Brooks saddle, rivets, and seatpost

I recently conditioned my old Brooks Pro with neatsfoot oil and it has softened up quite a bit. The problem is that it has softened and now I'm riding on the rivets. My seatpost is maxed out as far back as it will allow the seat to go. I guess what I need is a cheap seatpost that will give me another 2" rearward adjustment. By cheap I guess I mean aluminum. Thanks in advance.

"chuck" wrote in message...
I recently conditioned my old Brooks Pro with neatsfoot oil and it has
softened up quite a bit. The problem is that it has softened and now I'm
riding on the rivets. My seatpost is maxed out as far back as it will allow
the seat to go. I guess what I need is a cheap seatpost that will give me
another 2" rearward adjustment. By cheap I guess I mean aluminum. Thanks in
advance.


Sounds like you used too much Neatsfoot, hope the saddle isn't ruined. Most
of the dealers recommend Proofide, with only occasional use.

Couple of options on a SP.

Nashbar sells the Easton EA70, as do others.

http://www.wallbike.com/seatposts/uno374.html
CLB or the Kalloy UNO

I have a CLB on one bike, an Easton on another. Both work well and allow
good fine tuning of tilt, which is crucial in a Brooks. The CLB is much
prettier. Not cheap posts, but they work well, though I don't think any
post will give you an additional 2" of setback.

SB

If you didn't ride on the rivets before (and you did lots of riding on
this saddle), you've messed it up - sorry! Set-back isn't going to do
anything positive for you. What it will do is lenghten your reach, put
your foot farther in front of the knee than where it's been, and
probably increase the effective saddle height. Oh yeah, and you'll
probably still be sitting on the rivets...

Tilt the nose down a bit. If it's sagging too much, then tighten the
nose nut. If you can't get the sag out, if it continues to sag, or if
the leather starts tearing at the rivets, then, again, the saddle is
toast... (or a door stop)

chuck wrote:
I recently conditioned my old Brooks Pro with neatsfoot oil and it has softened up quite a bit. The problem is that it has softened and now I'm riding on the rivets. My seatpost is maxed out as far back as it will allow the seat to go. I guess what I need is a cheap seatpost that will give me another 2" rearward adjustment. By cheap I guess I mean aluminum. Thanks in advance.

On 2005-08-07, richard wrote:
If you didn't ride on the rivets before (and you did lots of riding on
this saddle), you've messed it up - sorry! Set-back isn't going to do
anything positive for you. What it will do is lenghten your reach, put
your foot farther in front of the knee than where it's been, and
probably increase the effective saddle height. Oh yeah, and you'll
probably still be sitting on the rivets...

I did ride on the rivets a little before. The seat doesn't seem ruined. It
isn't sagging *that* much. On closer inspection it seems maybe the one
problem rivet has tilted to an angle that makes it dig into me.

The seatpost I have seems awfully cheap the way the adjustment is set up.
Even an extra 1/2" of setback wou;d help out.

Tilt the nose down a bit. If it's sagging too much, then tighten the
nose nut. If you can't get the sag out, if it continues to sag, or if
the leather starts tearing at the rivets, then, again, the saddle is
toast... (or a door stop)

No sags or tears, just more give/suspension. This is 300 miles after the
neatsfoot. I believe the neatsfoot helped the saddle. It seemed too dry
before the treatment.
chuck wrote:
I recently conditioned my old Brooks Pro with neatsfoot oil and it has softened up quite a bit. The problem is that it has softened and now I'm riding on the rivets. My seatpost is maxed out as far back as it will allow the seat to go. I guess what I need is a cheap seatpost that will give me another 2" rearward adjustment. By cheap I guess I mean aluminum. Thanks in advance.

chuck wrote:

I did ride on the rivets a little before. The seat doesn't seem ruined. It
isn't sagging *that* much. On closer inspection it seems maybe the one
problem rivet has tilted to an angle that makes it dig into me.

I've had pretty good luck tapping the edges of the rivets bach down
flush with the leather. Lasts longer than you think it will.

Kevin

(PeteCresswell) wrote:
Per chuck:
No sags or tears, just more give/suspension. This is 300 miles after
the neatsfoot. I believe the neatsfoot helped the saddle. It seemed
too dry before the treatment.

For what it's worth, Brooks' spiel is that nothing that soaks into
the leather should be used. Their 'Proofide' is some sort of waxy
stuff that stays on the surface.

By extension, dry is probably good and moist/supple probably allows
the leather to streatch too much.
Exactly! A softened leather saddle, like the OP describes, will continue to
stretch until the leather tears. It sounds like the seat in becoming ruined.

On 2005-08-07, (PeteCresswell) wrote:
Per chuck:
No sags or tears, just more give/suspension. This is 300 miles after the
neatsfoot. I believe the neatsfoot helped the saddle. It seemed too dry
before the treatment.

For what it's worth, Brooks' spiel is that nothing that soaks into the leather
should be used. Their 'Proofide' is some sort of waxy stuff that stays on the
surface.


I forgot to mention that this seat sat on a bike and wasn't used for 30
years till I started using it. I don't believe conventional methods apply
to this seat.

By extension, dry is probably good and moist/supple probably allows the leather
to streatch too much.

On Sun, 07 Aug 2005 12:53:19 +0000, chuck wrote:

It
isn't sagging *that* much.

I find any sag on a Brooks to be very uncomfortable. I guess I'm on of
those wierdos that think that they're most comfy the first year and go
downhill from there.

Anyhow, certainly explore set-back options if that's your real issue--but
I don't think you'll find a post with a good amount of set-back for cheap. :/

To really firm up the saddle you'll want to tension it a bit if you
haven't already done so. A Brooks spanner is best, but you can use a small
crescent wrench. Don't go overboard--start with one turn.

You can also punch the bottom skirt of the saddle three or more times and
lace it together on the underside, firming the top--this gets you 150
"ole-skool" points redeemable for boiled woolen jockstraps.

Per chuck:
No sags or tears, just more give/suspension. This is 300 miles after the
neatsfoot. I believe the neatsfoot helped the saddle. It seemed too dry
before the treatment.

For what it's worth, Brooks' spiel is that nothing that soaks into the leather
should be used. Their 'Proofide' is some sort of waxy stuff that stays on the
surface.

By extension, dry is probably good and moist/supple probably allows the leather
to streatch too much.
--
PeteCresswell

On Sun, 07 Aug 2005 10:05:45 -0700, "(PeteCresswell)"
wrote:

For what it's worth, Brooks' spiel is that nothing that soaks into the leather
should be used. Their 'Proofide' is some sort of waxy stuff that stays on the
surface.

I'm not sure abou that. I've put Proride on the underside of the
saddle and used a hair dryer at to melt it in. After several
applications, a honey brown saddle begins to darken at the upper
surface and is softer. The saddle repels water too.