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brooks b17 leather thickness
how thick is the leather on a brooks b17 typically? i have read people
here saying that it is thinner than a brooks pro and "thinner than they used to be." but the leather on my black b17 is a quarter of an inch if it's a millimeter. it looks to be 2x as thick as the leather on my swift, which is also, after only 300 miles or so, far more comfortable. i'm asking b/c i've ridden the b17 about 1000 miles and it is not soft or indented at all. it's hard as a rock and the *exact* same shape as it was new. so it's a mystery to me when people start talking about their b17's "conforming to their sit bones" and being "supple." i've been using "lexol" (a leather conditioner i got in a leather goods store) to condition it periodically, with no discernible results. i understand that different people are comfortable on different saddles--i'm just curious if all b17's are this thick and this stubborn, or if mine is from some kind of freak cow. thanks! vincent. |
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RE/
One measures .215" and the other 2 measure .190" Measuring just forward of the Brooks logo, I get .16, .18, and .19" on ,y 3. -- PeteCresswell |
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.... how thick is the leather on a brooks b17 typically? ...
i'm asking b/c i've ridden the b17 about 1000 miles and it is not soft or indented at all. it's hard as a rock and the *exact* same shape as it was new. so it's a mystery to me when people start talking about their b17's "conforming to their sit bones" and being "supple." ... *********************************** I have 3 of the B-17's One measures .215" and the other 2 measure .190" I love them. Lewis. I have 2 B-17's, 3 Pros, and a B72. All vary in thickness of the leather. Each vary in how comfortable I find them to be. I had a third B-17 that was towards the thick and hard end of the spectrum and after extended attempts at breaking it in through riding finally gave up and sold it, with a warning to the buyer of what my experience had been with the saddle. I bought my first Brooks B-17 from Andy Muzi 25 years ago, and it has been in nearly daily use since then. It's showing some signs of age but is the most comfortable saddle I own. Every Brooks saddle is unique. Every person is unique. If you want to ride a Brooks saddle I would suggest trying several and seeing if one feels comfortable to you. In my experience if it isn't comfortable when new it is less likely to be comfortable over time with use. Others may have different experiences but that has been mine. Sheldon has a nice page on leather saddles at http://www.sheldonbrown.com/leather.html Bill Putnam |
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vincent chiao wrote:
how thick is the leather on a brooks b17 typically? i have read people here saying that it is thinner than a brooks pro and "thinner than they used to be." but the leather on my black b17 is a quarter of an inch if it's a millimeter. it looks to be 2x as thick as the leather on my swift, which is also, after only 300 miles or so, far more comfortable. i'm asking b/c i've ridden the b17 about 1000 miles and it is not soft or indented at all. it's hard as a rock and the *exact* same shape as it was new. so it's a mystery to me when people start talking about their b17's "conforming to their sit bones" and being "supple." i've been using "lexol" (a leather conditioner i got in a leather goods store) to condition it periodically, with no discernible results. i understand that different people are comfortable on different saddles--i'm just curious if all b17's are this thick and this stubborn, or if mine is from some kind of freak cow. thanks! vincent. mine broke in after 250 odd kays - because it got wet and stretched slightly - although this stretch contracted somewhat as it dried. I started a 20 kay ride in drizzle - thinking the same as you - what exactly do all these people mean by 'broken in'. By the time I got there it had these indentations in it. I wondered if I'd ruined it but it seems Ok x thousand kays later, and have only tensioned it once a small amount. Now I keep it covered with an Aardvark brand seatcover, which I would recommend if in a damp climate. After about 6 months I also adjusted the seat tilt up at the front one increment which helped comfortwise as the middle sags under your weight. All in all a very good quality and beautiful saddle. It irks me slightly that it has to stay under cover. I use shoe polish and a brush on mine every thousand kays or so. No scientific basis for it - I had some shoe polish. |
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Retro Bob wrote:
OK... old thread, but I've been out of town. I think thinner is definitely a feature. I'm not sure whey the pro's are thicker with that in mind. A thin B17 lasts just about forever, so I don't see any advantage to a longer break-in thick leather. My B17 is the Narrow model. I'm not fond of the wider "Standard". Recently I picked up a B15 Narrow, which appears to be identical to the B17 Narrow. The B17s that I've seen had leather just about as thick as my Pro, but the B15 I had was considerably thinner. I had to throw the B15 away a couple weeks ago as the leather split and ripped almost all the way across the middle of the saddle. |
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Retro Bob wrote:
On Wed, 17 Nov 2004 07:40:34 -0800, Peter wrote: The B17s that I've seen had leather just about as thick as my Pro, but the B15 I had was considerably thinner. I had to throw the B15 away a couple weeks ago as the leather split and ripped almost all the way across the middle of the saddle. I may be misunderstanding Brooks evolution, but I always had the impression that the B17 was the forerunner of the Pro and that the earlier ones (pre-72ish?) may have had a more Pro like thickness. I've run across some folks selling older saddles that they claim say "B17" and "Pro" on them but I've never personally fondled one to check it. My Brooks seats are from the '70s, so they may have changed the thicknesses since then. FWIW, my B17 and B15 narrow's both measure in at a smidgen over 4mm thick. If you haven't taken that B15 to the dump yet, I'm looking for a Brooks badge off an older saddle that still has a readable name. Let me know, I'll pay your postage or send you something as an exchange. Unfortunately the badge had fallen off years before already - and as I recall, it hadn't been readable for a long time earlier. |
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