Road Fan

It sounds like you are saying you now have a Swallow for sale cheap! I'm interested!

momoman

Road Fan,

Ha ha! I already have plans for the Swallow. I’m thinking of using it on a 1985 Dave Moulton Fuso frameset I picked up earlier this year.

JacobLee 

I realize this is slightly off topic, but I recently bought a Brooks Cambium C17 for $40 on Craigslist, and I sure am glad I didn’t buy it new for $120, or whatever. I’ve had great luck with the two vintage leather Brooks saddles I’ve come across, but the C-17 did not rub me right.

SurferRosa

Saw an ad earlier in the week for a Miyata 610 with a Brooks Pro. I had recently mounted one on my 912, and am really enjoying it, so I decided to pick up the 610 and mount the new/old Brooks on my Falcon. I rode it yesterday and today. It's a little too soft for my taste, but I think it's going to work. I already turned the bolt a few turns, and I'll probably lace the skirts to firm it up a bit.


.

JacobLee 

Is there a general thread for Brooks repair, tips, etc? Wondering if anything can be done about this:

clubman 

Nothing to be done. Tension slowly and ride it until it's uncomfortable or falls apart.

momoman

I just got home from picking up a used Brooks Professional for $95 that looks almost new. The seller also had a Swallow for $45 but he told me it sold almost immediately after he put the ad up. I also bought a few handlebars, stems and bottle cages from him for very good prices.

Here’s the ad I responded to. The ad was up for about 10 hours yesterday before I saw it. A honey color Professional was on my want list for a green 70’s Raleigh I’m building up.

arex

I've never bought a new Brooks, and never had reason to regret it. I don't think I'd get one that was TOO broken in...that is, molded to someone else's butt already. But getting that's broken in so it's STARTED to get shaped...that, I don't have a problem with.

67tony 

Agree, nothing can be done.
Holes were punched too close together, and likely laced too tight, also.

buegelfrei

It’s totally fine...as long as you check for “stolen@[myname].com” stamped into the underside of the saddle before you hand over your money!

sewupnut

Think of a used, in good condition Brooks saddle as pre-softened. Been riding them for years, and once broken in no other saddle is more comfortable. I keep em in good shape with olive oil. Oldest one is 34 yo and fits my crotch like a glove. It's a pleasure to ride. Leather is perfect.

Road Fan

I agree, since the main area of the leather is so cracked and weakened.

To the Original Poster: Generally Brooks applied similar lacing to a line of carved saddles, the Imperials. They have cutouts similar to Selle AnAtomica, but Brooks' ancient design for a cutout saddle. Normally without a cutout the skirts of the saddle are enough to keep it from collapsing into a hammock, possibly even after decades of use. The Imperials are weaker around the middle due to the cutout so they added lacing to help brace hold the skirts from splaying, If I had an Imperial with the top and main areas in good condition but with the holes destroyed, I'd butcher off the destroyed skirts, punch new holes in the new bottom edge, and lace it again and go on with life. But this has a dead top and dead skirts. If you can get a few rides out of it great, but generally it's a goner. All those cracks and pulled rivet holes are real bad news.

The original poster could contact BF member RHM about making you a totally new top for it, then you'd have a really nice new leather saddle built on a B17 frame. You could even ride it until it falls apart and they send it to RHM, at least until he stops doing this sort of work and retires to the sunny islands.

Road Fan

It looks great, price is in the ballpark!

Road Fan

Ok, had to try!

Rafe Hollister

Remember that when you ride, try not to think about the anatomical features of someone else's private parts that massaged your seat into it's present suppleness. And definitely don't visualize this!

Kabuki12

I have bought one used Brooks Pro saddle, the rest came with the bikes. All of the Pro model saddles I own are from the seventies and going strong. I have not had to use the tension adjustment on them , but I do use Dr. Martens rub on them at least once a year. The used saddle that I bought was hard and had not been in use for a few years so I set it out on a nice sunny day for an hour or so and then rubbed the whole saddle with the conditioner. I did this a few times over a few months as I wasn’t in a hurry to use the saddle. It now sits on my Windsor Pro and just about perfect for my Irish fanny! I am sure I will get many miles out of it, best $$$$ I ever spent on a saddle alone.

clubman 

I also found the 70's to be a sweet spot for Pros. Really thick leather, quite hard, no tensioning required and that's what suits my posterior. A little proofhide on top and that's it. I especially like the high cut nose model.

NOS

Kabuki12

Yup!! That's the one!

Johno59

If you get a second Brooks go easy on the doping. I bought a near new saddle that had been ruined by misguided over-use of Brooks proof hide that softened the leather to such a degree it caused the tensioner to bottom out rendering a near new saddle useless.
I had to extend the nose frame to take up the stretched leather.
A photo of an unextended tensioner means nothing as it is impossible to discern how tight the leather is.

rhm

That saddle is on its last legs. The leather is disintegrating. Sorry, but you can't turn back the hands of time.