hoopdriver
Guru
- Location
- East Sussex
It won’t. Not for years at any rate.
The B.17 - !
- Thread starter simongt
- Start date
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raleighnut
Legendary Member
- Location
- One of the 'Elite'
[QUOTE 4985853, member: 9609"]I got one of these about 3 weeks and its just past its first 500 mile the night and it has been comfortable from day one (and I don't where padded shorts). How lucky is that getting a saddle that fits.[/QUOTE]
We've seen pictures of your old 'Saddle'.
We've seen pictures of your old 'Saddle'.
steveindenmark
Legendary Member
That's the way Brooks saddles go. My B17 took 2 years to break in. The Imperial was great out of the box.
gaijintendo
Guru
- Location
- Scotchland
If it creaks, or is sagging, I'd consider tightening it. It shouldn't be a super common occurrence.
If you live somewhere with humid summers, dry winters, then you might need to do some seasonal adjusting. Thankfully I live somewhere which is damp all year.
CopperBrompton
Bicycle: a means of transport between cake-stops
- Location
- London
I find the B17 takes about 200 miles to break in, though it’s notably softer after 50-ish miles. That done, it remains comfy forever.
Brooks says you should almost never need to retension – and the company has seen many saddles ruined by people doing that unnecessarily.
Brooks says you should almost never need to retension – and the company has seen many saddles ruined by people doing that unnecessarily.
raleighnut
Legendary Member
- Location
- One of the 'Elite'
I'd agree, in fact if any of mine get a thorough soaking I'll even back off the tension nut whilst it dries but I also put a luggage strap around the midsection to help retain the saddles shape.
There are various videos on YouTube about this, but all seem a little non committal about any specific 'hows & whens' with how much / how long do you keep Proofiding and when to begin tightening the stretch bolt. I've had my B.17 for about a month; I've just slathered a fourth layer of Proofide ( the first three were before I fitted it onto the bike ) under the saddle using a stiff wee paintbrush which to me seems the best way of applying to said area, as you can really work it into the nooks & crannies. The top of the saddle also had three breaking in coats before fitting and since then, I've put a very THIN coat on each Sunday before my weekly commute. This I think according to perceived wisdom, will be the last topcoat apart from probably once every three months after that.
When the saddle needs tightening ( no more that a quarter clockwise turn each occasion ) appears to depend very much on the rider's weight, position on their bike and of course, how much and what type of riding is done over a given period. You should start to observe wee dents in the broader part of your B.17 by now which will correspond to the harder parts of you posterial anatomy - !
