Brooks saddles

[johnb]

Brooks B17 on my main bikes (tourers). The aim is to create a hammock like effect. Start by giving the bolt half to one full turn to loosen it and therefore Create a bit of flex and start the breaking in. Next I paint the saddle with neatsfoot oil about 6 coats letting it dry between coats. Brooks says not to do this as it results in the fibres stretching and therefore damaging them?? Really? Surely that's exactly what the breaking in does. Now on with the wax any old wax don't be conned by the Brookes profide with all its extra additives, wax is all you need. Apply regularly based on usage and weather. Every week if you use it every day more in bad weather. Brooke's say you don't need to use the cover when riding its just for when the bike is Left outside in the rain....a plastic bag does the same thing. I don't because that's what the wax is for and there is no chance of me remembering anyway. I just apply wax more often. The hammock like effect is what you are after. Neatfoot oil gets you there quicker. It also stops the saddle drying out if you forget to wax it. I apply to my walking boots regularly (full grain leather not nubuck) this allowes me to dry my boots in front of the fire without them going hard. They actually remain nice and supple.

[Moder-dye]

I'm a fan of neats foot oil for hiking boots too

[Mpolo]

Love my B17, we use beeswax softened with a bit of cooking oil instead of the proof stuff. i do go through phases of needing to tighten the nut almost every ride then several months without touching it no idea why

[Mike]

Having used this saddle now for a week it seems to have got slightly more comfortable now on my butt so going to persist with it a tad longer.

[gairym]

In my experience they're not massively comfy saddles but.....they are consistently NOT uncomfortable (or damaging) for very long periods of time and on trip after trip.

And for that reason alone I've stuck with them.

Does that make sense?

[Mike]

[ianfitz]

Having used this saddle now for a week it seems to have got slightly more comfortable now on my butt so going to persist with it a tad longer.

Despite what brooks say about them not needing any break-in time I think they do develop a bit more ‘give’ after a while.

The first one I had was new. The others were secondhand for that reason.

[ScotRoutes]

From experience, the different colours also behave slightly differently. Lighter tones (like the honey) seem to be much stiffer and need "broken in" more. Black seems to work well from the get-go. I assuming it's something to do with the tanning process.

My B17 was comfy from day one and has remained so. I've tightened it up a couple of times. The most it needed done was after sitting outside for three days in a Hebridean south westerly. I think I've applied some sort of weather protection twice, maybe three times. It's eight years old now and has done a fair few thousand miles. I had a vague notion of replacing it with a blue one for, well, aesthetic reasons but I've never quite justified the cost in my head. If I ever see one particularly cheap, I might jump.

[Pirahna]

I found the B17 the worst saddle I've ever tried. There's more comfort in a plank of oak and I reckoned I'd have more chance of breaking the oak in sooner than the Brooks. However, the B17 Imperial is my choice for summer and distance riding. It's surprising the difference that cutout makes.

[Mart]

In my view, with the cambium being rubber, becomes more flexible as it warms up (via body heat)

[Pirahna]

I've got a Cambium Carved as well as the B17 Imperial, can't say I've noticed it changing with body heat.