Brooks saddles on modern bikes

[Globalti]

Brooks saddles are beaten together by blokes with mallets and crowbars in a shed in the Midlands, exactly the same as Land Rover Defenders, another much loved but hopelessly outdated icon.

 

[PpPete]

Brooks saddles are beaten together by blokes with mallets and crowbars in a shed in the Midlands, exactly the same as Land Rover Defenders, another much loved but hopelessly outdated icon.

 

[tyred]

Brooks saddles are beaten together by blokes with mallets and crowbars in a shed in the Midlands, exactly the same as Land Rover Defenders, another much loved but hopelessly outdated icon.

So having a saddle which is actually comfortable is an outdated idea?

 

[Globalti]

Brooks saddles become comfortable by sagging and shaping themselves to the rider, just like leather shoes do over time. I used to have a leather saddle (maybe even a Brooks) on an old roadster as a kid and it was shaped like a tractor seat, very scooped and collapsed to the point where you could feel the back rail. I bought a Swift a few years ago expecting it to be a thing of beauty but I was so horrified at the crudeness and the weight that I sold it straight on. Oh I also tried it and found it grossly uncomfortable but admit I didn't use it for long enough for it to shape itself to me.

Plastic saddles weigh very considerably less, cost very considerably less, can withstand wet weather, look more elegant and are usually comfortable from day 1, assuming the shape suits the rider's bum. Also they don't sag. For me there's no contest but I'm the sort of rider who seldom exceeds 3-4 hours on the bike and appreciates light weight; it might be different if I was a regular long-distance tourer.

 

[Sale Madrid]

Someone told me that you need to get your Brooks saddle, put it in the washing machine with a brick, add half a pint of Olive oil and put it on the overnight cycle. In the morning take out the saddle, throw it away and put the brick onto your seatpost....it will be comfier than the Brooks saddle. I ignored this advice and bought a Brooks...it's the worst purchase of my life, it kills my arse. Then someone said it takes 500 - 1000 miles to become comfy...1500 miles later...it still kills my arse ! !