Brooks quality control

Now I don't want to bad mouthed Brooks, especially since it's my favourite brand, as well as them supporting the Tweeds run and actually have the LFGSS in their site.

But I have a growing concern that the Brooks saddle isn't as how it use to be, my first Brooks was a B17 4 years ago on my old rigid MTB it took a solid couple of months before it actually broken in, and then later on become very comfortable, it's on my missus' Brompton right now still as comfortable as ever.

Recently I brought a B17 and after a comfortable two weeks, it finally broken in, and got worse as time go by, now it look more worn out than the old B17 I brought 4 years ago, it's very uncomfortable and I can feel the metal support easily now.

Thinking it's an isolated incident, my father did got himself a B17 (he used to have one on his old bike), a month later, took it back to the shop with the same problem as mine.

Still thinking it's just a bad batch (or bad cow with too much facelift), I started hearing from other people on here and off the forum about how the saddle isn't as it use to be, someone here (can't remember who, sorry!) know a messenger from a city somewhere in the UK claim that Brooks saddle nowadays are too weak/soft compared to says 5 years ago, also noting that a couple years ago their production was 40,000 saddles a year, now it's 140,000 at maximum capacity.

Does anyone have any light in this? the B17 used to be very comfortable for me, now I have to look for other saddle that's nowhere as comfortable as my old B17 which made riding my bike less enjoyable than ever.

have you asked brooks?

I believe Brooks supported EHBPC. How dare you leave that out >:o

But Egg, you're better off mailing them and questioning it.

Excellent banner below OP.

Brooks is owned and operated by one of the big Italian brands now and I get the impression that they're firing on all cylinders to push the brand as far as they can. All I know is that those I've spoken to, both on the Italian (logistical) and English (manufacturing) sides are really committed to upholding the quality of their products and the integrity of the brand.

I already mailed them a while ago actually.

I read that as nailed them.

Fail

http://bikesnobnyc.blogspot.com/

This sort of polite, wishy-washy prose is grossly insufficient for the typical American consumer. Brooks really needs to fall in line with the rest of the bicycle industry and put lots of yellow exclamation points all over the place. Furthermore, "considerable disapointment" doesn't mean anything to us here. You need to say "death." A truly effective warning would say something like:

Warning! Cycling is an inherently dangerous activity and can cause serious injury or death. Be sure to have your saddle installed by a professional, as improper mounting can cause serious injury or death. Brooks saddles are not compatible with certain seatposts. Be sure to consult your seatpost manufacturer, as using a Brooks saddle with an incompatible seatpost can cause serious injury or death. Brooks shall not be responsible for any failure caused by incorrect mounting or by use with an incompatible seatpost. All Brooks saddles carry a rider weight limit, which is one pound less than however much you weigh. Cycling while too heavy can cause serious injury or death. Please enjoy your Brooks saddle, and ride responsibly.

I've had the same thing with my Swallow. I received it in around December and after only a month or so I was had to tension it again and again. It's almost at the end of the tension screw thread now, despite really looking after it with proofride and not really putting loads of miles (<5,000).
I was speaking to a courier in Manchester who said that recently the quality control has changed. Until recently the best hide has been used for the high end saddles, and then the thinner, lower quality hide was used on the cheaper models, but now, apparently, their is no quality differentiation between saddles. Apparently the guy who made that choice was made redundant.

Whilst I must admit I have no idea why a a Manchester Courier would know this, but I'm pretty unsatisfied with the speed that my saddle is wearing out, for a completely top of the range model.

Edit: Ed, that's me you're referring to in the OP. If they are pushing out more and more saddles a year, they must be spending less on the hide or making it stretch further?

someone here (can't remember who, sorry!) know a messenger from a city somewhere in the UK claim that Brooks saddle nowadays are too weak/soft compared to says 5 years ago, also noting that a couple years ago their production was 40,000 saddles a year, now it's 140,000 at maximum capacity.

Does anyone have any light in this?

I had one 35 years ago. It was shit - heavy, uncomfortable and ugly.
Never again.

My father has had his brooks for about 30 years, still in perfect condition, never needed tensioning and is WAY thicker hide than mine. I'm tempted to nick it, as he rides so infrequently now.

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I started hearing from other people on here and off the forum about how the saddle isn't as it use to be, someone here (can't remember who, sorry!) know a messenger from a city somewhere in the UK claim that Brooks saddle nowadays are too weak/soft compared to says 5 years ago.

I was speaking to a courier in Manchester who said that recently the quality control has changed.

maybe it's a messenger conspiracy to bad mouth the good brooks name.

he rides so infrequently now.

I wonder why...

Are you bad-mouthing brooks or have I made a grammar no-no?

Are you bad-mouthing brooks or have I made a grammar no-no?

The former...

Ok! Well he swears by Brooks, and was the one who bought my Brooks in the first place, but obviously it's horses for courses, or bums for saddles.

Oh, and if Skully reads this, my father recently chopped his saddle after I showed him your wonderful saddle alterations.

Having been on the brooks factory tour I can verify they put EXCEPTIONAL care into quality control. The amount of perfectly fine looking complete saddles and prime leather that gets put in the bin is shocking. They throw away so much!

In terms of construction they are using all the same tooling. And the materials/components are the same, the quality of the leather cuts is most impressive though.

If anything, id say they were being made better now than ever before, brooks is having success based on traditional slow made british manufacture. And they do it to the absolute T.

Dancing James grabbed a perfectly fine Ti (Swallow?) out of the reject bin. I swear you couldnt notice a scratch on it.

The solution is to ride a normal saddle.

I own a wrights and a brooks leather saddle and I use neither as they are both fucking horrid.

my brooks b-43 was made in the 70s and its cushty
but a little rusty

A few weeks ago I found an old thread on another cycling forum about restoring Brooks saddles. One of the comments quoted an email the poster had received from an ex-employee, now retired, who restored them on a freelance basis. His opinion was that the quality of the leather had decreased as the output (and prices) had increased under the new owners. He mentioned similar figures to those above, and directed particular spleen at the leather used in the 'aged' saddles. Can't find the sodding thread now, despite frenzied UTFSing.

The text was quoted by someone who'd received it in an email, so it didn't seem to be a case of a bitter ex-employee trying to knock Brooks's reputation.

A few weeks ago I found an old thread on another cycling forum about restoring Brooks saddles... Can't find the sodding thread now, despite frenzied UTFSing.

I think the post to which you're referring might be this one.

Thanks 30miles - that's the one. Not quite what I described above, but it's still interesting reading.

they come over here, share our queen and bad mouth our brooks saddles!

I got my B17 over two years ago and after taking out fully comp insurance on my taint it finally broke in about 6 months ago.

It's rigid, smooth and now ergonomically shaped to my glutes, which is nice.

I think the supposed dip in production quality may be down to the fact that leather is a natural material and suffers from natural selection as opposed to high-tec manufacturing processes. In all honesty what can go wrong with a Brooks? They're hardly the most complicated of assembly's, and not exactly the priciest of items.

I'd either a) deal with it or b) get another one