act as a very efficient buffer, polishing your seat to a smooth,
high luster. You will also have an extremely comfortable saddle that will
give years of service.



*NOTE: This article first appeared in DOUBLETALK, the newsletter of the
Tandem Club of America. These ideas are not those of Wheelsmith, its
employees or the Brooks saddle company. We cannot guarantee any results you
may have following Bill Boston's instructions. Proceed at your own risk.
However, many of us have successfully used these procedures, including John
Howard who referred the article to us in the mid '70's. To some extent these
procedures further convince many of us to stick to modern, low maintenance
saddles!*
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://ccs2.craftech.com/pipermail/dvbc-list/attachments/20071030/1be735ca/attachment.htm