I've got a brand new brooks B17...

mtbhenry888

... and i was wondering if anyone has anytips as to how to break it in, stick to the proofide or go with sheldons recommendation of neats foot oil? how long do they normally take to break in, i'm thinking that if i start commuting on it now it should be ready for my new tourer i'm building in the summer?

oh yeah and i got it for a steal, my LBS have them for £35 not even on special offer! cheapest i could find it online is £45 at chain reaction or spa cycles!

blorg

I would just use Proofide, you don't want to overdo anything. Just proofide it and start riding. Personally I found the B17 comfortable from the start, although it does get noticably more hammock-like after a bit of use. If you start now it should be well broken in after a few hundred km so plenty of time for the summer. Personally I just lashed it on immediately before a 1,000km tour and it was broken in by the end of it, although this is not generally to be recommended in case your arse doesn't get on. The B17 is a pretty easy one as Brooks go.

croggy

As blorg said break-in times vary so just start using it.Every so often I turn it over and oil the underside as well.Great saddles.

yakk

Hot tip in cycleplus recently that makes sense - slacken off the tension bolt slightly to start off with; that'll make it a bit more forgiving, and you can tension it up as it softens and gives.
Yak

robbarker

Use proofide as per the little instruction book you got with it. You'll probably find it comfy from the off anyway - it's the narrower and thicker Brookses that really need breaking in. Proofide underneath too if you don't use mudguards, you don't need to bother otherwise, and keep it as dry as you can.

Yakk wrote:

Hot tip in cycleplus recently that makes sense - slacken off the tension bolt slightly to start off with; that'll make it a bit more forgiving, and you can tension it up as it softens and gives.
Yak

Whatever else you do, don't do this. The tension is set very carefully at the factory and if you want t to mould to your shape correctly, don't mess about with it. You don't want it to soften up - you want it to remain hard but shape itself to you.

ride_whenever

You want to only use proofhide (the brooks stuff) otherwise you lose your warranty.

Ride and enjoy...

djb1971

You may also want to tilt the nose up very slightly. This will stop any slipping ( when saddle is new , the slippiness goes after a while ) and throw you back onto the flat area of the saddle which will keep the crown jewels off the nose

mtbhenry888

thanks for all the help guys, i have tilted the nose up slightly as sugested because it seemed better like that when i rode it yesterday, i'm going to stick to the proofide, ill order some today from Spa cycles, and thanks for the tip about loosening the tension but i'm very cautious when it comes to things like leather saddles, ive never owned one and £35 isn't small change to me so i'm gonna keep it as it is, i found it comfortable anyway!

thanks again

bice

I have never done anything to my Brooks saddle which I bought in 1984. It has been rained on plenty of times. It does look a bit bashed in but I reckon it will last me out. I reckon bathing it in neatsfoot oil, as advised by Sheldon, is a very bad idea as it could stretch too much. With saddlery, you don't bathe a horse saddle in oil, you lightly clean it with glycerine and water to get dirt off and very slightly moisteurise. It's the stirrup leathers, girth leathers and other bits of tack that get soaked or take strain that must be kept supple. That said, my Brooks could have done with a bit more care and attention than it received.