A common malady. Saddles (not "seats", please) often tear at the rivet locations, especially after the cantleplates have been reshaped (often by hammer persuasion). The easiest way out is to replace the rivets with a larger type that will cover the tear. Treat the tear by impregnating with crazy glue, then refinish surface with file, fine sandpaper, steel wool - well, you get the picture - polish it. A coat of black cream (not kiwi, if you can help it) will put a beautiful surface shine on it. Coat the underside of the saddle with proofhide. Good luck.
ken denny Boston
>From: kurtzla <kurtzla@mcmaster.ca>
>To: Classic Rendezvous <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
>Subject: [CR]Seat recovering
>Date: Wed, 06 Dec 2000 10:08:45 -0500
>
>The leather on my Brooks narrow rail B17 has a small 1" tear near the
>rear outer rivet. A leather worker advised me that the leather is too
>brittle to repair, even with addition of generous amounts of Proofride.
>
>Any advise is appreciated....can it be repaired? Should I recover it?
>Or is it more economical to just buy a new Team Pro? What would
>recovering cost, and where can it be done? It would be a shame not to
>use the original saddle on my restoration project.
>
>Lawrence