The following questions and answers have been collected from the pages of the CTC magazine. The most recently published are at the top of the list. Note the year and month and be advised that some of the older information may now be out of date.
Leather saddles – 2005.07
The internet has recently seen a spate of misleading amateur advice regarding leather saddles, in particular how to accelerate the breaking-in process. Unfortunately these methods also accelerate the breaking down process, and whilst you might think Brooks would be only too pleased to sell a replacement all the sooner, they'd actually prefer you to keep and enjoy their product for as long as possible. So I am pleased to pass on the following advice:
Chris Juden
There are many fables as to the best way to soften the saddle. However you do not want to soften the saddle, you want to promote its forming without it becoming soft. A good saddle will still look and feel hard but it will have taken to your shape. Consider your best, hand-made leather dress shoes. The first time you wore them the leather was hard. They pinched and you got blisters. But after a few months they felt better than any shoes you ever owned before. The leather is not any softer, it has formed to your feet so the shoes are now truly custom fitted.
This is what a leather saddle can do for you if you treat it properly. And the proper way to break in a Brooks saddle is to ride it. The photo shows a perfectly broken-in Brooks saddle. This saddle is still hard at every point, even where indented, as no foreign substances have been used to accelerate its breaking in. The rider's contact with the saddle is now uniform, with no pressure peaks. The saddle may look distorted but to the owner it is incredibly comfortable – exactly how a Brooks should ideally become. How was this form achieved? Simply by riding.
Proofide does not accelerate the breaking-in process. It conditions the leather without saturating it, allowing it to breathe whilst offering some protection from the elements. A saddle that has been treated with Hydrophene or Neatsfoot oil may appear comfortable but this comfort comes from its bowing. Brooks' official advice is lots of Proofide on the underside without wiping off – to protect the saddle from anything thrown up by the wheels (not so important on a bike with mudguards). On the top use it sparingly every 500 miles: apply in the evening, wipe off in the morning.
Andrew Hunter – Brooks England Ltd, Smethwick
Brooks saddle repairs – 2005.05
Do you please know of anywhere I can get a Brooks Swallow saddle repaired. Two of the rivets have pulled out, due, I think, to a broken saddle pin.
Bryan Chapman – Marple Bridge, Cheshire.
I actually answered this letter last October, recommending the saddle restoration services of Tony Colegrave, Well House, Hastings Road, Northiam, Rye, TN31 6HY – with the proviso that several years had elapsed since I last received feedback.
I'm glad to pass on Bryan's report that Tony is still very much "in the saddle", had been very helpful and is willing to receive further work from CTC members.
Chris Juden
How NOT to fit a Selle Italia saddle – 2004.05
Barry Collinson of Preston sent this saddle back to Selle Italia when the rails broke – after 3 years use but only about 6 thousand miles. He was nonplussed to be told that he’d fitted it wrong.
According to Selle Italia, you must not use a seatpost that clamps the sides rather than the tops and bottoms of the saddle rails, or where the clamp has sharp edges, or is shorter than 33mm. Furthermore: the centre of this clamp should be aligned with the centre of the straight part of the saddle rails, plus or minus 10mm.
Barry’s clamp was only 27mm long and fitted right at the front of the rails, some 15mm off-centre, which substantially increases saddle rail bending stress. It’s an in-line seatpost, one which clamps the saddle directly on top rather than a little way behind the seatpost centre-line. This is going to be a common problem with in-line seatposts, at least until frames are designed with shallower seat angles. For if the frame is optimised for the usual sort of post, one that provides a few cm of “lay-back”, the in-line variety must inevitably clamp the extreme front of the rails. Users of the Bagman saddlebag support will also be disappointed, since this device can seldom be fitted unless the saddle is positioned like that.
Anyway, it’s good to have this advice which I have never seen in any book – not even the book of instructions supplied with a new bike – not even when it has a Selle Italia saddle! And all it says about this on their website is: "A saddle must be positioned so that you don't reach too far forward or sit too upright. This cannot be done by sliding your seat forward or aft on the rails more than a few millimeters. (Your saddle should be mounted as close to the center of the rail adjustment as possible.)" So now we know just how few millimetres they mean: 10.
Other manufacturers’ websites are silent on this subject, and my emails seeking clarification had a mixed response. Selle Royal agree that you shouldn’t stray far from the middle of the rails, but Selle San Marco seem to take a more liberal view: anywhere on the straight will do and no matter if the clamp is a bit short.
Chris Juden
Saddle Report 2003 – 2003.11
I wonder if any of your expert staff could offer me some advice on finding a comfortable saddle? I ride a lightweight road bike doing up to 100 miles per week, seldom more than 50 in one day. During the last year I have been using a Trek ladies saddle, one with a hole in, but find it most uncomfortable even over a short distance.
There is much spoken and written about saddles and far too many to choose from. Having read the article in the Sunday Telegraph (June 15th – based upon Bicycle Saddle Report 2003) stating “some saddles with holes in are of particular danger to women”, I am now even more confused as to what to look for. However I suppose it is good for trade if we all have to buy three or four saddles before we find one that suits!
Marie Turner – Kendal
Trade is what it’s all about! Saddle Report 2003 was a well-disguised marketing ploy by Selle Royal: a company that puts a dollop of soft gel in the middle of their saddles, instead of a hole. Earlier this year they brought together three pieces of academic research, each of which find fault with the saddle hole idea, and re-published them in a masterstroke of bad timing during our National Bike Week! Predictably, whilst sensible European newspapers interpreted Saddle Report 2003 as a “gel may be better than holes” story, the notoriously anti-cycling British press – even the BBC – turned it into a “cycling is bad for you” story. (At CTC we initially suspected a deliberate NBW spoiler by the Provisional RAC, so thanks to www.bikebiz.co.uk for revealing this as cock-up rather than conspiracy!)
Other academic researchers find holes beneficial and one could easily concoct an oppositely biased Saddle Report. We are each made differently and fortunately so are saddles. The amount of saddle choice, though bewildering, is probably a good thing overall.
The way to reduce the expense of finding the best fit is to try before you buy. Orbit Cycles can send you a “Saddle Library” selection box by post, but there’s a very long waiting list. It’s an idea that works better locally and some enlightened cycle shops will sell saddles “on approval”, provided you promptly return any you find uncomfortable, in as-new condition and original packaging. Freewheel in Nottingham and ReCycles at Rafford, Moray, both offer this service. Ask your local dealers if they’ll do likewise.
Chris Juden
Saddle-rash cured – 2003.11
From his email, N.W. didn’t seem to be a member, but it would have been churlish not to make a brief reply and our help was rewarded with good news plus another tip worth sharing:
NW:– I gave up avid cycling a few years ago after suffering from terrible skin rashes (like heat rashes) at the top of my legs/groin area. My GP and a dermatologist prescribed all sorts of creams etc. but things didn't improve and I had to give up cycling altogether. Nightmare. Recently, feeling desperate to get back on 2 wheels, I bought a mountain bike. It has been lots of fun but immediately the rash problem returned. Do you know of any advice that can be offered to folk who suffer this kind of thing (e.g. creams, clothing etc)? I'm sure I can't be the only one who has experienced this!
CJ:– Use proper cycling shorts or short-liners, no underpants, wash them in pure soap (no scented detergents or fancy conditioners) after every ride and wash yourself always (not just when cycling) with bactericidal soap, e.g. Carex. Zinc and castor oil cream may help, but should not be necessary if you always follow the above procedures.
NW:– I've now been following your advice for 3 months and the difference has been remarkable! Bless you. If you encounter any other folk experiencing similar problems (painful skin rashes when cycling) I can also definitely recommend 'Atrixo' enriched moisturising cream - a good layer before setting out and then a good layer again after washing on return.
Marinated Saddle – 2001.01
Reading Chad Hockley’s letter in the June-July issue reminded me that there is a way to shorten the breaking-in period. When my new Brooks B17 (bought to replace a plastic saddle that was never going to become my shape) seemed to be changing too slowly, I immersed it in water until saturated, let it drip a bit, rode a couple of miles on it (in waterproof trousers!) then let it dry thoroughly before riding again.
It had become almost as comfortable as the 50-year-old B15 on my other bike. I also smoothed the edges of the leather, which the makers had left square-cut and chafed my thighs. Now I have a very comfortable saddle that looks like lasting for ages – if the chrome-plated rails don’t break. (The old one has painted rails; why couldn’t they leave well alone?)
Alan Swanson – Wallington
Another cyclist once told me something very similar, except his recipe involved a plastic bag and red wine. But he was a French cyclist
Chris Juden
Letter from Central America – 2000.07
I think readers might be interested to hear something of the problems that can beset long-distance cycletourists and the ingenious ways they solve them. Broken Brooks saddle rails (a regrettably common failing of this otherwise excellent product) prompted Chad Hockey to phone me from Mexico last November. I suggested he call Sturmey-Archer Customer Service Department and asked him to let me know what happened:
“... I was just about to do a Mr Angry impersonation, but they were so helpful and courteous that I was completely disarmed. As soon as they heard my story they immediately and spontaneously offered to send me a replacement at no cost and despatched it the next day by airmail. A month later it still hasn’t arrived, but that’s no fault of Sturmey-Archer who were very friendly and efficient.
When I asked if I was likely to experience the same problem with a new saddle a further 10 months down the road, in Patagonia or the Andes, Mr Wilkinson said he’d send an enamelled saddle, saying these are more trustworthy than those with chromed rails. This backs up what you told me about chrome-plating and also indicates that they are aware of the problem. The main reason for me choosing a Brooks saddle was the belief that if I looked after it I’d have a ‘saddle for life’. Had I known it was likely to fail so soon I’m not sure I’d have bought a Brooks, especially considering the need for maintenance and the breaking in period.
As for my broken saddle, one of the pleasures of Mexico is the abundance of tradesmen, who seem to pride themselves in making ‘lost causes’ functional again. For one US dollar I had the broken rail welded – and the same welder built me an identical copy, in steel, of my broken low-rider carrier for only $3! For another dollar I had a can of paint and some thin copper tubing to protect the rails. Time will tell whether this bodging is roadworthy.”
Of concern to world travellers is the unreliability of Post Restante (where stuff is addressed to a town post office to await collection by the addressee). Chad reported that this was the third consecutive time mail had not arrived three, four, or more weeks after posting from the UK. Other parcels sent to street addresses have arrived in under two weeks. He wonders if Post Restante is subject to more delay in customs. I suspect it’s more subject to theft.
Chad also reports that high quality European brands such as Mavic, DT and Continental seem to be completely unavailable in Mexico. In the specialist bike shops of Mexico City a few Shimano components can be found, but not elsewhere.
Chad included a photo of his bike on the deserted desert dirt roads of New Mexico (USA), which thanks to Interstate highways: “are devoid of traffic except lone bikers and tarantulas”. His bike frame is now an old Specialized Stumpjumper (1980s lugged steel), picked up in California for $40 after his Dawes Galaxy had broken twice already. There’s not much to lean against in a desert (or a lot of other places beyond our close-fenced Isles) so it’s propped by a long stick he carries strapped to the seat tube – from where it can be quick-drawn on the move and brandished as a highly effective dog deterrent (yee haah, git along li’l dohgie!). His water supply is a pair of 2 litre coke bottles bungied to the front low-rider. When these leak they’re apparently recycled again, with the addition of duct tape, as mudguards. In complete technological contrast a solar panel on the rear carrier keeps his torch and SW radio batteries charged. And to relieve this litany of dilapidation, make-do and mend, Chad says:
“Carradice panniers have been fantastic. I’ve crossed rivers and they haven’t leaked, and they’ve not ripped when snagged on barbed wire fences.”
Chad Hockey – San Miguel de Allende, 14/12/99
Broken Brooks – 1998.01
I purchased a B17 Narrow Brooks saddle from the CTC about two years since. I was most surprised the other day when the rail sheared off just behind the adjuster. Do you think I have any grounds for complaint, the saddle looks like new?
Gordon Hepworth – Withernsea, East Yorks
Yes you certainly have! From the frequency I hear about it, broken saddle rails must be one of the most common component failures. And it’s nearly always a Brooks: which is remarkable when you consider how few bicycles have a leather saddle these days.
Brooks is part of Sturmey Archer, so send it back to them at Triumph Road, Nottingham NG7 2GL (tel: 0115 942 0800). They’re normally very good about replacing broken parts – so long as the leather top is in good condition. Ask for painted rails rather than chrome-plated, they’re a bit more reliable.
Chris Juden
Saddle Adjusters – 1997.11
We have been trying without success to buy a couple of saddle extension pieces: which enable you to put the saddle further back. All the local shops know what I mean but no one has any or knows where they may obtain them. Can you suggest a stockist or manufacturer?
R B Pope – Swindon
This thing is called a Saddle Adjuster, by Corjan van Kempen of V.K. International (tel: 0031 4920 52361), who makes them in Holland. It’s a block of aluminium which fits onto the common type of one-bolt, micro-adjusting seatpost and provides a new location for the saddle either behind or in front of where it normally goes. So you see it also lets you bring the saddle forward (which small riders may find especially helpful), according to which way round you fit it. These adjusters can be ordered by your dealer from Patrick Schils (tel: 01206 212507)
Chris Juden
