VeganRider
Got a Brooks Team Pro on sale last year at Nashbar. Since it was on sale I got it even though it was brown and now I'm wondering if I can make it black. Would shoe polish work? I really dont want to screw it up.
View Full Version : Change color of a Brooks?
50mph
you're joking right???
VeganRider
you're joking right???No, I wanted black but they didn't sell it in black. It's not like I plan on using spray paint on it. I think I remember hearing that hair color worked to change it, someone made one red to match the bike. Honest.
dhk
Got a Brooks Team Pro on sale last year at Nashbar. Since it was on sale I got it even though it was brown and now I'm wondering if I can make it black. Would shoe polish work? I really dont want to screw it up.
Shoe polish would darken it all right, but the black would come off on your shorts. Maybe you could have a shoemaker use a permanent leather dye, then buff off the excess black before you have to sit on it.
My old B17 Narrow is black, so I've always thought of the brown as the prestige color....I'd keep the brown classic color myself.
Shoe polish would darken it all right, but the black would come off on your shorts. Maybe you could have a shoemaker use a permanent leather dye, then buff off the excess black before you have to sit on it.
My old B17 Narrow is black, so I've always thought of the brown as the prestige color....I'd keep the brown classic color myself.
VeganRider
Shoe polish would darken it all right, but the black would come off on your shorts. Maybe you could have a shoemaker use a permanent leather dye, then buff off the excess black before you have to sit on it.
My old B17 Narrow is black, so I've always thought of the brown as the prestige color....I'd keep the brown classic color myself. Oh I agree with the classic part, but I have 2 road bikes and the one it's on now is a ti Litespeed with yellow tires; looks very sharp (I cut the sides so it looks like a raceing saddle). It feels sooo good I want one on my Trek 5200 but that bike is black and it would look butt ugly. Maybe I should try the B-17 narrow? the standard is too wide for me that's most of the reason I got the pro.
My old B17 Narrow is black, so I've always thought of the brown as the prestige color....I'd keep the brown classic color myself. Oh I agree with the classic part, but I have 2 road bikes and the one it's on now is a ti Litespeed with yellow tires; looks very sharp (I cut the sides so it looks like a raceing saddle). It feels sooo good I want one on my Trek 5200 but that bike is black and it would look butt ugly. Maybe I should try the B-17 narrow? the standard is too wide for me that's most of the reason I got the pro.
Insight Driver
Go to a leather supply store and get a small bottle of black leather dye and cleaner. Your saddle won't take the dye now because it is probably well-oiled. To properly dye leather it must clean of all waxes and oils. The cleaner may do a good enough job to allow at least a small penetration of the die into the leather.
It's a shame you want to change the color. Leather is not like a man-made material that can be easily modified. I suggest you resign yourself to the tan color you have or save up to buy a black saddle.
It's a shame you want to change the color. Leather is not like a man-made material that can be easily modified. I suggest you resign yourself to the tan color you have or save up to buy a black saddle.
VeganRider
[QUOTE=Insight Driver]Go to a leather supply store and get a small bottle of black leather dye and cleaner. Your saddle won't take the dye now because it is probably well-oiled. To properly dye leather it must clean of all waxes and oils. The cleaner may do a good enough job to allow at least a small penetration of the die into the leather.
Ok, thanks to you guys I just called Nashbar and ordered the Brooks B-17 narrow. IT IS BLACK, and not as wide as the standard that I did get but can't use because its too wide. The Team Pro that fits good is 160 mm wide, the B-17 narrow is 155mm; the standard 170mm. Thanks for helping me spend more money on THE hobby, actually I don't need much help.
Ok, thanks to you guys I just called Nashbar and ordered the Brooks B-17 narrow. IT IS BLACK, and not as wide as the standard that I did get but can't use because its too wide. The Team Pro that fits good is 160 mm wide, the B-17 narrow is 155mm; the standard 170mm. Thanks for helping me spend more money on THE hobby, actually I don't need much help.
Karbac
Don't worry about spending money on bike stuff...you probably would have just wasted it on something foolish like food, shelter, or clothing. :D
VeganRider
Don't worry about spending money on bike stuff...you probably would have just wasted it on something foolish like food, shelter, or clothing. :D
Hey man, your ok! I'm glad to see we have our priorities in order. Seems like the bikes are all that matter to me for the past couple years, wonder why. Hey, so what if I have 6 of 'em, ........... :D
Hey man, your ok! I'm glad to see we have our priorities in order. Seems like the bikes are all that matter to me for the past couple years, wonder why. Hey, so what if I have 6 of 'em, ........... :D
Wurm
Since it was on sale I got it even though it was brown and now I'm wondering if I can make it black. Would shoe polish work?
Here's a few ideas that may work for you:
How to Break in a Brooks Pro Saddle
Put Saddle Sores Behind You
By Bill Boston with 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 Proofide, tell him where to rub it. I recommend a 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 just 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 bones 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!”) Wear black shorts for this part as the dye will come off and stain your cloths.
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 saddle 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 a 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, plastic shopping bag 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.
My thanks to Eric Hjertberg for resurrecting this and sending it to me. Over the years, Eric made many copies of this article available to his customers at Wheelsmith. The disclaimer below is his.
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!
Here's a few ideas that may work for you:
How to Break in a Brooks Pro Saddle
Put Saddle Sores Behind You
By Bill Boston with 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 Proofide, tell him where to rub it. I recommend a 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 just 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 bones 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!”) Wear black shorts for this part as the dye will come off and stain your cloths.
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 saddle 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 a 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, plastic shopping bag 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.
My thanks to Eric Hjertberg for resurrecting this and sending it to me. Over the years, Eric made many copies of this article available to his customers at Wheelsmith. The disclaimer below is his.
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!
dhk
Wurm, this sounds like great care advice to me. Many years ago, I oiled my Brooks B17 heavily by soaking the underneath side. It turned it into a bit of a hammock, just as your article describes, and was never really comfortable as a result.
Wurm
Wurm, this sounds like great care advice to me. Many years ago, I oiled my Brooks B17 heavily by soaking the underneath side. It turned it into a bit of a hammock, just as your article describes, and was never really comfortable as a result.
Exactly. Even though they are hard to begin with, IMHO it's not good to oil a Brooks to get temporary relief. Better to use a different method unless you want to throw out the saddle later.
Exactly. Even though they are hard to begin with, IMHO it's not good to oil a Brooks to get temporary relief. Better to use a different method unless you want to throw out the saddle later.
dhk
Exactly. Even though they are hard to begin with, IMHO it's not good to oil a Brooks to get temporary relief. Better to use a different method unless you want to throw out the saddle later.
Well, I've still got the broken-down old saddle on my 1974 Raleigh Gran Sport. Rarely ride it now; just get it out for short rides when I want to remember what Simplex friction shifting and 10 speeds were all about. Did my first Century on it in '74, and first race in '75.....just too many memories to throw in the trash bin.
Well, I've still got the broken-down old saddle on my 1974 Raleigh Gran Sport. Rarely ride it now; just get it out for short rides when I want to remember what Simplex friction shifting and 10 speeds were all about. Did my first Century on it in '74, and first race in '75.....just too many memories to throw in the trash bin.
Wurm
Since you say you don't ride it much, it probably is worth keeping just for the retro Raleigh. Nothing wrong with that!
WP33
:rolleyes: Picky about color? Will anyone able to see the saddle under your butt? :p
Wurm
:rolleyes: Picky about color? Will anyone able to see the saddle under your butt? :p
Hey looks DO count for something. I wouldn't put a Honey or Antique Brown Brooks on some frame colors, nor a Black one on others. Since there are choices, why not make it look good?
Hey looks DO count for something. I wouldn't put a Honey or Antique Brown Brooks on some frame colors, nor a Black one on others. Since there are choices, why not make it look good?
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