Nicky Brooks: Saved

Nicky Brooks before restoration....

 You may remember a "Two Things" post recently where I showed an old Brooks saddle I was going to restore. Well, this post will cover the results of the restoration and what I did to achieve the results I got. 

If you missed the first post I have an image here of the "before" and you can go re-read the post HERE in case you feel so inclined.  

This saddle wasn't in too bad a shape, really. I dusted it off and cleaned up the rust from the frame. Then I applied Proofide, Brooks' own product for preserving and restoration of Brooks leather saddles, and I applied a good amount on top and underneath. I worked it in with a clean, dry cloth and then I let that marinate for several days. 

Once I was convinced the Proofide was dry enough, I hit the saddle with a rag, polishing it up, and then finished that off with a shoe-shine brush. I took my Dremel tool and cleaned up those risty rivets, (they are indeed silver) , and I got this result......

 

I also tensioned it up, just a touch, because whomever rode it previous to the saddle falling into my hands had sagged the top,out a bit. I maybe only put a few turns on the adjusting nut, but it seemed to straighten up the shape a bit. Then I had to find a seat post, mount Nicky Brooks to it, and slide that post into my Karate Monkey to go for a test ride. 

I used a Salsa seat post, the one designed by Ross Shafer. It is, to my way of thinking, the smartest seat post design ever. So easy to use. And it is strong. It is too bad this design has been shelved by QBP. 

So, there you go! Nicky Brooks has been saved. Now it is time to get some miles on this saddle and see how it holds up. It sure is nice to start out with a broken in Brooks saddle! And I think it looks the part on the Karate Monkey since the saddle is nicked up a bit, just like the bike is.