(Pete Cresswell) wrote in message ...
>RE/
>>How long does it take to break in a Brooks saddle to your own shape? How
long should one try it before giving up?
Pete, here is article that Bill and I penned some years ago on how to speed up the breakin period of
leather saddles. HTH
Put Saddle Sores Behind You By Bill Boston and 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 Proofhide, tell him wear to rub it. I recommend 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 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 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!”)
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 seat 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, or cheap
plastic cover when not riding. Your ***** 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.
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!