two hundred sixty

CUSHION vs FRICTION

This is my most prized bicycle possession. It is a Brooks Colt leather bicycle seat. I bought it in 2002 in a bicycle shop in Tempe Arizona. This was a very cool bike shop because over the decades they had stocked every possible piece of bicycle gear and accessory. I don't know the history but it seemed the owner knew nothing about inventory control. 

He had passed on and the family or new owner had sale after sale to reduce this inventory. They had every weird piece of clothing and gear imaginable. They had wind silencers that fit on your helmet straps in front of each ear to silence the wind noise. Rain ponchos that covered the handlebars and electric hand and toe warmers, I imagine these sold well in the Arizona desert. 

I bought several pieces of gear from them one was my Cat Eye Cycle meter. The best thing I found was this bicycle seat. It was in a glass case along with an assorted tangle of bicycle parts. In this tangle there was one partially hidden bicycle seat. It had no price tag and no one had any idea how long it had been there. People that had worked there for 15 years remember it being there as long as they remembered. All I know is that it was as hard as a rock.

We negotiated a fair price $80 I then took it home and put it on my Surly Crosscheck. I took one ride and immediately changed it back to my padded comfy seat.

Like most people I thought a soft cushioned seat would be soft and comfortable, but this soft comfy seat was the seat I had learned to hate. I had taken two trips and suffered from blisters and chafing. Short commuting trips were fine but months in the saddle this seat was pure torture.

I had read about leather seats but this rock hard Brooks seat was not happening. I first soaked it in Neetsfoot oil but it barely made a difference.

I ran into Collin Lang who had built a bike I had purchased third hand. It was a Col-Ian steel road bike hand built by Collin and his son Ian  in 1980. That was my first step up from the Huffy I rode for a few years. I had found the 27" Huffy in a dumpster behind my apartment. Collin examined the bike and said it was his personal team bike when they were located in Tucson Arizona. 

Collin was involved in the Tour De France as a builder and coach for many years. He fit his creation to me and taught me a lot about adjusting and maintaining  the bicycle. This was my training bike for several years until I could no longer find replacement parts for the classic Campagnolo drive train.

I told him about the seat and what I was doing to soften it. In has best British accent he said it is a damn bicycle seat just put it in a bucket of water then ride on it. I asked how long or how far? He said months and 1000 miles. I thought he was nuts but that is exactly what I did. 

Trust me, the first 1000 miles was as he had said miserable. I started in Florida and headed north to Maine, a very long way from my cushioned seat that was back in Arizona. I cursed Collin and that damn seat for weeks but one day it became manageable. I had won the battle between hard leather and my ass. 

I have noticed my 34+ year old saddle is much thicker than the newer Brooks seats. The Brooks company has changed hands several times so who knows where they are made today. I'm sure this one is old enough to have been manufactured in their original workshop by the original craftsmen. It is thick and heavy but extremely comfortable for me because it fits me exactly. 

Collin also taught me it is worth paying the price for a high quality cycling short with a high quality chammy. If you are on the bicycle day after day one small blister can become a big problem if it is not addressed immediately. 

Friction is the enemy and a soft comfortable padded seat creates friction, but a smooth leather form fitting seat reduces friction. Most seasoned touring cyclists prefer a smooth leather seat. Like I said this seat is my most prized bicycle possession. It has solved one of the major issues or concerns of day after day touring.