End of Life for Brooks B17 Titanium saddle

[audax-man]

Has anyone had a similar experience with a Brooks B17 saddle?
I bought my saddle four years ago in 2017, and it's been my go to saddle for LEL, PBP and many other rides, so its lived an active life, however Brooks say it's at the end of its life.
I sent Brooks a photo, and they responded saying 'The tension on this saddle has now reached its maximum limit;  there is no possible repair in these cases, I'm afraid. The saddle has come to the end of its riding days.'
In case you are thinking that I have been applying too much weight, I am 76kg and I was hoping for a longer lifespan than four years. Brooks haven't said I mistreated the saddle (I asked them) they just say that it's now reached its maximum limit.
I would appreciate any thoughts, and also any advice on a similar leather saddle which might offer more a longer life. Thanks.

[Cudzoziemiec]

Thought, but not from experience, so might be wrong and/or irrelevant: "the tension on this saddle has now reached its maximum limit" suggests the leather is worn out, the rest of the saddle is fine. I'm sure I've heard you can send a Brooks back to the factory and have a new top fitted. No idea how much this costs but definitely people here have had it done. However, that Brooks didn't mention this in their reply to you suggests maybe they no longer do this (or maybe it's not just the leather in this case?).

[pumpkin]

Just looked at their site. they offer repairs but oddly no leather replacement. Would have thought that was the obvious item to wear. A new one then or something like Selle Anatomica?

[Basil]

4 years seems a remarkably short time to use up all the re tensioning.  I doubt I have touched mine up more than once, if that, in the first years.

[quixoticgeek]

Let's not measure it in calendar years. How many hours have you spent sat on it?

How much proofride did you use?

J

[Wowbagger]

I'm assuming that, like me, you didn't register it for its 10 year guarantee?

I wonder whether they would have honoured the guarantee if they are arguing that you've simply worn it out with use.

[rafletcher]

Leather, being a natural product, will vary from hide to hide, batch to batch. It may just be this saddle is at one end of the life-expectancy curve.

[Lightning Phil]

How often have you been touching the tension bolt?  I have a Gilles Berthoud saddle and have touched the tension bolt once in 9 years.

[LittleWheelsandBig]

I have gone through perhaps 8 or 9 Brooks over the past 30 years. I have largely given up on them due to short service life, despite having a B17-shaped bum.

The Taiwanese-made leather saddles sold as Spa, Gyes, Rivet and others have differences between brands but tend to be comparatively long-lived and are somewhat cheaper than Brooks. I like them on the whole but they take a long time to break in, if they aren't comfortable out of the box. I have stretched out a couple of Rivet saddles where the laminated leather is no longer.

Gilles Berthoud do a range of leather saddles that last well and the leather is easily replaceable (replaced one top after a few years). Not cheap though.

Selle Anatomica saddles made in the USA are liked by quite a few long-distance folk but the saddles tend to be very short-lived, though the top is easily replaceable on some models. I had one that stretched out after a few years and I probably won't get another.

[nuttycyclist]

I have gone through perhaps 8 or 9 Brooks over the past 30 years. I have largely given up on them due to short service life, despite having a B17-shaped bum.
....

So approximately 3 years per saddle?  I think similar times to how my father was recounting his recent woes in his broken Brooks (as I recall the repair Brooks did under warranty has broken again), and I don't think that's the first saddle he's had issues with.

The last time I broke a saddle was nearly 20 years ago (I snapped a crank sprinting away from a junction, landed painfully on the nose, and broke a rail).

Current saddle, albeit not ridden in last few years due to lack of time, has I don't know how many thousands of miles on it (I lost my cycle computer stupidly using a shoreham cycle path).  When it was new I was averaging 100-300 miles a week for commuting/touring/audax, long distance unrecorded fun rides, and in all weathers and it has been left out in the rain on many occasions.  It still looks and feels like new.  It is also incredibaly comfortable and doesn't need any adjusting/proofing/protecting from rain.



I simply don't understand the fascination with Brooks.   Personally I find them uncomfortable and after a few miles I go numb where no gentleman wants to, and I frequently see threads such as this.

[rogerzilla]

That seems an appallingly short life.  I have Brooks saddles that are 50 years old and some of them get used for highish mileages.  None are near the end of their adjustment.  I suppose the leather is thinner now.

[LittleWheelsandBig]

I am satisfied with 3+ years out of a saddle. Leather is good for my comfort but YMMV. I found when I was using plastic saddles that the shell would creep excessively and the padding degrade by that time anyway. Normal Brooks in the past decade were replaced in a year due to too much sagging for my bum. The discontinued organic tanned Brooks got me 3-4 years.

[humankeith]

I thought Brooks were supposed to last forever?

I've had mine for a couple years and haven't touched it apart from proofide.

[LittleWheelsandBig]

Nothing lasts forever, modern Brooks particularly so.

[audax-man]

Many thanks for all the comments. I get the feeling that four years is not an unresonable life span, however I obviously did tension the Brooks rather too much, as I don't like saddles when they're saggy.

I bought a replacement ISM PL 1.1 saddle and tried it on the Dauntsey Dawdle 400k ride on Saturday 26th June. However it was fine for the first 200k, but wasn't that pleasant when we reached the arrivee 20hrs later!

So it looks like I will need to buy a new Brooks saddle, or an alternative leather one, as for me this seems to be the solution for a comfortable long-distance ride.