Aah! That Proofide smell...

[CanucksTraveller]

No @Accy cyclist , Proofide doesn't get on your shorts. It doesn't really get into the saddle either, it's just expensive shoe polish. You put it on, and you either leave it, or you brush it off once dry if you want, but the only difference is a slightly matte look or a gorgeous shiny saddle.... it's just wax. I've ridden on it in jeans, shorts, all sorts... no residue, and no effect on the wooden saddle either. But it does leave a fabulous lustre on the leather, it's good for that.

 

[Accy cyclist]

[QUOTE 4522272, member: 9609"]how many mile do you get out of these Brooks saddles ? I quite fancy a leather one.

My saddle coming to its end, it completely ripped off a few days ago and is now just held in place with cable ties and gaffer tape, I am going to have to replace it. The trouble is with these plasticy things is they don't last long enough, by the time they get super comfortable they start to disintegrate, I don't think I have even got 10k out of this one.

How would I go about getting a brooks one of this shape, do they have names or types or something, I don't wear padded shorts so I guess I need a bit of padding in the seat?

This is the current one, or at least this was it a few months ago, it has now sheared of the frame and is just held on by cable ties.

[/QUOTE]

How about one of these? I fancy one myself to go with my Carradice saddle bag.
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/brooks-england-flyer-saddle/?lang=en&curr=GBP&dest=1&sku=5360578158&kpid=5360578158&utm_source=google&utm_term&utm_campaign=UK_PLA_Components&utm_medium=base&utm_content=mkwid|sQfoF8BDd_dc|pcrid|67090789142|pkw||pmt||prd|5360578158uk

Maybe some of this as well.
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/brooks-england-proofide-40g-tub/

 

[Accy cyclist]

[QUOTE 4522297, member: 9609"]dunno - I think I would need to see one of those for real, they look odd with those big springs.[/QUOTE]


The reviews say they squeak To me that would be a novelty factor.

 

[raleighnut]

A bit of dubbin every few months is all I used on my old Brooks saddle years ago, and that was comfy for decades (until I foolishly gave it away along with the bike it was on).

Now I have a new one, I'm using neatsfoot oil treatments until it gets broken in a little, then it'll just be occasional dubbin again.

There's a number of oils and things that are good for treating leather and keeping it supple, but there's nothing needed that's so expensive it justifies the cost of Proofide. It's just marketing based on the "People who pay £100 for a saddle can be sold very expensive gunk to rub on it" principle - and it's understandable that people who buy an expensive saddle will play safe by buying the recommended treatment for it.

Cynically,
Alan

£100 for a Brooks, you haven't tried hard enough, take a look at this,

http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rc...allow/&usg=AFQjCNHIvVkv6E-76XJsa6O3Oxu5EfJTPA

Mind you I own a 2005 Swallow Titanium Limited Edition.............................and I ride on it, I wonder what mine is worth.(To me it is priceless )

 

[dim]

I have one of these on my Giant TCR:

Brooks C17 Carved Cambium .... 100% waterproof, very comfy straight out of the box, made for touring, and you get a 10 year guarantee when you register the serial number on the Brooks website

 

[welsh dragon]

I got a 10 year guarantee with mine as well. As for how many miles you can get out of them, I think its a case of how many YEARS not miles...you can get a Brooks from their website for under £100.00

 

[shouldbeinbed]

My now retired LBS owner had been riding the same Brooks saddle for over 30 years. It looked like poo to an uninitiated eye but was still serviceable for him 15 stone and minimum 10 miles riding 6 days a week.

The B17 is probably the most common variety, unsprung & comes in standard and narrow format, Narrow is more road bike saddle profile, standard looks more like your zip tie and tape saddle.
Forget the idea of padding, I ride in whatever clothes I am wearing for the day (and it's never lycra) and mine are like sitting in a favourite armchair. It took a few hundred miles and half a turn looser on the nose adjuster to feel less like sitting on a board and start to get that Brooks feel that nearly everyone talks about and now a few years and few thousand miles later I am still totally happy and the saddles look barely used, just some minor creases and a couple of divots my bum cheeks slot naturally into.

After a spot of n-1 sacrilege, I now have as many bikes as Brooks saddles so all good.

When I get my Birdy back with its new wheel and hub in a couple of weeks I'm putting my B17 narrow onto that as the final touch to get it spot on.

 

[T4tomo]

[QUOTE 4522272, member: 9609"]how many mile do you get out of these Brooks saddles ? I quite fancy a leather one.

My saddle coming to its end, it completely ripped off a few days ago and is now just held in place with cable ties and gaffer tape, I am going to have to replace it. The trouble is with these plasticy things is they don't last long enough, by the time they get super comfortable they start to disintegrate, I don't think I have even got 10k out of this one.

How would I go about getting a brooks one of this shape, do they have names or types or something, I don't wear padded shorts so I guess I need a bit of padding in the seat?

This is the current one, or at least this was it a few months ago, it has now sheared of the frame and is just held on by cable ties.

[/QUOTE]
I'm intrigued, what attaches to the bit of wood behind the saddle?

 

[Banjo]

Halfords occassionally do B17 s on their website for less than £60.

I think the proofide is intended to stop water soaking into the leather which can soften it too much.
On a new saddle its worth working some into the underside as well.

You would be lucky to see one on a crit race but on a long audax or similar then probably half or more will be a brooks.

Re how long they last think decades rather than years.

 

[steveindenmark]

My Brooks saddles now hang on the ceiling of my workshop as I have switched to Charge Pan.

 

[Apollonius]

I still have the odd ride on my father's B17 Swallow. They soften a bit after 67 years.

 

[welsh dragon]

I still have the odd ride on my father's B17 Swallow. They soften a bit after 67 years.

Only a bit?

 

[Apollonius]

Here it is on my 1979 Viking Vision. The bike is still ridden on those odd days when you need mudguards, so only a few times each year.

 

[Alan O]

proofide costs £8.99 a tin ....

https://www.evanscycles.com/brooks-...esvaid=50080&gclid=CI2o4qnX7M8CFRdmGwod2ZkLQQ

dubbin costs £7.95 a tin:
http://supremeshoecare.com/hennesy-luxury-dubbin.html?gclid=CJXw8dPX7M8CFW4B0wodMaoI1g

so .... proofhide which is recommended by Brooks costs less than a pound than a tin of Dubbin .... it's a 'no brainer' as to what I will use

Dubbin only costs that much if you go to somewhere like "Supreme Shoe Care" and buy "Hennesy Luxury Dubbin".

And the £8.99 will only get you a tiny 25g tin of Proofide, compared to 100ml of dubbin, so per g/ml the Proofide is a lot more expensive than even that super expensive dubbin that you managed to find.

If you want a more realistic comparison, I'd suggest checking against the price of cheap everyday dubbin on eBay - I just found 100ml of Cherry Blossom dubbin for £1.75 inc postage.

Alan

 

[welsh dragon]

I think you lot are being a bit stingy money wise. I only paid around £9.00 for a tin of proofide that will probably last for the entire lifetime of my saddle. The cost therefore is negligible.