I am considering buying a sprung Brooks saddle for my Raleigh Twenty because I need it to be more comfortable for an upcoming tour. As I am on a budget, buying second-hand seems an attractive idea; here in Poland used B66 and B67 can be had for between £10 and £20. So my questions are:
What is the difference between a B66 and a B67?
and
When the surface of a Brooks is covered in a mesh of small cracks as in the photo below, is this an indicator it has seen better days and will soon fail or should I only be concerned about any deeper cracks?
When the pestilence strikes from the East, go far and breathe the cold air deeply. Ignore the sage, stay not indoors. Ho Ri Zon 12th Century Chinese philosopher
"Aged" Brooks aren't cracked....the colour looks bleached, the surface is dimpled not smooth, and they are not polished at all, completely matte. I wouldn't buy a saddle showing deep cracks, I think it would be liable to fail, specially if cracked near rivets. Superficial cracks probably aren't too bad, but you can't tell if the leather is terribly dried out, it can get fragile.
I'd have to look up my ancient records to be sure of when I first rode a Brooks saddle - I've done so before for these forums, but I've forgotten again. Certainly it's 50 years ago.
Until recently - the last five years or so - I'd always have confidence in Brooks, but I don't think that they're what they used to be - not at all. I'd say that a sound old Brooks saddle was better than a new one. I'd go for the saddle on the photo, and treat it with Proofhide (or beeswax if Proofhide not available) until supple, and then ride it and see. If it's dried out and kaput, that will be self-evident from close inspection. I've seen leather saddles which have dried out, and I would say it's obvious. If they have dried out, I'd say that they were beyond redemption.
My experience of buying a couple of new Brooks saddles in the last five years is that I've had more trouble from them (and both replaced) than from 30 year-old pros, B17s, a B5 and an original Colt.
One thing I'd say is don't use neatsfoot oil - it used to be the standard thing 40-50 years ago, but I found that the saddle became like a hamock.
My Brooks catalogue (2006) shows the B66 and the B67, and describes the B67 as : "One wire version of the B66 for use with micro-adjust seat pillars". From the pictures I'd say that the B67 had a more universal application, but why not check the saddle with the seat pillar?
Agree with previous poster about not using neatsfoot (all the time) As it softens it up too much, it becomes too supple and the saddle could be ruined (wonder as it dries out, may be ok?) I'd only use neatsfoot oil once or twice, and only think applications. As soon as you notice it's gone from knock knock wood to slight give, don't use anymore.
