Brooks Saddle Mod

I punched some holes along the sides of my saddle and laced it up.  I used a pair of "hole punch pliers" (from Home Depot for $10) to make the holes, and some paracord to lace it.

It wasn't easy punching out the holes, but I eventually got it.  The holes are 4mm in diameter, spaced about a centimetre apart, and sealed up with Sno Seal.

The saddle is noticeably firmer, but still comfortable.  It's definitely worth doing if the sides of the saddle are starting to flair out too much, or if you want to firm it up a little.

TIP:  When lacing up the sides, don't pull them together tightly.  Try to keep the sides where they are while keeping the paracord snug.  Otherwise the saddle will feel like a rock.

2'ND TIP:  Punch even number (2, 4, 6, 8, etc) of holes per side.  This makes the paracord lacing look neater, and allows you to hide the knot under the saddle.

Rear Wheel Removal & Adjusting The Nexus 3 Speed

These are links on how to remove the rear wheel with a Shimano Nexus 3 Speed. You'll never know when you gotta fix a flat.

• YouTube video from BeachBikes.com
• WikiAnswers

This is how to adjust it.

• YouTube video from BeachBikes.com

Protecting A Leather Saddle

Before I installed the leather saddle, I conditioned it first. I used a product called Sno Seal. It will waterproof the leather and keep it from drying out. Water isn't good for stretched leather under tension and load.

The instructions to apply it are pretty straight forward. I used a hair dryer to heat the leather before applying the Sno Seal. The heated leather will melt and adsorb it. I applied it on the top of the saddle and anywhere water might migrate too.

When the saddle cooled down, I gave it a quick buff. The process darkened the leather a bit but I think looks better.