I got a Brooks B17 leather saddle when I bought my touring bike. At first it was hard/firm and not at all comfortable compared to minimally padded saddles I'd alway used. I was assured that these leather saddles will get more comfortable with use/age - as the leather moulds itself to the shape of ones arse bones.
They advise you (at Brooks) how to look after the saddle, suggesting how to protect it from rain where possible using neatsfoot oil or something like that. I'm sure that is good advice that will help extend the lifespan of the saddle.
Well, for 2000 miles I peddled with a not-all-that-comfortable bottom. Then one day at a campsite somewhere in France, I left my bike out in torrential overnight rain. In the morning the bike was sodden.
I set off on a very wet saddle and rode all day. By the end of that day my saddle had moulded into what is is now ( 5 years later) , an armchair comfortable ride. I have never once protected my saddle by preventing it getting wet. It's leather, leather is from animals, animals get wet. See my logic? My saddle may not be in A1 condition, but it is all-day comfortable and has no significant signs yet of wear and tear.( mostly because I turn the bike upside down to fix punctures etc, and the saddle scrapes on stones and concrete.
What makes it so comfortable?
It doesn't have a plastic base. Most modern saddles have plastic bases onto which padding is attached. 6 hours in the saddle on one of these and I feel like I've been sitting on something very hard. A simple leather saddle will never 'bottom out' because it doesn't have a bottom. It's that simple.
Maybe my B17 won't last a lifetime if I continue to treat it with less care and attention than advised by the experts. what's a lifetime anyway?
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