chico1st

Can I wear a brooks seat with white pants or will i get strange stains?

I wear my work clothes on my bike on the way to work and i dont want odd butt crack stains

Eileen

Some lady in Vancouver BC has a revolutionary product that will allow you to. Did you know that in Vancouver you can cycle almost year round?

exile

I would say yes, generally speaking. I would go out for a test ride first with a piece of white cloth over the seat first. If it does get stained than you would know that it might. Otherwise, Brooks does make a seat cover for their saddles.

dcrowell

I have had pants stained on a black Brooks B17. It's more likely if the saddle is wet, but it can happen with a dry saddle too.

Just_Ryan

Maybe a more important question is should you be wearing white pants to begin with?

mikeybikes

I ride in khakis all the time on my black Brooks and don't get stained.

GriddleCakes

Might depend on the fabric of the pants. My brown Dickies have picked up a slight discoloration from the black Brooks, but I've also got a pair of light tan cotton/recycled-poly blend knickers from REI that haven't stained at all. Both pants have been worn for hundreds of miles, sometimes for 25 miles at a stretch.

bhop

If your saddle's black, it will stain your pants. I wore some khaki pants home once because I didn't want to change into my shorts.. ruined forever.

edit: looks like I have a different experience from mikeybikes.. but for me, it stains. This is a dry saddle broken in over a year.

BA Commuter

+1

I used some proof-hide when it was new and never had any problems. I ride in casual street clothes all of the time and don't have any butt stains that I'm aware of, except for that time when I had Mexican food for lunch and.............

Seattle Forrest

I think it's either allowed before Labor Day, or after. I have no idea which.

stringbreaker

Whew ya had me worried there for a minute. Thought we were gonna get TMI

canyoneagle

My thoughts exactly! Are you riding your bike to the local 70's themed yacht/tennis club?

Anyway, I'd be careful with really light pants on a natural saddle.

PaulH

I don't have any white pants, but no problems with light tan pants.

Paul

Kojak

The saddle will be the least of your problems.

chico1st

So the general idea is "probably ok". That is sort of scary considering that brooks saddles are quite pricy.

If the saddle gets wet, either sweat or rain the majority vote is that it will give stains?

PS forget about the white pants... lets say light tan

azesty

I get some staining with a honey brown brooks b17....

z

Neil_B

Before Labor Day, after Memorial Day.

nashcommguy

Well, riding a bike w/a Brooks and white pants doesn't give one 'strange stains', necessarily. I suggest fenders and this rule of thumb: Don't ride in your work clothes and don't work in your ride clothes. Roll your white pants and place them in a sealed plastic bag then into a backpack, panniers or trunkbag. Then unroll them asa you get to work and they'll have minimal wrinkling.

Doane

OK, what's so great about Brooks saddles in the first place? Yea, they look classic and I know they've been making them forever, but are they really that great? How about compared to modern seats and ones with gel, etc.? If I bought one it would probably be the B67 in a natural leather, not black.

nashcommguy

I've got a B72 I use w/my commuter. It's the non-spring version of the B66. The leather forms to ones sitbones over a period of time. Can't get that w/a vinyl or plastic saddle.

mikeybikes

Comfort, which really is in the butt of the beholder. I find the B17 very comfortable for my butt and haven't found too many plastic saddles that I enjoy riding.

Doane

Gel seats do that too for about $20-$30, right? Also, I'm not so sure it's the saddle forming to the butt or the butt getting used to the saddle that is actually happening. My KHS bike I just got has a semi Brooks look vynal seat and the first week I rode it it was killing me, but it was because I had the front adjusted wrong, for me. Recently I adjusted the front down just one notch and it immediately made a huge difference, but also, each time I ride it it gets more and more comfortable. It's vynal stretched over some sort of semi ridgid material with the similar two rails with rear springs.. it doesn't look like it has changed shape, so my only conclusion is that I have "formed" to the seat more then the seat has formed to me.
The Brooks are very classic and cool looking though, and you've got that designer name standing out.. and worn leather looks good and will last a loooong time. On the other hand, it's probably an attractive theft item too.

HardyWeinberg

I think it's a matter of how much the saddle is treated, if at all. I think various oils/waxes/lubes/unguents leach out the dyes. I wear light pants on mine (honey, not black, admittedly) all the time, but I have never treated the top. Just some snoseal on the bottom.

Doane

OK, I got educated, found this article on leather saddles by Sheldon and it seems to make sense: https://sheldonbrown.com/leather.html#tension

One thing he said that is pertenant to this thread I will quote:
"Most leather saddles are dyed black. Oiling the saddle will partially dissolve the dye, which will stain on your clothes. This is why cycling shorts are black. Wear light colors at your own risk! If you must wear day-glo pink shorts, put a seat cover on the saddle."

furballi

Should stain if you sweat. Amount will vary depending on the age of the saddle and the material. I like to put a thin sheet of paper towel on the saddle before riding.