Breaking in a Brooks saddle

[dekindy]

http://www.pactour.com/

Go to Lon's blog and review the January 21, 2011 entry on Breaking In A Brooks Saddle. It appears that he has vast experience so I thought some of you would be interested since many forumites ride Brooks.

Has anyone ridden his tours? I was giving some thought to the Week 7 Arizona Desert Training Camp but am not sure there would be anything for my wife and son to do there.

[eddief]

that is the least challenging week. we hit the cold and rain; the worst in about 10 years for that week in that t area. Lon and wife were great as was the rest of the support group. Each of little towns we saw was worth more down time. Kartchner Caverns near Benson was one of the mind blowers of my lifetime.

[eddief]

Breaking In a Leather Saddle
Breaking in a Brooks Leather Saddle
by Lon Haldeman

Most Brooks leather saddles are very firm when they are new (similar to knocking on wood). The leather will eventually get softer to the touch but this could take several thousands of miles of riding in dry conditions. The following break in procedure is a way to speed up the process and still have 40,000 miles life expectancy from the saddle. During the past 30 years I have broken in at least 10 saddles every year. During a cross country PAC Tour event I recently broke in 20 saddles in 20 days for riders who wanted to ride a leather saddle the next day. I can break in my own saddles in less than one hour and 10 miles of riding. The following steps will take slightly longer, but they will break in the saddle in less than one week or 100 miles. The key is not to overly break in the saddle. You want to make the saddle comfortable enough to disappear beneath you.

Different models of Brooks Saddles are cut from different locations of the animal’s hide. The best and thickest parts of the hide are saved for only a few of the Professional model saddles. Personally I like the leather that is used on the B-17 model saddles. The leather is slightly thinner and it breaks in faster. All saddles of the same model are not the same and you can feel the difference with your fingers. The point is, thinner leather breaks in faster, and you need to be careful when using the following steps to break in your saddle. This break in procedures needs to be a balance of making the saddle comfortable but not ruining the saddle and making it too limp to offer good support.

What you need to get started.

2 gallon bucket, extra seat post that fits your bike, tin container of Mink Oil (it is a paste wax type of water proofing sold in the shoe department at Walmart)

1. Fill a sink or bucket with 2 gallons of hot tap water. The water should be quite warm but not too hot to soak your hands in the water.

2. Put the saddle in the water and make sure the saddle is totally under water.

3. Let the saddle soak for 5 minutes. Take the saddle out and flex the sides of the saddle with your fingers. The saddle should feel pliable but not limp.

4. If the saddle still feels stiff then soak it another 5 minutes. Do not over soak it because you only want to break in the saddle about 50% during this first process.

5. When the saddle feels pliable, remove it from the bucket then dry the saddle with an old towel. Rub the top and bottom for several minutes to remove as much moisture as possible. The saddle should still feel warm from the water at this time.

6. Before the saddle cools... immediately start rubbing Mink Oil on the top and bottom of the saddle. The warm leather will help melt the Mink Oil. The evaporating water will help draw the Mink Oil into the leather.

7. Rub and massage the Mink Oil with your thumbs into the “sit bone” areas of the saddle. Use lots of Mink Oil. Massage the saddle for at least 10 minutes. It is okay to leave some extra Mink Oil on the surface of the saddle and on the underside of the saddle.

8. Mount the saddle on a seat post and test the saddle for tilt and height on your bike. Put on some old bike shorts and go for a short 10 minute ride (shorter is better at this time). You should not ride very far on a damp saddle because you can distort the leather.

9. Your old bike shorts will have rubbed off the extra Mink Oil from the top of the saddles. When you know the tilt is correct, then park your bike and wait until tomorrow. Apply one more thin coat of Mink Oil and allow it to sink in overnight.

10. The Next Day test the saddle to see how pliable it is. If the saddle is quite stiff you can remove the seat post from your bike and soak the saddle in hot water again for 5 minutes then repeat the first process from yesterday.

11. If the saddle is feeling better then only apply more Mink Oil today. Put on your old shorts again and go for a longer one hour ride.

12. It is important to keep the saddle well oiled the first month. DO NOT let the saddle dry out. Apply at least 5 coats of Mink Oil during the first week of riding or before and after each ride.

13. After one week or 100 miles the saddle should feel quiet a bit softer and starting to fit you better.

Brooks Saddles have a tensioning bolt at the nose of the saddle. During the break in process you might need to tighten the bolt and stretch the saddle 1/2 turn for every 500 miles of riding. Usually after 3 turns (3 threads showing) and 3,000 miles the saddle tension is pretty stable for a while. For our old RAAM bikes we used to like using saddles that had been stretched about 10 turns (10 threads) after 20,000 miles. Those saddles were long enough to allow the rider to side fore and aft and have several different saddle pressure positions.

I hope this helps you enjoy your new leather saddle sooner.

[Ahneida Ride]

Not so sure about oiling a Brooks

I suspect it will leas to pre-mature aging.

Oil at ones' own risk ....

[buldogge]

Yeah...this has short term gratification written all over it...NOT long term durability, which is one of the Brooks hallmarks.

Gotta put in the time to break in the Brooks IMHO.

My 2c

-Mark in St. Louis

[slowandsteady]

by pre-mature aging would that mean you only get 10 years use out of it :)

[rugbysecondrow]

Step 1: Affix Saddle to post

Step 2: Apply Proofide

Step 3: Let Proofide sit, then wipe off

Step 4: Ride Bike

Step 5: Stick with step 4

There is not rocket science behind the Brooks. It is leather, it requires some breaking in. There is no voodoo behind it, just ride the thing as it is just a saddle.

[sherok]

I wouldn't put mink oil on the saddle. I would stick with the recommendations that Brooks provides. Let the proofhide do it's job and ride the bike.

[buldogge]

Exactly...there is nothing else to say.

-Mark

Step 1: Affix Saddle to post

Step 2: Apply Proofide

Step 3: Let Proofide sit, then wipe off

Step 4: Ride Bike

Step 5: Stick with step 4

There is not rocket science behind the Brooks. It is leather, it requires some breaking in. There is no voodoo behind it, just ride the thing as it is just a saddle.

[zray67]

Not so sure about oiling a Brooks

I suspect it will leas to pre-mature aging.

Oil at ones' own risk ....

I've oiled my 4 or 5 Brooks' saddles. It definitely helped make the saddles more "rideable" in a shorter period of time. What it does for the longevity of the saddles I'm not sure. But, I feel that my sit bones are going to wear out well before the saddles.

Also, I always try to follow the advice of either a very experienced user like Lon Haldeman or the manufacturer's advice. For my HandleBra tape I only use the manufacturer's web site and always follow the advice I find there.

[bicycletricycle]

i actually like my B17's when they are new and hard as wood. If i could afford it i would get a new one every 2000 miles. When they are soft they get all droopy and make my "area" numb.

[Ahneida Ride]

i actually like my B17's when they are new and hard as wood. If i could afford it i would get a new one every 2000 miles. When they are soft they get all droopy and make my "area" numb.

The fix is to tie (lace) em .. send a PM to Smiley ... he did mine ...

[Fixed]

i got mine in a trade a few years ago looks new
put it on last week
it is very comfortable. even on the first ride
cheers

[bicycletricycle]

I dont like the way they look laced up, vanity is such a pain in the ass

[etu]

Isn't it part of the "mystique" to break in a Brooks?
Call me a masochist, but I have actually been a little disappointed that my B-17 has been broken in only after 300 or so miles of riding. I am planning getting a Pro to see what breaking that will be like.

Also as a follow up, THANK YOU for all the helpful comments on my previous post about saddle fit. The key adjustment for me was the fore-aft positioning. I usually ride a zero offset Thompson and so when I was using a standard Ritchey setback post, i thought for sure the saddle was positioned far back enough. After your helpful advice, I played with angles and bought a Nitto wayback post from Rivendell and pushed the saddle back further and helped me get the "hammock" feeling. :banana:

[oliver1850]

.

[oldpotatoe]

Step 1: Affix Saddle to post

Step 2: Apply Proofide

Step 3: Let Proofide sit, then wipe off

Step 4: Ride Bike

Step 5: Stick with step 4

There is not rocket science behind the Brooks. It is leather, it requires some breaking in. There is no voodoo behind it, just ride the thing as it is just a saddle.

What he said, it's a bike saddle afterall.

[dekindy]

I thought everyone might like to know the method that an expert long distance rider used to break in Brooks saddles. My bad.

[Fixed]

Breaking In a Leather Saddle
Breaking in a Brooks Leather Saddle
by Lon Haldeman

Most Brooks leather saddles are very firm when they are new (similar to knocking on wood). The leather will eventually get softer to the touch but this could take several thousands of miles of riding in dry conditions. The following break in procedure is a way to speed up the process and still have 40,000 miles life expectancy from the saddle. During the past 30 years I have broken in at least 10 saddles every year. During a cross country PAC Tour event I recently broke in 20 saddles in 20 days for riders who wanted to ride a leather saddle the next day. I can break in my own saddles in less than one hour and 10 miles of riding. The following steps will take slightly longer, but they will break in the saddle in less than one week or 100 miles. The key is not to overly break in the saddle. You want to make the saddle comfortable enough to disappear beneath you.

Different models of Brooks Saddles are cut from different locations of the animal’s hide. The best and thickest parts of the hide are saved for only a few of the Professional model saddles. Personally I like the leather that is used on the B-17 model saddles. The leather is slightly thinner and it breaks in faster. All saddles of the same model are not the same and you can feel the difference with your fingers. The point is, thinner leather breaks in faster, and you need to be careful when using the following steps to break in your saddle. This break in procedures needs to be a balance of making the saddle comfortable but not ruining the saddle and making it too limp to offer good support.

What you need to get started.

2 gallon bucket, extra seat post that fits your bike, tin container of Mink Oil (it is a paste wax type of water proofing sold in the shoe department at Walmart)

1. Fill a sink or bucket with 2 gallons of hot tap water. The water should be quite warm but not too hot to soak your hands in the water.

2. Put the saddle in the water and make sure the saddle is totally under water.

3. Let the saddle soak for 5 minutes. Take the saddle out and flex the sides of the saddle with your fingers. The saddle should feel pliable but not limp.

4. If the saddle still feels stiff then soak it another 5 minutes. Do not over soak it because you only want to break in the saddle about 50% during this first process.

5. When the saddle feels pliable, remove it from the bucket then dry the saddle with an old towel. Rub the top and bottom for several minutes to remove as much moisture as possible. The saddle should still feel warm from the water at this time.

6. Before the saddle cools... immediately start rubbing Mink Oil on the top and bottom of the saddle. The warm leather will help melt the Mink Oil. The evaporating water will help draw the Mink Oil into the leather.

7. Rub and massage the Mink Oil with your thumbs into the “sit bone” areas of the saddle. Use lots of Mink Oil. Massage the saddle for at least 10 minutes. It is okay to leave some extra Mink Oil on the surface of the saddle and on the underside of the saddle.

8. Mount the saddle on a seat post and test the saddle for tilt and height on your bike. Put on some old bike shorts and go for a short 10 minute ride (shorter is better at this time). You should not ride very far on a damp saddle because you can distort the leather.

9. Your old bike shorts will have rubbed off the extra Mink Oil from the top of the saddles. When you know the tilt is correct, then park your bike and wait until tomorrow. Apply one more thin coat of Mink Oil and allow it to sink in overnight.

10. The Next Day test the saddle to see how pliable it is. If the saddle is quite stiff you can remove the seat post from your bike and soak the saddle in hot water again for 5 minutes then repeat the first process from yesterday.

11. If the saddle is feeling better then only apply more Mink Oil today. Put on your old shorts again and go for a longer one hour ride.

12. It is important to keep the saddle well oiled the first month. DO NOT let the saddle dry out. Apply at least 5 coats of Mink Oil during the first week of riding or before and after each ride.

13. After one week or 100 miles the saddle should feel quiet a bit softer and starting to fit you better.

Brooks Saddles have a tensioning bolt at the nose of the saddle. During the break in process you might need to tighten the bolt and stretch the saddle 1/2 turn for every 500 miles of riding. Usually after 3 turns (3 threads showing) and 3,000 miles the saddle tension is pretty stable for a while. For our old RAAM bikes we used to like using saddles that had been stretched about 10 turns (10 threads) after 20,000 miles. Those saddles were long enough to allow the rider to side fore and aft and have several different saddle pressure positions.

I hope this helps you enjoy your new leather saddle sooner.
nice read well written thanks
glad mine was good from the get go but i only ride an hour a day that is way to much work for me you guys are tough
i did enjoy the read
cheers

[biker72]

I thought everyone might like to know the method that an expert long distance rider used to break in Brooks saddles. My bad.

It's interesting to see how other folks break in their Brooks saddles. I'm sticking with Proofide but thanks for the post.

[rugbysecondrow]

I dont like the way they look laced up, vanity is such a pain in the ass
You actually don't lace it up but rather one cinch or lace to pull the sides together some. Less flare out of the sides, more support up top. When you are a bigger rider like us, it works well.

[Fixed]

You actually don't lace it up but rather one cinch or lace to pull the sides together some. Less flare out of the sides, more support up top. When you are a bigger rider like us, it works well.
how do you lace up a brooks ?
cheers

[bobswire]

I provide a Brooks Breaking In service. Send it to me and I'll break it in for you for $15 and return it to you in a year. Guaranteed broken in. :beer:

[Fixed]

I provide a Brooks Breaking In service. Send it to me and I'll break it in for you for $15 and return it to you in a year. Guaranteed broken in. :beer:
mine is perfect but i never( laced up) a saddle before just for future reference
cheers
got it http://www.flickr.com/groups/brookssaddles/discuss/72157619231337301/
bro i 'd need to take it to a shop shop i would f$%^ it up looks cool though

[Ken Robb]

I used a drill and a couple of zip ties. I had no need for all the holes and laces in the how-to photos. The leather is so stiff that each lace pulls in quite a length of skirt.

[rugbysecondrow]

how do you lace up a brooks ?
cheers

I posted some quick photos in this thread. You can use shoe string or. Zip tie.

http://forums.thepaceline.net/showthread.php?t=85077&highlight=Brooks


Best of luck.

[dekindy]

I did a lot more reading on breaking in Brooks saddles. The informaion was not as easy to find as I anticipated.

Apparently the Brooks Proofide is made of animal fat. Oils and creams will either soften the leather too much, damage the fibers, or clog the pores so that the leather will not breathe. The application of other products can be done but I think the service life is compromised some and if you do not know what you are doing can ruin the saddle.

Getting the saddle aligned properly, very little retensioning, and applying a few coats of Proofide in the initial months of us and then 2-4 times per year thereafter depending on use is the way to go.

Now I wish I knew which model to try. Maybe I will wait until existing saddles need replacing and then take the plunge.

[Fixed]

I did a lot more reading on breaking in Brooks saddles. The informaion was not as easy to find as I anticipated.

Apparently the Brooks Proofide is made of animal fat. Oils and creams will either soften the leather too much, damage the fibers, or clog the pores so that the leather will not breathe. The application of other products can be done but I think the service life is compromised some and if you do not know what you are doing can ruin the saddle.

Getting the saddle aligned properly, very little retensioning, and applying a few coats of Proofide in the initial months of us and then 2-4 times per year thereafter depending on use is the way to go.

Now I wish I knew which model to try. Maybe I will wait until existing saddles need replacing and then take the plunge.
there is a nice one in the serotta classified section
cheers

[dekindy]

I read that the leather in current Brooks saddles is not as thick as historically and has a much shorter short break-in period as compared to years ago. Any opinions.

[dave thompson]

I read that the leather in current Brooks saddles is not as thick as historically and has a much shorter short break-in period as compared to years ago. Any opinions.
"Break-in" depends on a lot of different things; thickness of leather, weight of rider, treatment of leather, etc. I've found that 'break-in' for me means when it becomes comfortable and that turns out not to be so much a property of the saddle but a combination of the 'properties' of my butt (saddle-time mostly but also padding in the shorts and butt butter) and careful fine tuning of the saddle position. My research (riding time) has shown me that saddle positioning is probably about 70% of the "break-in". I use Salsa Shaft seat posts exclusively because they allow quick and easy, in-the-field very fine adjustments.

[Fixed]

The fix is to tie (lace) em .. send a PM to Smiley ... he did mine ...
i need to lace mine i am afraid i will mess it up
but i am going to try this week
cheers

[SEABREEZE]

Apparently the Brooks Proofide is made of animal fat. .

Here's the solution, get some fresh butter, and apply, it'll serve two purposes
butt butter and breaking in the saddle.

I say this kiddingly, but real butter is animal fat

[dave thompson]

Here's the solution, get some fresh butter, and apply, it'll serve two purposes
butt butter and breaking in the saddle.

I say this kiddingly, but real butter is animal fat
Yeah, but would you spread Proofide on your English Muffins?

[SEABREEZE]

Yeah, but would you spread Proofide on your English Muffins?


Hear you dave, but then again Proofide is not butter, at least I hope not, I'll stick with the butter thank you. Cream cheese is quite nice on English Muffins, so is Eggs Benedict