After nearly 50,000 miles, and eight years of use, Garry’s Brooks B17 standard leather saddle, needed to be replaced. The rivets on the front had started to pull through the leather. Which apparently was due to Garry being a bit heavy-handed and over-tightening the saddle!
Unfortunately, the saddle was still really comfortable, and Garry was reluctant to replace it! But there was always the worry that the rivets would pull through entirely, and the seat would collapse! Garry was also getting through a pair of shorts on every tour! After tearing them on the rivets! There was also the remote chance he could cut himself, and not on his bum!
Because the saddle was so comfortable, and Garry hadn’t had any problems with it, up until now! There really wasn’t any choice of which saddle to replace it with! It had to be another Brooks B17.
Garry could have ordered a new seat online, but that would have been too simple! So he was going to ride to Birmingham and get one from the Brooks Factory instead. Any excuse to go away! Unfortunately, that would have been a four-day trip, at best, and Garry just didn’t have the time! Instead, Garry decided to cycle to London, which was only a days ride. Brooks had opened a shop, named B1866 after the year Brooks was established. So one cold November morning in 2015, Garry set off for London to buy his new seat!
After cycling to London and buying his new saddle, Garry fitted it to his bicycle. Garry now has to break it in, which should take around 500 miles. Now if that’s not an excuse to go away touring I don’t know what is!
Here’s to many more years of cycle-touring in a comfortable saddle!
