fietsbob

+1, I wont be riding your bike, you will ..

Brooks Professional or The Selle Italia Turbo and the San Marco Rolls fall into a similar category for My Posterior.

cale

Saddles have never been that big a deal to me. Now I prefaced my comments, a post or two before yours, that everything I wrote, "Now, assuming that the OP will be comfortable on any saddle, then I prefer this visual "weight" to a slimmer look."

So, I turned the subject to style based on a huge assumption. From the appearance of things you leaped before you looked. And brought your groupies with you.

JohnDThompson 

Either that or the basket and handlebars are out of place.

A Brooks B-66 would look good on there.

motrheadsroadie

no, a springer boat anchor saddle would not look good on my bike.

Wallonthefloor

I think I am in love with all the San Marco saddles, I wish I could own and try each one, but I simply cannot. The rolls looks superb with the gold, which I now have gold all over my bike and it would match nice. If only it came in more color variations with a red tone like my current saddle then I would be set on it. I am pretty set on getting the brooks, but it does rain and snow about half the year here. I am wondering if it would be okay to ride around with a seat cover on not so nice days or would I slide around too much?

hairnet

Good ol' RBI

This Brooks Pro looks good on my Paramount

tashi

I've ridden with a (Brooks) seat cover on, it's fine. Not slidy. Plastic bags are pretty slippery. Make sure you have fenders though, as a seat cover does nothing for road spray. Also, IME, in really soggy conditions your seat gets pretty soaked anyway. I wouldn't run a nice leather saddle on a bike that gets ridden in the rain regularly.

The Rolls came in an absolute tonne of variations over the years, if you search ebay you may find one in the red tones you're looking for.

edit: That's a sweet looking trashcan hairnet.

Scrodzilla

My response to TMonk's (quoted) comment had absolutely nothing to do with anything you said,

Wallonthefloor

Once I put the Brooks on, it will primarily be my nice weather bike. That doesn't mean I wont get caught in any surprise storms though.

tashi

I've drenched my Brooks Pro Alpe d'Huez edition a handful of times, it's been fine. Got a little dry after, but a coat of Sno-Seal sorted it right out.

nightfly

I've used the Brooks B-17 for a year giving it ample time to break in, a Turbo and Selle Marcos Rolls and hated them all. Look cool but a literal pain in my ass.

Favorite saddles are cheap WTBs and now a Nashbar copy of a Fizik Arione.

Buy what looks cool but your ass will let you know if it doesn't agree.

jlafitte 

The Brooks cover is great. We deal with a humid subtropical climate here which destroys leather saddles. Couple years ago I got a Selle Anatomica for randonneuring. Excellent ride quality but the thing was stretching rapidly, despite the manufacturer's assurance of it being waterproof, even with application of saddle sauce. It was going to be ruined within another rainy brevet or two, so I got a Brooks cover from the LBS. Since then no more stretching, and no difference in ride quality over thousands of K's, you don't even notice it's there when you're sitting on it.

hairnet

Every Selle Anatomica I have seen and felt was saggy stretchy. Brooks come hard and should retain their shape.

cale

You're confused. I'm sorry, back to rest now.

You're right I referenced the wrong quote, now changed, but it matters not.

jlafitte 

Yeah it's the slot that does that, allowing the saddle to move with your sit bones. Some like it, some don't. For me the saddle perfect except for the creaky noise the leather makes at higher cadence.

Fun fact - for a while you could send your Brooks to Selle Anatomica to get a slot cut in it, then Brooks started doing it themselves.

Wallonthefloor

So the day that I got the Brooks I had to go to work. I went to get some grub first and noticed the sky started looking dark out of nowhere (my weather app did not predict this.) After I ate and went along my way to work then came the rain. I probably should have went to work early and skipped that meal because I did not have fenders. So I stopped to put the seat cover on that it came with, hoped for the best and then I got quite drenched during the ~3 miles in the rain on my way to work. On one side of my saddle where my sit bones go there was a noticeable dark spot about 2-3 inches long and an inch wide.. so it indeed got wet on it's very first ride. The shop did not tell me anything about poofide and that I should have put that on first to weatherproof the bottom of the saddle. I am quite upset because I think it may be somewhat ruined since I can feel a depression in the leather bulging underneath the saddle. I have not rode on it since, I got a ride home since it was raining and tried to let it dry until next morning. The spot faded somewhat by morning and felt dry to the touch so I added poofide to the bottom of the saddle and a very miniscule amount of it to the top. I am afraid that maybe this is further damage because my shoes and gloves from the day before were also still not completely dry and I was impatient by putting poofide on the saddle while it may have still been wet? I see a few extra prominent cracks in the discolored area of the depression. My girlfriend is trying to assure me that it is fine but I am still very worried.


How can I make this spot go away??

Scrodzilla

Why do people think leather saddles are so fragile?

Motorcycle jackets, combat boots and horse saddles don't fall apart in the rain and neither will your Brooks saddle.

Nagrom_

People also doesn't realize how much your ass sweats.

Your saddles aren't dry.

Scrodzilla

You don't.

It's a bike seat. Ride your bike.

franswa

You won't see any spots while riding your bike. I promise.

Wallonthefloor

I kind of figured that riding it more would change its appearance. Just like riding a bike with a chain that got wet and rusted overnight, riding it makes the rust go away alone although lubing it first isnt a bad idea though either. So I kind of just want to know if there is any "quick fix" and further down the line the best ways to keep my saddle in its best shape.


the sunshine before the rain

hardboiled718

Is that a carbon fiber pattern top tube pad?

jlafitte 

Riding the saddle 15 minutes in a downpour will probably not overstretch it. Riding the saddle 15 hours in a downpour will probably overstretch it.

cDiff Notorious

I bought a Brooks Swift saddle a month ago and my ass loved it right away. I didn't feel like it needed some break in as it was more comfortable than my stock Wabi saddle. I just applied some proofide and rode away. The saddle came with the wrench, rain cover, and proofide. I never really worried about the saddle getting wet since my ass sits on it and the saddle bag that I use covers most of the underside. If anything just get a fender and apply some proofide every 6 months.

cale

Right because motorcycle jackets, combat boots and horse saddles are made EXACTLY LIKE a bicycle saddle. Wait a moment while I finish my cereal with my LEATHER spoon. Haha