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Reshaping a Brooks

Old 06-27-22, 12:11 PM
  #1  
Lbxpdx
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Reshaping a Brooks

I’ve had this for years and I haven’t used it as it does not feel all that comfortable.

Should I soak this old girl and make some new lace holes to reform the skirts and keep the seat taut?


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Old 06-27-22, 12:43 PM
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Has this saddle ever been comfortable for you? The wording suggests that it hasn't. If so, then clearly there's no point in reshaping something that is unlikely to end up as satisfactory.

The upper photo suggests that there is minimal flaring of the skirts, so lacing them wouldn't make a difference.
The lower photo looks like the skirts are already laced to tightly that they are bending under the saddle, which is way too much.

A complete re-blocking of the leather might be in order, if that is possible. The leather might be too worn or too saturated with oils to make this work, though.

Steve in Peoria
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Old 06-27-22, 12:45 PM
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What bike to you have it on? are you riding upright or more bent over?

that looks like is should be on a bike where you are riding upright....and may not be comfy if not.

also different bottoms fit different saddles. i.e I can ride swift, b17 but couldn't ride b17-N imperial

I think soaking is more likely to wreck it than anything

best best is find one that works and sell the old girl
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Old 06-27-22, 04:25 PM
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I agree with the comments above. That saddle is for an upright bike, and there is no need for the skirts to be laced.
If it was mine I would remove the lacing and put the saddle on an appropriate bike, adjust the tension bolt as required and apply a light coat of Proofide.
You haven't said what is wrong with the 'comfort'.
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Old 06-27-22, 04:48 PM
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Only once have I purchased a new Brooks and found it to be immediately comfortable. In all other cases, I have had to ride the saddle (say about 500 miles) until it takes the shape of my personal bottom. Soak it in something? Not a chance! You run the risk of destroying the saddle, in my opinion.
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Old 06-28-22, 03:40 PM
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Originally Posted by randyjawa
Soak it in something? Not a chance! You run the risk of destroying the saddle, in my opinion.
the leather is soaked in water to allow it to be formed to shape. BUT, over-soaking will see the tannins from the tanning process dissolve into the water. Minimising the immersion time is important. Also soaking in water will see the leather shrink when it dries, so the release of the tension bolt before soaking is also important, and re-tensioning when dry. Whilst the leather is damp it is easily formed, and can readily stretch, so it needs to be dry before riding.
All these properties are used when I make new leather covers.
all this was dealt with in this thread https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-v...html?styleid=8
But I can see no need for that treatment for the OP saddle.
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Old 06-30-22, 03:44 PM
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Thank you all for your insight. I think the problem may be that the bike I had it on might be a touch big for this particular saddle. When I had it on my softride, it was more than comfortable. Now I have it on my 91 Trek 990 that is a huge frame, but apparently not a good mix with this particular saddle. My B17 on the other hand is perfect on the Trek.
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Old 06-30-22, 04:20 PM
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I recently decided to see how a sprung saddle would workout for me, an ATB Brooks came on the MB-1 that I got. In a rather timely fashion Rivendell posted a pic of a couple of their riders bikes with them in a very nose up position.

I was already headed in that direction and found it to work well, looks bizarre but there it is.

Yep, even with the bars that far up.

Had to switch to a Brooks clamp and plain chrome SP to get there which I am fine with, never have any slipping issues despite their poor rep.

The springs were pushing me onto the bars too much.

Crazy, right?




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Old 07-01-22, 02:35 PM
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I have nothing to add about the saddle, but feel a small amount of anguish every time I look at the subject line to this thread.

"Nrooks" is actually kind of funny as a typo, but what's less funny is that there's no way (so far as I have been able to learn) to correct a typo that appears in a head. I did that once, and it haunted me until the thread died. Given that I had started the thread, that probably didn't take long, but a former writer and editor, I take those kinds of things to heart.
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Old 07-01-22, 02:59 PM
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I like that title. Has a definite Dr Seuss ring to it.
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Old 07-01-22, 03:09 PM
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Well, I was trying to be polite, & not mention it, but..... 😁 I think I've added a couple title typos myself, in the past, no biggie. ✌️
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Old 07-01-22, 03:23 PM
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The B and the N keys are adjacent, but so is the V: Vrooks? Sounds fast.
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Old 07-01-22, 05:06 PM
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Originally Posted by non-fixie
I like that title. Has a definite Dr Seuss ring to it.
You're right! I had not noticed it, but "vrooks" has a very definite Seussean ring. He was awesome.

No kidding, The Cat in the Hat is still one of my favorite books.
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Old 07-02-22, 08:25 AM
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Originally Posted by jonwvara
You're right! I had not noticed it, but "vrooks" has a very definite Seussean ring. He was awesome.

No kidding, The Cat in the Hat is still one of my favorite books.
True story, I was in 1st grade when Clifford The Big Red Dog came out. My name is Clifford, and my teacher, Mrs. Patterson, decided to buy me a copy of the book. As happy as that made me, I swear she got more joy out of the whole thing than I did. 😁 I haven't thought of that in years, thanks for jarring my memory. 👍
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Old 07-02-22, 10:25 AM
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Originally Posted by jonwvara
I have nothing to add about the saddle, but feel a small amount of anguish every time I look at the subject line to this thread.

"Nrooks" is actually kind of funny as a typo, but what's less funny is that there's no way (so far as I have been able to learn) to correct a typo that appears in a head. I did that once, and it haunted me until the thread died. Given that I had started the thread, that probably didn't take long, but a former writer and editor, I take those kinds of things to heart.
If you click on the little red button at the corner of the post, you can message a moderator and ask for a title change. I've done it before.

But now the question is what to change it to? Vrooks sounds like a strong contender.
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Old 07-02-22, 12:58 PM
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Originally Posted by merziac
I recently decided to see how a sprung saddle would workout for me, an ATB Brooks came on the MB-1 that I got. In a rather timely fashion Rivendell posted a pic of a couple of their riders bikes with them in a very nose up position.

I was already headed in that direction and found it to work well, looks bizarre but there it is.

Yep, even with the bars that far up.

Had to switch to a Brooks clamp and plain chrome SP to get there which I am fine with, never have any slipping issues despite their poor rep.

The springs were pushing me onto the bars too much.

Crazy, right?




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I would consider that suitable for a gelding.

considering that when one is seated upright the springs compress, my first hunch would be to have the saddle slightly nose down.

only one bike designed for an upright position- there I started off level.
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Old 07-02-22, 02:41 PM
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Originally Posted by repechage
I would consider that suitable for a gelding.

considering that when one is seated upright the springs compress, my first hunch would be to have the saddle slightly nose down.

only one bike designed for an upright position- there I started off level.
The springs don't compress very much at all and they bounce me up while riding, constantly putting too much pressure on my hands and wrists going numb.

If I had this one nose down, it would bounce me right off the front.

Maybe I have gelding sit bones.
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Old 07-02-22, 03:43 PM
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Originally Posted by merziac
.....
If I had this one nose down, it would bounce me right off the front.
......
I rode a Brooks Champion Flyer (basically a B.17 with springs) for a few years, and there were a few times when I hit a big hole or bump, and found myself nearly launched over the front.
If nothing else, it does demonstrate the need for damping in a suspension system.
When it wasn't launching me off the bike, the ride was pretty sweet! Soft and squishy, like a half inflated rear tire, but no chance of rim damage.

Steve in Peoria
(fwiw, I weigh about 155 pounds, and the bike had drop bars)
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Old 07-02-22, 07:56 PM
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Originally Posted by gugie
If you click on the little red button at the corner of the post, you can message a moderator and ask for a title change. I've done it before.

But now the question is what to change it to? Vrooks sounds like a strong contender.
I did not know that. But since the moderators are working like dogs already, I hesitate to increase their workload. I am just going to go with "Vrooks" from here on out.
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Old 07-02-22, 11:20 PM
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Looks like the mods got ahold of it on their own.
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Old 07-03-22, 05:19 AM
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Originally Posted by Lbxpdx
Looks like the mods got ahold of it on their own.
Aw, they have sucked the life out of this thread.
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Old 07-03-22, 11:20 AM
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Originally Posted by jonwvara
Aw, they have sucked the life out of this thread.
Have you considered changing your handle to jonwbara?
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Old 07-03-22, 12:38 PM
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Originally Posted by jonwvara
Aw, they have sucked the life out of this thread.
It matters not. Just kill enough bad guys, and you'll win an extra life. 😁
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