Brooks Saddle Adjustment Questions

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by mike w. on August 4, 2010 at 12:47pm

You can get in touch with Brooks directly. If i recall correctly, they recommend regular treatment with Proofide and keeping the tension up. It should do no harm to take up the slack in the tension nut, and perhaps cautiously go a turn or two past that. I'm not sure about the sitz area dimples which were left by the previous owner's backside. If the perferations along the edge are intact, they are meant to serve as eyelets for lacing (use a flat-wound shoelace,) and that will keep the sides from spreading further. HTH.

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Permalink Reply by ad on August 4, 2010 at 1:08pm

This is from sheldon brown's article on leather saddles ( http://www.sheldonbrown.com/leather.html):

"Tension Adjustment

Most leather saddles have a tension-adjusting nut located under the nose of the saddle. Fortunately, this nut usually requires a special wrench, so most people leave it alone. In almost every case that I know of where someone has tried to adjust the tension with this nut, the saddle has been ruined. My advice is to leave it alone.
If a leather saddle gradually becomes too soft and too wide after many thousands of miles, it is sometimes useful to punch a few holes in the bottoms of the side flaps and lace them together under the saddle frame.
This allows the width and firmness of the saddle to be adjusted to the rider's taste. Some older models came with a row of holes along the lower edge of the side flaps, for this very purpose.
I realize that this sounds like a lot of trouble, but most cyclists who take the trouble find it well worth while--in the end."

Basically, he suggests what mike w. suggests in part above--lacing the saddle to help with the sag.

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Permalink Reply by Moc Artsy on August 4, 2010 at 2:41pm

Thanks. I read through the Sheldon Brown article--that's always my first source for pretty much anything bike related--but of course he was one of the foremost advocates of leaving the tension pin alone. I know about lacing the saddle and someone also suggested I do the following:
1. Spray the underside of the saddle with water.
2. Stuff the underside with balled up newspaper.
3. Lace the saddle.
4. Let it sit out in the sun for a day.
He suggested that this would reshape the saddle properly, but for what should be obvious reasons I wasn't really convinced that this would be wise. I also don't think lacing is going to take out the play in the tension pin where nose meets rail.

Ryan the Tank Rider sent me this link:
http://pedaldamnit.blogspot.com/2010/01/brooks-b-17-champion-specia...
And I read through this with interest. This should be a helpful blog post to anyone whose Brooks has a tension bolt with a hex head that takes an allen wrench. Unfortunately, mine does not. Instead, there is a little tab on the rim of the tension bolt head, that must catch in the nose piece to stop the bolt from turning with the nut. This doesn't work very well, especially when the relation of tension bolt to tension nut is a little seized. as is the case with mine. PB Blaster, I suppose?

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Permalink Reply by Alan Lloyd on August 4, 2010 at 3:17pm

I've reshaped badly distorted leather saddles by soaking them, getting them wet through, then stuffing and binding them into the shape I want. The instructions I read said to let the saddle air dry, but I don't think leaving it out in direct sunlight is a good idea?

I don't see a problem in using the tensioning mechanism to remove 'slackness', just be careful not to overdo it.

I also use neatsfoot oil liberally on the underside of the leather and many say that this is a bad, bad idea! I only use Proofide on the upper side nowadays.

Sheldon Brown recommended soaking a new saddle in neatsfoot oil and I have done this successfully, but next time I think I would use a ziplock bag rather that the tin-foil 'dish' suggested?

Moc Artsy said:

Thanks. I read through the Sheldon Brown article--that's always my first source for pretty much anything bike related--but of course he was one of the foremost advocates of leaving the tension pin alone. I know about lacing the saddle and someone also suggested I do the following:
1. Spray the underside of the saddle with water.
2. Stuff the underside with balled up newspaper.
3. Lace the saddle.
4. Let it sit out in the sun for a day.
He suggested that this would reshape the saddle properly, but for what should be obvious reasons I wasn't really convinced that this would be wise. I also don't think lacing is going to take out the play in the tension pin where nose meets rail.

Ryan the Tank Rider sent me this link:
http://pedaldamnit.blogspot.com/2010/01/brooks-b-17-champion-specia...
And I read through this with interest. This should be a helpful blog post to anyone whose Brooks has a tension bolt with a hex head that takes an allen wrench. Unfortunately, mine does not. Instead, there is a little tab on the rim of the tension bolt head, that must catch in the nose piece to stop the bolt from turning with the nut. This doesn't work very well, especially when the relation of tension bolt to tension nut is a little seized. as is the case with mine. PB Blaster, I suppose?

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Permalink Reply by Moc Artsy on August 4, 2010 at 3:17pm

Okay, I stand corrected. I have laced the rear end of the saddle (the middle eyelets are torn and can't be used) and the saddle is now trussed up like a Thanksgiving turkey. It is, in fact, mostly reshaped, and it has, in fact, taken the play out of the tension bolt--because the leather is now tighter against it, of course. So now do I leave the shoelace on forever? Does it interfere with mounting the saddle?

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Permalink Reply by Moc Artsy on August 4, 2010 at 6:49pm

I may have underestimate Brooks a little. The nut is not seized on the bolt. The tab simply didn't catch in the nose as it was designed to do, probably because of age. I found that I could hold the tab with a flathead screwdriver and easily turn the tension bolt. So the laced and tensioned saddle is now mounted on the bike. I haven't ridden it yet, but it looks comfortable and it's nicely taut.

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Permalink Reply by Moc Artsy on August 4, 2010 at 6:50pm

Alan, do you have a reference or link for the instructions you read to do this?

Alan Lloyd said:

I've reshaped badly distorted leather saddles by soaking them, getting them wet through, then stuffing and binding them into the shape I want. The instructions I read said to let the saddle air dry, but I don't think leaving it out in direct sunlight is a good idea?

I don't see a problem in using the tensioning mechanism to remove 'slackness', just be careful not to overdo it.

I also use neatsfoot oil liberally on the underside of the leather and many say that this is a bad, bad idea! I only use Proofide on the upper side nowadays.

Sheldon Brown recommended soaking a new saddle in neatsfoot oil and I have done this successfully, but next time I think I would use a ziplock bag rather that the tin-foil 'dish' suggested?

Moc Artsy said:

Thanks. I read through the Sheldon Brown article--that's always my first source for pretty much anything bike related--but of course he was one of the foremost advocates of leaving the tension pin alone. I know about lacing the saddle and someone also suggested I do the following:
1. Spray the underside of the saddle with water.
2. Stuff the underside with balled up newspaper.
3. Lace the saddle.
4. Let it sit out in the sun for a day.
He suggested that this would reshape the saddle properly, but for what should be obvious reasons I wasn't really convinced that this would be wise. I also don't think lacing is going to take out the play in the tension pin where nose meets rail.

Ryan the Tank Rider sent me this link:
http://pedaldamnit.blogspot.com/2010/01/brooks-b-17-champion-specia...
And I read through this with interest. This should be a helpful blog post to anyone whose Brooks has a tension bolt with a hex head that takes an allen wrench. Unfortunately, mine does not. Instead, there is a little tab on the rim of the tension bolt head, that must catch in the nose piece to stop the bolt from turning with the nut. This doesn't work very well, especially when the relation of tension bolt to tension nut is a little seized. as is the case with mine. PB Blaster, I suppose?

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Permalink Reply by ad on August 5, 2010 at 4:08pm

I've seen it at the Rapid Transit on North before.

Cameron Puetz said:

Does anyone know of shops in Chicago that stock Proofride?

Alan Lloyd said:

I also use neatsfoot oil liberally on the underside of the leather and many say that this is a bad, bad idea! I only use Proofide on the upper side nowadays.

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Permalink Reply by Gort 12-mile Pinklegneep on August 6, 2010 at 10:06am

That saddle is gorgeous, by the way. That's a lucky find.

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