At 7:21 PM -0500 11/19/08, John Betmanis wrote:
>At 12:20 PM 19/11/2008 -0800, Jan Heine wrote:
>
>>My Professional Titanium took 2000 miles to break in, and was worn
>>out after 3000 miles. It was the non-presoftened version. Get the
>>pre-softened version, so at least it's comfortable from the start,
>>even if it doesn't last.
>
>Is the one you tested in BQ Vol.5 No.2 the pre-softened one? The one that
>took on a lopsided shape after 640 miles? I know you said the shape didn't
>come from your anatomy, so could that have been a poor hide?
It was not pre-softened. Yes, one side was sagging already, the other still bone-hard. After about 2000 miles, the second side was nicely broken in, but the first side was sagging to the point where I sat on the cantle plate. The replacement (under warranty) is holding up better - with Brooks' current hides, it's the luck of the draw...
At 12:51 AM +0000 11/20/08, Tom Harriman wrote:
>Hi Jan, and thanks for the post. I was thinking that perhaps since
>you do so much riding in the State of Washington, perhaps your
>saddle was exposed to more rain than the average rider, and perhaps
>that shortened it's lifespan?
I doubt the rain has much to do with it. My bikes are equipped with fenders, and when I ride in the rain, I sit on the saddle, protecting it. I used to get better mileage out of Brooks saddles under the same or worse conditions, even on racing bikes without fenders.
One of the Brooks saddles among my friends that wore out so fast was on a bike that never was ridden in the rain...
Jan Heine
Editor
Bicycle Quarterly
140 Lakeside Ave #C
Seattle WA 98122
http://www.bikequarterly.com