Re: [RBW] Is there a shortcut way to soften up my Brooks B17?

[Manoucher Brahman]

Hi all I have had three B17s and had softened them up using olive oil. When it is brand new it will take up 2 cups of olive oil in no time! I have done this each summer for the past 18 years. Unorthodox but works! Sent from my iPhone On May 19, 2025, at 1:34 PM, EGNolan <egno...@gmail.com> wrote: I ride a few different Brooks', the most comfortable ones are the vintage ones (a B17N and a B5N). I've had a newer B17 that broke in fairly easily just riding, but a B17N that just doesn't seem to want to form to me. I remember an old Lon Haldeman (maybe from a Reader, maybe elsewhere, but Grant did some great interviews with him, he's an ultra long distance rider, FWIW) story about breaking them in this way. He'd soak them in water to break them in and then use oil from there on out. I doubt realistically it shortens the life much, but maybe... Anyway, I'm tired of the B17N not fitting and don't want to keep it if it ain't gonna work, so I'm soaking it tonight and seeing what we can do! Thanks for the info and unintentionally pushing me to do something. Best, Eric On Monday, May 19, 2025 at 2:59:31 PM UTC-4 bmfo...@gmail.com wrote: I'm also a fan of the 'leave it out in the rain a time or two' method of speeding up the break in process. It probably shortens the lifespan some but I am ok with that. Brian On Monday, May 19, 2025 at 1:03:29 PM UTC-5 Jason Fuller wrote: Glad it has worked out (so far)! I'm confident it'll last a long long time after this - I think the issues arise when it stays wet, or is ridden wet repeatedly. As a tool for breaking in, seems great to me. Then again I soak my cast iron in soapy water sometimes, too - clearly I live dangerously!  -- 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 visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/05044288-f005-482c-8bbc-3fb9080b8607n%40googlegroups.com. -- 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 visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/3CC3BE4D-435B-4228-9D08-F83DBABBB101%40gmail.com.