Raoul Delmare wrote:
>
> Hey Tom ,
>
> Have you taken a close look at a Brooks Swift , with its titanium rails
> , and its cut-away sides ?
>
> It's not quite a Brooks Swallow , but it is pretty close .
>
> It has also been easily available for a few years ( it's only money
> :^) .
>
> A few years ago I went nuts , spent the money , and put a Brooks Swift
> on a very "off-topic" bicycle . With the titanium rails , and the
> cut-away sides , it is very-very "spring-y" . I've heard that there
> are some who don't like the ride . Personally , I like the cushioned ,
> sprung , shock-absorbing nature of the ride . Hey , it's NOT like
> riding a saddle with real coil springs in it . It's NOT like riding a
> seatpost with a spring in it . But , it really does have a little bit
> more bounce ! I think it's a very lively sort of a feel . And by the
> way , cutting away the sides really does reduce the stiffness of the
> leather "shell" of any leather saddle ( well actually it would do the
> same for plastic also , wouldn't it ? ) .
I just got a black Brooks Swift (thanks to a list member) for my fixed gear recreation of a Road/Track Path Racer (not a track bike) '02 Waterford. Bike riders that see the bike think it is a restored old bike even though it is a current Reynolds 853 tubing and polished stainless Henry James lugged bike with current Campagnolo track group and Record brake.
So I began to feel the Selle Italia SLR saddle (minimalistic, picture a leaf) was looking totally out of place, so that's the reason for the Swift. But it was too springy, Raoul. Felt like the tension bolt wasn't tensioned enough. But putting a turn on the bolt didn't change anything; still too springy.
So I thought, it time for some "saddle butchering" the way it's done in the British Isles. I trimed off the nose (picture a Brooks Pro) and trimed off the leather below the rear frame (cantle plate) along with the name plate. Finally, I punched five holes in each side of the flaps (half inch in from the edge) and laced the two sides together with a black shoe lace (leather lacing stretches too much).
Result: The Saddle is transformed! No longer springy and the tension bolt is backed completely off and the saddle is stiff! Hard to believe how much of a total change lacing can make! Highly recommended!
Chuck Schmidt El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Angeles de Porciúncula, California
.