Unless you’ve experienced it, I seriously doubt you could possibly get excited about leather stuff for cycling. I’ve had a leather saddle in the past. Others have said it better: Once you have it broke in, if you trash the bike, you’ll pull that saddle off and take it with you. I have no idea what kind of magic is involved, but nothing of man-made materials can match it. I did okay with so-called “comfort saddles” of various designs, but nothing comes close to leather. I’ll be breaking this in over the next couple of weeks.
As for the riding gloves, it’s simply a matter of getting old. My hands go to sleep on long rides when wearing other types of gloves, but these have already proved to save me a lot of misery. It’s not just the leather, but the properly placed gel pads in the palms. Leather means durability.
This is a cove on Hefner Lake, showing how high the water level is after days and days of rain here in the OKC area. I have rain gear, and I’ve already treated the new saddle with mink oil, but the problem is a matter of safety. If I am ever at risk from motorists, it’s when rain dims their view of the world. I’ve been waiting, watching weather reports and looking for a stretch of clearing for my first camping trip. The current plan is Bell Cow Lake in Chandler. It should be a nice ride up the old US Highway 66, which has become the first major bicycle route in this state.
My needs are small. I still hope to get a better camera than my cellphone. I’m a cheapskate; I’d be happy with “good enough”. Pray with me about a Minolta MNB10Z. I found it on Best Buy’s site for about $200; I’m guessing it’s an older version of the current model, which costs a lot more. I’ll have to wait a few weeks before I can buy it. If it’s as good as I think it is, I won’t need a separate video camera.
Another issue related to our prolonged heavy rains is trail damage. This is a spot on our Eagle Lake Trail. Riders can still get across on that narrow neck where the pavement is still solid, but this image represents similar damage to little country backroads that I favor for cross country travel. Some of you may remember some years ago the pictures I posted of places where those country roads were completely washed away. That’s when I lived out in a rural area and such vulnerable roads were all I had. Most of those were put back better, but there are plenty of water crossings that have become weak since then. As I start riding out farther on a regular basis, I’m sure I’ll run across a few here and there.
I’ve never used a leather saddle before, but leather in general is one of the nature-based materials that rarely fails to do what you need it to. Makes sense that it should feel good on the butt.