homepage

Brooks leather saddles

"Classic Touring Kit"

Generally speaking the touring cyclist is poorly served compared to
the racing or mountainbiker, often having to make do with strange
mixes of groupsets in order to get what they want. But if you go to a
cycletourist meet, or meet other cyclists at a campsite you will find
certain items of equipment that come up again and again. These are
things that have stood the test of time, and by word of mouth have
become a regular port of call for those looking to go cycletouring. In
this series I shall be looking at these "classics", one each month, and
try to explain what makes them special. 

 The Brooks B17 Standard Saddle.

When I started cycletouring I had one of the latest gel filled anatomic
wonders which I thought was the bees knees. On Cycletouring Club
runs I would wonder at the weird selection of Brooks leather saddles
the other members sported. Many were hideously deformed into
parodies of their owners nether regions, grotesque twisted shapes
from a modern art gallery. Their owners had had them for years and
lovingly dubbined them until they looked as though they were made
of polished teak. The thought of actually riding one of these
monstrosities was enough to make me wince, but one day a fellow
club member persuaded me to swap bikes for a run. Revalation, "The
road to Damascus"- this was why these old guys searched scrap yards
for leather saddles. Suddenly for the first time I found myself  truly
comfortable on the bike, the thing was like a hammock, gently
cosseting those areas that Gel doesn't reach. So a week later found my
shiny new lightweight tourer kitted out with a refugee from the last
century, and me wondering how long this thing would take to break
in!

So there's the story of my conversion to the Brooks cause, and it's a
conversion that sooner or later almost all British touring cyclists go
through, both men and women. When Breton Bikes was set up there
was only one choice of saddle I could make, and now I regularly have
to beat customers off with a stick while they try to buy the - now eight
year old - saddles that they have fallen in love with on their holiday.
 
Brooks have been making saddles for over 125 years now, and the
B17 is as traditional as they come. It is as heavy as hell, mine tips the
scales at 550 grms, due to a hefty steel frame needed to stretch 5mm
thick saddle leather tightly over it - And of course ownership of a
Brooks is a unique experience. With any other saddle it's simply a
case of fitting it to the seatpost and riding it. The comfort and
condition of the saddle will then slowly (or quickly in some cases)
deteriorate until a couple of years later you bin it and buy a new one.
With a Brooks it is the first few weeks that are the make or break of
the relationship. Like a top quality pair of walking boots, Brooks need
to be broken in. To buy a new one and then immediately use it for a
tour is asking for trouble. In truth the difficulty of this breaking in
period is exaggerated. A new Brooks has a good shape, and though
initially hard as teak it quickly eases to bearable... I personally speed
this process by wiping the saddle with damp cloth until it becomes
soft, then I ride it until it dries. Do this a few times and it will take
your shape more quickly. Brooks don't like you doing this as they say
it loses the saddles shape, but I'm all for speeding the process up! As
the saddle breaks in the slack can be taken up by turning a hefty (that
word again) nut and bolt arrangement at the front of the saddle. 

Although Brooks will cope with a huge amount of neglect and abuse,
to get the best from it the saddle  needs regular, perhaps once a
month, applications of Proofide, neatsfoot oil, or dubbin, this helps it
soften and resist rain. Don't overdo this, some people soak their
saddles in oil, but I find this weakens the leather, and treatment is
better little and often. After a couple of months you will have the most
comfortable saddle you will ever ride, custom built for you, by you! 
To add icing to the cake the saddle will then last for many years,
generally longer than a bike and often longer than their owners.
Eventually the leather will split, I have seen ancient cycletourists
almost in tears at the demise of a loved and cherished friend, or
perhaps it's anticipation of the breaking in of another Brooks!