This will be a work in progress for my Brooks saddle that I installed on the LHT in 2019. I will do a review at 250 km now. I will do another at 1000 and then at 5000 km.
Why I Bought The Brooks
I grew up, like any other Indian in the 70s, on a leather saddle that every single bicycle in our country donned in those days. We never knew that bicycles could come in any other type of saddle. Of course as a child, my tricycle had a plastic seat that had turned white being exposed to the sun forever. Some time in the 80s the non-leather saddles (we always calledthem seats) became fashionable and then a norm. Only poor people rode on leather or perhaps more correctly leather like saddles.
When I bought the new bike Merida Scultura it came with a normal narrow saddle. I guess these are PU material. It wasn't uncomfortable. But once I started researching on touring cycles I inevitably learned about Brooks and its legacy. I immediately identified with it and understood how our saddles of childhood were all replica Brooks. Of course I wanted a Brooks. For the legend that it is. I got it brought for me when Guria came to India for a visit and installed it on my LHT right away.
Before the first ride I treated the saddle with the Proofide that came gratis with it in a small sachet. I also got Raja to bring a tin of Proofide for me from England for future use. The initial few days on the Brooks were hard, I must confess. But I remembered all our childhood and boyhood saddles which were never comfortable. We would often buy a plastic cover with thick foam padding inside. I cannot say they reduced the discomfort in any way.
But somewhere along the line, perhaps after 6/7 short rides the saddle became less uncomfortable. Now that I have done more than 250 kms with it, I guess the initial breaking in period is over. I do not feel it is hard. I cannot say it is soft or squishy. But there is a certain flex in it that I like. Very subtle flex. Not a loud spring but just a wave. I quite love the saddle now.
Today for the first time it rained as I had gone out with the bike (basically to sell the Cateye Velo 7 to a Howrah guy called Nabin Haldar). As we were chatting near the Victoria it started raining. After a few drops on the saddle I realised it was exposed and immediately reached for the black plastic under the saddle. It had dropped off somewhere because Monisha gave me a new one today and loosely stuck it under the saddle. I should have tucked it between the rails. Then I realised I had the plastic carry bag in which I brought the Velo7. So I put it as a cover and even rode over it even though it wasn't raining any more. But before putting the cover I used my hand towel to wipe the saddle and soak the water up.
I am not sure if it got a darker tan after this but I love the colour as it is now. It's a little darker than when it first came.
I must add two things here. In the first year of its existence atop my LHT frame I did not ride a lot. The cycle was as good as lying idle in my living room. This possibly resulted in rusting of the rivets. My rivets are not copper rivets but steel and some of them have rusted. I am not too worried about that. It's okay. I am not sure if Brasso is necessary as it might do more harm to the leather than do any good on the metal. So I am allowing it to get that coating of oxidation. If it rubs off with my bum fine. Otherwise I can live with it.
I will write the next review after I finish 1000 km on it. I might go for a coat of Proofiding at 500. The Calcutta monsoon is on right now and everything is so damp here.
5th July, 2020 - The First Seat Marks Appear At 432 Km - Today, while on a trip to Bagbazaar with Mezda I realised my saddle had developed some marks where my bottom puts the maximum pressure. The odo at the end of the day's trip shows 432 km. The saddle is slightly discoloured there with crease like markings, though they are not actual creases. Initially I thought they were marks from my sweat. The other day while coming back from work I sweated like a pig and my trousers and shirt were soaking wet with my sweat. So I wouldn't be surprised if the saddle also took up some sweat from there. But on closer inspection they don't seem to be water marks. They look more like pressure points.
If you really strained your eyes you could see the marks in this image near the last and first rivets at the two sides. There is a similar mark near the top first rivet also. The saddle, I suppose, is gradually adapting to the shape of my bottom. This is what it is supposed to do and the reputation is precisely for this. I have no complaints against it in terms of it being a "pain in the butt". It is not. Super comfortable? Not yet. But cycle saddles are not supposed to be your drawing room sofa where you sink in.
I think I will Proofide it once at 500 km, which I expect to hit sometime towards the end of this week. It should hopefully improve things further. But the weather has been very damp of late. So whether it is the right time to Proofide the saddle is something worth thinking about. But then these saddles are born in England which is not known for being sunny. So let me see.
Saturday July 11, 2020 - Today the saddle touched 500 kilometers. Tomorrow being Sunday I plan to go out again and then I will Proofide it once because Monday I have to take the car out in the morning as Monisha plans to go to work as well (when the two of us go out we take the car out).
So how has the saddle been so far. It's great. I bought it for the legacy, as I said. Comfort is a side benefit :-). But it indeed is getting more and more comfortable. As I said I don't weigh much and I do a lot of exercise trying to stay fit. Therefore my glutes, I think, are less prone to pain. The saddle is gradually taking the shape of my butt. I can see new contours emerging and colour changes in certain places of the saddle. I think it is a matter of time before it takes the shape of my backside. I am waiting rather curiously for that to happen and see how it improves comfort. I don't wear padded shorts. And I am fine with the Kappa track pants. Tomorrow I might go out in my golf shorts though.
Proofiding At 500 Km Today Sunday, July 12, 2020 I applied Proofide to the saddle for the second time. The odo is showing 560 km actually. More importantly it's been one year since the saddle was installed. I love the lovely tan colour that came out after it dried up. There were some bits that were not drying. I buffed it gently all over the saddle with a micro-fibre cloth. It looks a very luscious dark tan now. I am not sure when I will apply the next coat of Proofide. Perhaps next monsoon.
Brooks At 1000 Km - Today, Thursday 3rd September 2020, the Brooks B-17 completed its 1000 Km. It was 798 on the odo when I reached home from work. Add the 200 Km I had already recorded before installing the Edge 130. So it was 998 Km after that ride and therefore it would've hit 1000 near Bhatikhana Morh when I was going to see Maa later in the evening. I am not counting the two rides I did without counting the kilometers when my battery had run out.
The saddle has finally started taking the shape of my bottom, particularly where the left sit bone sits on the saddle. It is quite pronounced I can see. I have a feeling the long 9 and a half hours spent on the saddle on Saturday during our Canning trip has done this. I noticed this new development today. Does it mean I exert more pressure with my left leg and sit more on the left bum than the right? I don't know.
Whatever it is, the seat is now super comfortable. The Canning trip is a case in point which proves this beyond an iota of doubt. I went wearing ordinary shorts with a pair of very regular briefs underneath. Nothing happened to my glutes. A little stiffness after the ride but that was gone after the afternoon siesta. The legs were more affected, to be honest.
Now I understand why people vouch for the Brooks so wholeheartedly, particularly the tourers. The only hassle with the saddle is to remember that it is leather and requires protection from water. I keep a plastic grocery bag under the saddle and use it whenever there is a semblance of any rain. For deep cleaning days I cover it with a similar plastic bag or take the saddle off along with the seat post. Of course I have to cover the seat tube with another piece of plastic.
I think I will take another look at the seat once it hits 5000 Km. I hope it is soon :-) If I do one century ride every week I could hit the figure in another twelve months or less. Let's see.
From today I am going to keep tab on the Brooks mileage through the Garmin Connect app where I have added it as a gear. Whatever the total mileage is I have to add another 1000 Km to it. This is so because now I want to use the Edge 130 on both LHT and the Red Roadie.
September 19, 2020
Today being a Saturday I went out on a long ride to Dankuni. I had thought it would be a 100 km trip but it turned out to be just above 76 km because I took the Kona Expressway to return. It's a much shorter distance by that route. But that is not the point.
The point is, I went on my Red Roadie with the Shimano Probiker Griffon saddle and not my Brooks. I could understand today how comfortable my Brooks is. The total saddle time for me was about 5 hours. My butt was hurting from around 3 or 3.5 hours. I love my Brooks all the more now.
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