brooks saddle break-in how long

[Galloper]

I have several B17s and each one broke in differently.  One was comfy from the outset, one took about 400 miles and another about a 1000.   As to care, I have never used the Brooks dressing, any good leather care product from your local ag store will do just as well.   Probably the best is Connolly Hide food if you can get it.   If it's good enough for Rolls Royce...

[JDFlood]

Sliding around.

 A slick saddle will make the dynamic forces obvious. You don't want your butt to stay in the saddle by friction, you want it to stay in the saddle because all the opposing forces are in perfect equilibrium. So the saddle helps you achieve that.

[RussSeaton]

I'll add to this thread.  I have six bikes with Brooks saddles on them.  And one or two more Brooks saddles in boxes in the basement waiting for their day.  It takes many many many thousands of miles to break in a Brooks saddle.  More miles if its one of the untreated thick models.  Like the B17 or Professional.  Little easier if it one of the soft pretreated models like the Swift or the Team Pro.  Although I think they use extra thick leather on the Team Pro, pretreated or not, its a hard thick saddle.  Two Swift, which are broken in.  Two Professional, which are sort of kind of broken in I guess.  One Team Pro, which is not broken in after years and years and thousands of miles.  It is a hard hard hard piece of leather.  One B17, which is broken in.  As for treatment, put lots of oil and paste and such on the underside and topside, frequently.  Just keep on rubbing various oils on the saddle until it looks like the oils have absorbed into the leather.  Then be sure to coat the saddle once a year, both sides.

[JDFlood]

 Russ,

That is interesting. Do you weigh very little? I weigh around 250... and I think  20 - 40 hours are plenty. I have eight bikes with Brooks Saddles and a couple in reserve. Maybe my weigh, makes a difference, cuz, thousands of hours  I would be chucking it. That goop to me reduces the useful life for me (I don't live in the desert any more). I now live in the Pacific Northwest.

[neil]

3 bikes, 3 B17's, all broken in within 100 miles and I wear shorts, no padding. Use the Brooks proofer just before cycling to soften it. However I had a titanium railed narrow saddle from a friend, awful, fortunately he took it back. B17's are worth every penny, then again I'm biased as from England!!