Brooks saddle broke, what to do?

Ykick

Ykick

1 GW
Joined
Nov 26, 2009
Messages
5,534
Location
San Diego, California
Ah man, I thought Brooks’ saddles would hold up for the long-haul and even if not I was under the mistaken impression they’re lifetime warranty.

Have a look -
Brooks.jpg
Yep, ol’ fat ass me busted one of the mounting rods last night.

Goto Brooks site and it says 2-year warranty (I believe this purchase was farther back than that?) and from an eBay seller so I’m reasonably certain they’re gonna tell me to pound sand.

Maybe they offer to repair for practically the cost of a new saddle after s/h charges? Brooks warranty claim form asks for s/n but I can’t find much - a couple markings in the leather underneath but nothing that looks like s/n?

What to do? Anybody have any dealings with Brooks? Damn, at this point it looks like I should’ve gone with a cheaper and possibly easier to warranty Geyes saddle.
 
Everything can be replaced.

http://www.brooksengland.com/docs/spare_parts.pdf

Edit: You live in New York? There are two Brooks dealers in Manhattan and two in Brooklyn. Just get them to order the side rods.



http://www.brooksengland.com/dealers-and-stockists/locate/usa/
 
Dude, that's scary. I'd hate to see that happen on the road while you were sitting on it. You probably need to show this to brooks and tell them that it's a product liability lawsuit waiting to happen.

I know people talk up brooks saddles a lot, but looking at the way they are built has always inspired fear into my heart, and i'm only 190lbs these days.
 
Thanks everyone, I appreciate the NA sources for parts/repair.

This was on my Canondale running Fox/Marzzochi gas/oil full suspension.

TBH - I’d hoped to do better than 3-4 years when I shelled out $115? Advertised “rail service” pricing starts $71. Dunno if that includes postage or if B66 rails will cost more?

Thinking out loud, I could afford 3qty Cloud9 cruiser saddles (arguably more comfortable) for the cost to repair this rather average metal only to have it happen again.

http://www.amazon.com/Cloud-9-Contour-Cruiser-Gel-Saddle/dp/B0010VZGIO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1437885644&sr=8-1&keywords=cloud+9+contour

Maybe I’ll throw a feeler to Brooks and see if they care? It happened about 1 mile out but the other rail held and I stood on the pedals a lot.

Damn, it was starting to feel pretty good too…
 
Maybe I’ll throw a feeler to Brooks and see if they care? It happened about 1 mile out but the other rail held and I stood on the pedals a lot.
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^ this.

Written warranties are in some ways an outdated concept because they don't detail the subjective. i.e. constructive obligations from social pressure, reputation and as already covered, product improvement.

Definitely contact them and push. A seat shouldn't break like that. Would you walk away from it if you had been hurt?

I would only fix it myself/ replace if options to push back were exhausted. This is actually a good opportunity for Brooks to transform you from just a current customer, to a loyal, long time repeat customer. Even if it costs in the short term, they still make in the long term.
 
Wow, that's amazing. You said it, you must be a big boy.
 
220lbs down from 265 3.5 years ago. Height 6'2" not bad considering.

TBH NYC roads can be brutally hard on things. One day smooth road the next day somebody comes along and chops up the pavement for whatever reason. Even in a perfect world roads don't stay smooth for long.

I generally lift my weight off the saddle when I see something harsh approaching but this is plain old metal fatigue - tons of miles. Probably around 20k miles on this saddle.

Thanks for the encouragement to reach out to Brooks'. Will keep this updated...
 
I've broke a couple of another brand saddle rails under my 225# carcass. :x I guess anything can happen when you ride a lot. At least by replacing the part you won't have to break in a new saddle. The hardest part of the job looks like where those rivets are.
 
Ykick said:
220lbs down from 265 3.5 years ago. Height 6'2" not bad considering.
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Congrats. I fast-tracked from 270 to 185 in a year and a half doing a low carb diet myself.
Every riding season ( spring and fall ), my eBike seemed faster..

I still have this leftover fear of things that seem built for skinny people though..
 
Congrats to you too nep! Isn’t it a great thing to get body weight under control before it gets too far out of hand? My knees and feet do so much better along with lower blood sugar. The bike too.

Our Doctor gushed when he saw our results and remarked all he does every day is tell people to lose weight. He said very few ever manage to do it and keep it off.

Wife and I (she's 53 and rocks her high school jeans, btw) did it together. Nothing complicated, just an app on the phone. We eat whatever we want but manage it like a daily budget. Not always “easy” but relatively simple. When you know where you’re “at” for the day, you can make better choices at mealtime.

I’ve been tempted to plug in a new goal of 205 and go for my high school football playing weight, LOL….

Really do appreciate ALL the good help/suggestions from everyone sorting out this saddle business. I like Brooks, it’s good looking saddle for my bikes and reasonably comfortable. And yes, it’s getting broken in nicely and that’s certainly plus for repair.

But I also like those Cloud9 Contour tractor pan saddles too and they’re barely $23 shipped. Hmm?
 
I have one of those cloud 9 saddles on my yuba and it is comfortable. Have not had an issue with it in a couple years of use.

I have been considering a brooks saddle for my phasor. I tried the cloud9 on it and it just stood out to me (to big).

The brooks definitely has it beat in the looks department.

Great to hear about loosing weight. My high was about 255 a couple years back and for the last year been hitting the gym 5 days a week and keeping busy when I can. I usually stay around 210 now @6ft. Id love to see 200 or below just not sure if it's in the cards. Maybe if I start jogging. Yea knees, blood pressure and energy levels are all so much better.

I am interested to hear how brooks reacts. Something like that should be built never to break like that so id hope they would admit and replace it.
 
Oh yea, the weight stuff....I peaked this January at 213 lbs....my doctor said my LDL was in the stratosphere...so I gave up all saturated fats. Lost 10 lbs in six weeks and have settled in my new 203 lb body..... feels good. Now if I want to loose more, good-bye alcohol..... :(

As for the seat, try the customer service at Brooks. See if they want to replace the seat even if it is out of warranty.

Q: My saddle is no longer under warranty, what should I do?

A: Brooks still offers repair service on saddles outside of the warranty period. Please visit the repair inquiries section of our website.

Contact us: http://www.brooksengland.com/getting-in-touch/contact-forms/info-request/

BROOKS ENGLAND at +44 121 5652992
BROOKS BRANCH at +39 0444 461121
9 am - 12 am and 1 pm - 5 pm GMT+1
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Other then that put a steal rod in the broken rail and have it crimped, brazed or spot welded.
Or just get another seat an know Brooks is not really the saddle it is advertized to be.

Edit: Oh,.... and try not to be so right-side dominant. Balance your weight better.

:D
 
Hell, 220 shouldn't have broken the saddle. I was starting to wonder if you were 320.


But it does illustrate why I came to love a longtail so much. The saddle in the middle of the frame just rocks back and forth, rather than jumping up and down on every bump as it does on normal bikes.
 
Lurkin said:
Nothing complicated, just an app on the phone.
Click to expand...

Which app is this? might have to give it a go.
Click to expand...

The free app we used (and still do) is called Loseit - https://www.loseit.com/ Notice I never said it's "easy" and it's not but it is relatively simple.

Huge database of brand name items and restaurant chains. Ability to scan barcodes makes it very easy to enter home cooked meals and of course you can create your own recipe entries.

It doesn't take long before you have your own personal database of previous meals and food items when entering meals. This can be a little "geeky" and perhaps fussy but once you establish a habit of entering meals over a period of time the results will keep you doing it.

When actively doing a program, I don't weigh myself but perhaps once a week, if that. Doing this a while it became obvious the most important scale in the home is the one in the kitchen. Portion control - whatever you wanna call it but keeping track (journal) is what provided us the tools we needed to get under control.

Somebody mentioned drinking - yep, gotta count that. 1 Ounce hard Liquor around 60 calories. You'll get pretty good estimating calories in various food too, LOL...

Modern living is skewered towards over-consumption of everything but particularly food. Hell, older home kitchen cabinets sometimes can't close their doors with large modern plates inside. Ever notice the difference in size of antique serving ware compared to modern dishes?

Think about it, corporations greatly distort food portions in advertising, etc. Corporations make money when you over eat and gain weight and then make even more money when you must lose weight (diets and gym memberships) and deal with accompanying health issues. It's win-win for the industrial food, weight loss and clothing complex.
 
Or as Jack LaLanne once told me, as he was poking his finger into my gut..."You are over-doing on your feed! Get down to 1500 calories a day, you'll loose weight!
 
Yep, pretty much it e-beach but for busy people in a world of unknown calorie quantities that’s often easier said than done. Loseit app takes all guesswork out of the process and for the 1st time I can recall, it actually justified calling my mobile cell a “smartphone”.
 
Wow you had jack lalanne poke your gut :lol: ,still doing jumping jacks to this day,i remember watching black and white tv doing jumping jacks with my mother in the late 60s!

Terrible rail break,you could use thinner rod insert and drill a few holes down from the seat clamp and do a bit of spot welding through the holes.
 
For real change, elimination of heart disease, diabetes, and unbroken saddles, think plant based whole food diets.
 
beast775 said:
Wow you had jack lalanne poke your gut :lol: ,still doing jumping jacks to this day,i remember watching black and white tv doing jumping jacks with my mother in the late 60s!....
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Yep....I was doing some campaign work for a hotelier in Beverly Hills. He was there for some sort of convention. I went up to him to shake his hand and tell him I had been a fan since I was a kid and used to watch him on TV with my mom. He asked when was that and I said "The late 1960's". That's when he started poking my belly.... :oops: :lol:
He was approaching 90 and still looked hard as a rock.

Come to think about, I seem to remember our tv was black and white at that time also...a Zenith I believe...


+1 on the rod repair.
+1 On the plant based diet.

:D
 
tomjasz said:
For real change, elimination of heart disease, diabetes, and unbroken saddles, think plant based whole food diets.
Click to expand...

There was an interesting study done on l-carnitine found in red meats. It was on a small scale but the results were emphatic. White meats like chicken and white fish contain very little l-carnitine but the amino acid is abundant in red meats.

http://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/new-study-links-l-carnitine-in-red-meat-to-heart-disease-201304176083

Ykick, any word yet from Brooks?
 
Joseph C. said:
tomjasz said:
For real change, elimination of heart disease, diabetes, and unbroken saddles, think plant based whole food diets.
Click to expand...

There was an interesting study done on l-carnitine found in red meats. It was on a small scale but the results were emphatic. White meats like chicken and white fish contain very little l-carnitine but the amino acid is abundant in red meats.

http://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/new-study-links-l-carnitine-in-red-meat-to-heart-disease-201304176083

Ykick, any word yet from Brooks?
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From my research, L Carnitine deficiencies are very rare. For those of us with coronary heart disease the fats in meat outweigh the benefits of L-Carnitine rich meats. Vegetables are also a source and when a vegan eats a balanced diet it's not a problem. My dietary rules stem from reversing heart disease and stroke prevention. I do admit I miss my grass fed beef, but I don't miss meats from chemical laden farming and corporate giant processors. Personal choice. We're the odd ones out compared to most diet conscious Americans. We do know that a very focused plant based diet can have incredible results. Alas, each to their own. :D
 
I have the same results doing the opposite of you. A diet full of fat, red meat, and no carbs.
That's how i lost all of my weight... and the chest pains that have been haunting me since i was 18 years old.
I did a vegetarian diet for a year and a half. Wiped out my energy, sex drive, mental clarity, etc.

But bodies do differ in how they work, huh?
 
Joseph C. said:
Ykick, any word yet from Brooks?
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'been out of town and only able to file claim today. I don't expect much but 'will keep thread posted with whatever reply comes back, if any.

I know I'm not gonna dump much more money down this hole. I'd rather replace $25 saddle every 2-3 years than spend $70-$115 repairing/replacing Brooks' every 3-4 years.
 
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