Cycling UK Forum

I've just removed the laces... Much better

The laces are the one strange bit about that saddle!

WrightsW5 wrote:The laces are the one strange bit about that saddle!

In the sense that the leather is so rigid you wonder why they're needed ?

Exactly! A saddle that is known for having tougher leather and has deep sides anyway - unless only the laces make it seem tough?

It did seem a little excessive to also supply a spare !

I'm rapidly trying to get some miles into mine to try and break it ready for the way of the roses in a months time.....

So far it's really nice and is so much better de laced and is starting to flex a little..

Just a thought mines on my rough stuff tourer that spends about 50% of its time on tracks or trails does the added bouncing of rough tracks speed up the break in period ????

It's already much more comfortable than a b17n that I put loads of miles into but couldn't cope with without padded shorts.. The shape must suit me more.. But according to the specalised body geometry measuring thingy i need a really narrow saddle. On my road bike I have a charge spoon which is fine padded and upto 40 miles but much more is increasingly less comfy..

I think a leather saddle such as a Brooks or Spa is always going to measure wider, edge to edge, than a modern synthetic one, because you have to allow for the cantle plate. There needs to be enough distance from it to where your sit bones are to allow room for the leather to flex and mould itself.

Sorry if I'm not being very clear - it is definitely my bedtime!

Yeah of course I hadn't thought of that until you mentioned it lol

Hoping my caradicezipped roll will appear tomorrow to finish it off because a modern seat pack doesn't look right

Just over 230 miles on my new Nidd. I can feel that this saddle is an excellent fit for my bum by how it supports my sit bones. It is taking time to break in. I'm also surprised by how much I've had to lower the saddle.

I've a feeling the Nidd suits me less well than the Brooks - it seems to be a bit convex whereas I'm rather broad of beam and at the end of a 25 mile ride I was feeling uncomfortable contact in the perineal area.

Mines probably approaching the 300 mile mark now and has started to break in nicely.. Little wrinkles appearing in the sit bone regions and its starting to have a little flexibility as it was like wood... I'm about 16.5 stone so that's helping but really happy..

WrightsW5 wrote:Exactly! A saddle that is known for having tougher leather and has deep sides anyway - unless only the laces make it seem tough?

I would submit the point of view - and possibility - that the deeper the side cheeks, the more the lacing will become desirable as the saddle matures and gains suppleness. Don't throw the laces away. In times past, many Brooks saddles had the lace-holes and quite often, owners had to punch lace-holes in saddles which didn't have them.

As the leather becomes more supple, the weight of the rider depresses the top (sitting) surface, which in turn causes the side cheeks to push out and catch on the inside of the rider's thighs.

That's the reason why the Swift (or was it the Swallow? - I can never remember) had it's enthusiasts within the section/DA that I rode with (and still do).

It's true that also at that time, it was popular to overdose leather saddles with neatsfoot oil, which made them rather more supple than was desirable - with the result that the side cheeks could project quite a lot.

I don't think that the Spa saddles have been around long enough yet for these long-term effects to become evident. I have it on my list to buy one sometime soon, but I haven't done yet. However, I'd look forward to the saddle maturing and gaining suppleness.

I wonder how many saddles from the Birmingham companies had holes that were actually meant for lacing? I think some of the Mansfields did but those around the side edges of Brooks, Wrights etc are said to be just perforated decoration by some. Saddles I have seen with definate lace holes don't seem to have them at the edge, unless the saddle is so narrow that they have to.