If you've thought leather saddles felt too hard and wooden, I recommend going for an aggressive break-in that breaks the rules you'll often hear about being minimal with anything you put on the saddle. So if you still have a Brooks that you thought was uncomfortable, here is what I do to break them in fast and soft:
- Work mink oil into the leather with all your strength, alternating between massaging it in with your thumbs and then flexing the leather up and down between your fingers. Really soften it up, focussing on the sit-bone areas. - Give the saddle a deep soak and then ride it wet. It will stretch and soften immediately, and very quickly begin to adapt to your shape. Some folks say to avoid stuff like this because it makes the leather stretch, but in my opinion that stretched and well-softened leather is what makes a leather saddle comfortable. Maybe they wear out faster (I haven't worn one out after five years) but even so, a comfy saddle that you wear out is better than a painful saddle that you never use. -Wes On Thursday, March 28, 2024 at 8:46:29 PM UTC-7 Emily Guise wrote: > Hey all, thanks so much for your insights! I'm local to Portland OR, and > there is a bike fitter in town, Pedal PT, who also does physical therapy. > I've been wondering if I should get a fit with them, and it seems like I > should look into it more seriously. > > My travel/adventure/distance bike is a Bike Friday, and that's the one I'd > get fit. I do tend to like the flatter saddles, and usually ride with the > nose titled up. A challenge is that I have very long arms and legs but a > shorter torso. Anyone with a similar body type have any advice? > > I have tried women's specific saddles- I tried a Terry Liberator for a > while, but it was just SO hard, even though the cutout was fantastic. The > same with the Brookses, I always felt like I was sitting on the metal edge > or the leather was as unforgiving as wood and as uncomfortable. I'm trying > out Riv's new plastic saddle on my Platypus right now. It's sort of > comfortable but also feels maybe not quite wide enough. I'll have to give > it a few more weeks. > > > On Thursday, March 28, 2024 at 7:22:12 AM UTC-7 John Dewey wrote: > >> Roberta, have you experimented with a cut-out saddle? >> >> Jock >> >> On Tue, Mar 26, 2024 at 12:20 AM Roberta <rcha...@gmail.com> wrote: >> >>> The Philadelphia Trek store can measure sits bones. Perhaps there is one >>> near you to give you some direction? >>> >>> I prefer a flat top like the B68 to a rounder top B17. I also have wide >>> sits bones, so B17 too narrow for me. I tilt the saddle nose up, so I’m >>> sitting on the flat back part of the saddle. Otherwise I slide to the >>> front sitting on the nose part, and that is very irritating. Where are you >>> sitting on the saddle? >>> >>> Also take notice where the seams of your underwear are when you’re >>> riding as sit bones on seams are irritating. >>> >>> Roberta >>> Philadelphia >>> >>> On Wednesday, March 20, 2024 at 4:00:24 PM UTC-4 Emily Guise wrote: >>> >>>> Hello folks, I come to the group with a dilemma. I've never had a >>>> saddle that I could ride for longer than 20 miles comfortably. I've always >>>> ended up with sore sit bones, numb soft tissue, or both. This has really >>>> limited my ability to go on longer trips and after my five day ride on the >>>> C&O canal trail last Sept, it was more apparent than ever I need to find a >>>> saddle that won't hurt. >>>> >>>> I've tried dozens of saddles over the last 15 years- leather, plastic, >>>> cutouts, no cutouts, wide, medium, softer, harder, you name it. :( Most of >>>> the saddles that have stayed on my bikes for longer than a month have a >>>> central cut out, are on the wider side, and plastic. They're good for >>>> around town, but that's it. I've never had my sit bones measured. >>>> >>>> It occurred to me recently that because I've never had a truly >>>> comfortable long-distance saddle, I have no idea how one feels. So I >>>> figured I'd ask the group. How did The One saddle feel for you? Did it >>>> "disappear"? Was it love at first sit? Did it need to be adjusted a lot >>>> before finding the ideal position? Is there a certain amount of miles you >>>> ride before it becomes uncomfortable? >>>> >>>> I'd love to hear the group's collective wisdom so I know what to look >>>> for in the next saddle I try out. Thanks! >>>> >>>> >>>> -- >>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google >>> Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. >>> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send >>> an email to rbw-owners-bun...@googlegroups.com. >>> >> To view this discussion on the web visit >>> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/a93cb530-6ec0-4fcd-894a-868948892b91n%40googlegroups.com >>> >>> <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/a93cb530-6ec0-4fcd-894a-868948892b91n%40googlegroups.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> >>> . >>> >> -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/4492e9e5-66c2-4701-909f-7c8d8d5570afn%40googlegroups.com.
