Composites, microfibers, synthetics. They amaze in their qualities; light, strong, durable – unyieldingly stiff or unimaginably suple, depending on our whim. When modern components arrive on my doorstep, upon lifting the unremarkable cardboard box I often wonder whether there is anything at all inside or if perhaps the person on the other end of the postal system had allowed their mind to wander beyond the task at hand and neglected to place the product in the box before sealing it and handing it off to a worker whose uniform invokes the wrath of dogs the world over.
This was not the case when my vintage 80’s-era Selle San Marco Rolls was delivered from deep within the bowels of eBay. The box had a heft to it that hinted at something substantial within its confines. Freed from its cardboard prison, the saddle lay heavy in my hand, its heft signaling an inherent quality about it that only heavy products seem to convey. But the saddle showed its age; the leather was dry and worn, the brass trim and emblems tarnished black.
This saddle isn’t made of synthetics, it was no lost cause. This saddle is made of organic materials that require care and maintenance in order to maintain their beauty. And, when let fall into disrepair, they can often be restored to their original glory. Out came my polishes and waxes, and within a few minutes the leather covering the saddle which had only moments before been worn and gray was now gleaming with a deep, black finish. The brass, touched up with polish and the tarnish wiped instantly from its surface. Within a quarter hour, the saddle was once again a beacon of a bygone era.
These old leather saddles took a few hundred kilometers to ride in; not as long as their all-leather predecessors, but much longer than our carbon-shell, microfiber modern saddles. With time, the rubbing of chamois-clad tooshie polished the leather into a gleaming beauty which whispered of the long journey over which it had carried its rider as they forged their path together along La Vie Velominatus.
Heavy and big as they were, these saddles had character; one would somehow be more comfortable than another which was supposed to be identical. Each would develop its own unique finish as the characteristics of the leather cover and the shape of it’s rider’s backside would reveal its unique beauty over time. The saddles owned by the Pros in the 80’s and 90’s became impossibly shiny; I remember being enraptured by the sight of the gleaming saddle swaying back and forth as Gert-Jan Theunisse moved en danseuse up the Galibier in the 1989 Tour enroute to a solo win atop l’Alpe d’Huez.
If today’s saddles are marvels of lightweight and comfort, these old saddles were a looking glass into the history that rider and machine had forged together.
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@frank
The only acceptable finish for a Brooks saddle is a properly bulled shine applied every evening prior to lights out - Brasso the rivets daily too.
@Ron
Beautiful - do you have a photo of the entire bike? I'd love to see it. My next n+1 is certain to have a polished stem and seatpost.
@mcsqueak
or his perineum... i mean cranium...
#SeattleSummerCogal
Regals and Rolls - can't beat them! I did have a Cinelli Volare SLX on my Benotto that was pretty damn fine as well.
Here's one of my Regal's on Pla d'Aet
@frank +1 This is exactly what I did with my old Bernard Hinault Turbo and nothing comes off on my shorts at all.
@Deakus I don't think Merckx ever rode a Brooks as a pro. Pretty sure he used Cinelli Unicanitors from early days - at least I've never seen a picture of him on a bike with a Brooks saddle anyway...
@Deakus I don't think you need to be apologetic for wanting to be comfortable. The Masturbation Prinicple applies, break a rule or whatever, I know running a Selle-Anatomica, made in US which cost a bomb to get to me, that I would not be so comfortable riding 60km after 130km the previous day. My riding buddy was complaining and shifting around on his fizik. The saddle is not very good looking, and weighs a lot compared, but it is the most important upgrade I have added to my bike I think.
@frank Nice bar ends, hadn't see the black version before. Any news on when they may be available to the followers?
@Beers
"Before you know it, your saddle will begin showing little depressions where your "sit bones" strike it. This friends is the true definition of "breaking in" a saddle, and when it occurs your backside will feel as if it is being treated to a day at the spa. It is for this reason, as well as leather's ability to breathe that you'll see pictures of the great Eddy Merckx using a Brooks saddle long after nearly everyone else had switched to the lighter Unicanitor. Eventually however, you'll notice that Mr. Brooks feels a little tired. Where once there was a spring now old faithful will look a little droopy, a touch swaybacked. This does not happen overnight. It might take a few years of diligent cycling, but someday the inevitable will occur and you will be forced to turn that nut at the nose of your saddle, thus tensioning the entire apparatus. As with everything else, do this sparingly and don't rush it. Some of you will not be able to resist turning that nut practically from day one. After all, it's there isn't it? Your care kit comes with a wrench, for Pete's sake, just begging you to start spinning things, right? You know who you are. Don't rush it."
Source: http://reviews.ebay.com/The-Care-And-Feeding-Of-Leather-Bicycle-Saddles?ugid=10000000000884272
but there are also numerous references to it on the Brooks websites and elsewhere?
@Jamie
Fixed your post.