I have had a Brooks Swallow on my Fixed Gear for a while, and a Brooks B17 on my Townie. The fixed gear has not gotten so much use in the past few months, but now I have been riding it more and also trying to hone in the fit on the Swallow. Before the swallow the f/G had the B17 and i would say it was comfy, and is even better on my townie with very little seat to bar drop.
So this is my question… First I kept having to tilt the nose up on the swallow to get my positioning comfortable. I typically use a carpenters level to set up my saddle and run it dead level, so the nose up position looked wrong to me. Second on a ride one night I was getting a strange noise when I stood and sprinted, after a bit I realized that the tension nut was crazy loose and rattling. I tightened up the nut slightly(by hand) and then spent the next few months on my track bike.
I have been thinking more about that bike lately and trying to get the saddle correct. I could not run a more level saddle without sliding forward, I started thinking about the tension and ended up tightening the nut multiple turns! I then got the saddle almost level and had a pretty nice ride to work…
When I got here I looked up about tension and many people say not to tighten the nut or at most 1/4 turn every 2000 miles…
(actual questions here>>>) did i fuck up my saddle? was it fucked up from the start? do any of you run a level Swallow?
I really don’t think you fucked it up. If it was all the way loose multiple turns may not have had a huge effect. A little bit nose-up during the break-in period is often needed. You may need a post with more setback to get into the right position as well.
The tension nut working its way all the way loose is definitely weird though.
Proofide is really for protecting the saddle from the elements and easing the break-in process. Some people use Neatsfoot oil and other stuff. Whatever. I would put something on there to keep it from drying out and cracking or getting fucked up in the rain. Whatever you use, apply it sparingly - like a fingertip-worth a little at a time.
I use baseball glove oil on both my Brooks’s.
Nose up during the brakein period is par for the course.
I don’t know what’s going on with the tentioning nut tho.
After tensioning the crap out of the saddle, and putting it as close to level as it has ever been(still slightly nose up)I commuted to and from work on it yesterday and it felt pretty good. I never really had an issue with the saddle comfort wise, I just couldn’t get past the saddle angle. Now I am ok with the angle and I am thinking that the high nose was needed due to the sag I had from the low tension.
The nut is now tensioned to 1/3 of the available threads on the screw. It looks like a lot, but the saddle feels correct. the only thing I can think is either the saddle was constructed slightly wrong and just needed to be adjusted, or i installed it with the tension super loose and riding it loose caused it to stretch prematurely…
didn’t want to make a new topic so i’m bumping this one.
I just got a used swift, but it looks like it was barely used, still super clean.
only thing is that i think it might be way too short? I’m not sure if the leather is just not tensioned correctly but I feel like I’m just sitting on the rivets, as in my ass bones are on the back rivets and my nuts are on the front rivets, the middle stuff is not supportive at all.
I’ve been messing with position for the past couple hours and can’t find one that’s super comfy. do I have to tension up my saddle? (it doesn’t look saggy at all, from just looking at it)
you’re probably gonna have to push it with the nose tilted up a little and all the way back. if your seatpost doesn’t have setback you’re in need of a new one. you just need to ride like that on them at first until theyre broken in. I’d suggest having less of a saddle to bar drop just in the beginning.
You shouldn’t have to use the tensioner any time soon after you get the saddle. I think the problem is folks use an oil based leather treatment that causes sag. The new-ish VO long setback post looks like a good solution to the “stupid short rails” Brooks problem.
I think brooks keeps their rails short for cosmetic reasons. non setback seatposts and saddles pushed too far back look like ass. proofhide your saddle max. also do the ball bearing and glue trick if you don’t want it stolen, or get a rain guard or plastic bag to throw on it when you lock up.
I recently got a new B-17 and proofed it with some of my leather boot treatment. I let it sit on there for about 10-15 minutes and very thoroughly buffed off the excess. My saddle was mostly broken in after about 2 days of commuting.
As for the seat angle, I originally set mine to what I normally find comfy, which is slightly nose down. My issue was that the surface of the saddle is so smooth I kept slipping forward. Apparently this is the norm until the surface of the leather gets a little worn in. After it becomes less slick, I’m going to tilt the nose back down to where I normally set my saddle angle.
There is no canonical information for how to treat a Brooks saddle. It’s sad, really.
Regarding break in, tilt that fucker back 'til the taint pain goes away. It’ll look jackass for a while. I can guarantee that your saddle is not “mostly broken in” if you need to tilt it back.
To accelerate break-in with a new leather saddle prior to treating it, here’s what you do. Put a damp towel on the top of the saddle press on it until the seat area is uniformy damp. If you’ve ever tooled leather, you’ll probably know how much wetness is appropriate. Don’t soak the saddle and try not to get the area near the rivets wet. Ride the thing for a while and let it dry completely. Repeat as necessary and then treat with goop. Don’t use too much goop.
The breaking in process “relaxes” the leather such that it can conform to your bottom. Water does this nicely and then evaporates. Butt sweat will also do this over time. Some folks try to use oil-based products to accomplish the same thing, but the oil based products never evaporate after and the leather never regains its strength. The goop is for water-proofing only and is just a surface treatment.
only use proofhide and nothing else. maybe water, but none of that other shit. I don’t care if it takes longer, this thing lasts a lifetime but only if you’re careful.