Brooks B-17 Saddle for Bike Touring

It's the only way to go...

A nice summary by "machaka" of what to do..

#1. Riding in the rain WILL NOT ruin your saddle. Perhaps if you were 275 lbs, and put a lot of pressure on your saddle while you ride in the rain, you might be in trouble, but I know you're not. I'm guessing you are somewhere around my size. Just about every time I get on my bicycle it seems to rain. I've ridden in rain storms so heavy the animals were lining up 2x2, and I could swear I saw an ark under construction. And my Brooks is fine.

#2. To help your Brooks continue to be fine in the rain, there are a few things you can do. A) Get fenders. They protect the underside of your Brooks. B) Tuck a plastic grocery bag under your saddle. This also protects the underside of your Brooks, but when you stop for lunch or for the night, you dig it out, and tie it on over your Brooks to protect it from any lunch-time or night-time moisture. C) In the rain, wear a rain jacket with a long tail. The tail drapes over the saddle in the back.

#3. When you get the saddle, your first response will likely be: "This thing is a ROCK!" and you might be tempted to follow some of the suggestions to soak it in oil or bang it with a hammer. Don't do it!! Just rub a tiny bit of proofide on it ... and ride it. I apply proofide about once a year, just to shine it up a bit. That's it. That's all I do to my saddle, and my saddle is in great shape!

#4. Ride lots. But at first, plan short rides. When I got my Brooks, I put it on my commuter bike first. I had a 13 km round trip commute and that was about all I could handle with that saddle that week. Then on the first weekend, I did a 20 km ride with my commuter bike, and came home and finished my ride on Machak. The next week I did the commutes and a bit extra in the evening. So I built up gradually at first. And then I plunged into a long ride ... and that's when my Brooks broke in: http://www.machka.net/1000/1000km.htm

Enjoy!!

Check out
http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=370760&highlight=brooks
http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=375966&highlight=brooks

B-17 is the way to go it seems...
http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=370581&highlight=brooks

Lick Bike is the cheapest place to get em...