advertisement


Brooks B17 "Competition Standard" saddle, vintage?

Rob998

Rob998

Scimmia Nordoccidentale
I made a slightly weird find today whilst walking the dog.

It's a leather Brooks B17 Competition Standard saddle. I think it might be a really old one, even though it doesn't look very worn.

It doesn't have the riveted "Brooks" tag on the back, which apparently dates it to the mid '60s?

Not sure what to do with it, tbh. Is there a market for these things?
 
Brooks saddles are very popular & I think some people even collect them. Quality has apparently gone down the tubes since a takeover a while back so a vintage one in good nick will be worth a few beer tokens. Check eBay ?

It's not really the sort of thing that gets abandoned though, unless you've got a very sore arse after a ride!

(4 Brooks & a Gilles Berthoud I've not ridden on yet)
 
Found what looks like a date stamp "B 66". It's nice, but not mint, the frame paint could do with a touch up and there are a couple of scuffs on the back corners of the seat, pretty much where it would scuff when you lean your bike against a wall. They give it character!
 
No, it's a B17, that's embossed into the leather, the B 66 is stamped into the metal frame. Could mean it was built in Feb 1966 apparently.

I'll try to upload a few pics later.
 
I don't have a bike that it would suit, so that's a distinct possibility. Was going to buy a Bianchi if I hit my weight loss target, but that's gone tits up a bit, so it's going to sit around for a few months at least, plus it wouldn't really look the part on a modern bike.

Will mull it over today and sort out some photos (need to open a Flickr account now that Photobucket isn't viable.
 
It was on the canal path. It doesn't look like it's been attached to a bike for quite some time, so it's either been lost or discarded.
 
around here you would hailed a generous, kind and honest man if you tried to hand something in that was the product of a theft. Given the OPs writings it sounds in reasonably good condition, and in no way decayed.

If the police don't want it then fine do as you will. But at least you'd know.
 
I'm off work tomorrow, so I think, just to be on the safe side, I'll pop in to the police station and see if it's been reported missing. If it's the final piece to someones period restoration or much-loved grandads bike and some scrote has had away with it, then it's possible they've reported it.

I did give it a bit of a clean and a bit of leather food so it probably looks a lot better than it has for years!
 
:D

Just got back from the cop shop. Once I explained to the civilian desk lady that the saddle was actually not a cheap bit of old crap, she disappeared for a few minutes and purportedly checked to see if it had been reported stolen or lost, although she could have just gone for a ciggy/coffee I suppose.

Anyway no vintage bikes or parts thereof have been reported lost or stolen over the last couple of weeks. She did ask me if I wanted to hand it in, but her tone definitely suggested that she didn't want me to...

As a final good karma safeguard, I'll pop into the pub on the canal, which has a few keen cyclists as punters, and ask if anyone has mentioned losing it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.


advertisement


Back
Top