Old 06-17-12, 10:25 PM
  #12  
FBinNY 
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Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: New Rochelle, NY
Posts: 38,712

Bikes: too many bikes from 1967 10s (5x2)Frejus to a Sumitomo Ti/Chorus aluminum 10s (10x2), plus one non-susp mtn bike I use as my commuter

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Back when I rode a Brooks Pro, I took it to the shoemaker once a year or so after the winter. He was an old Italian craftsman and cleaned and polished it back to near new condition. That saddle saw over 50,000 all weather miles and still looks decent after 45 years.

In my Italian circle back then "shoemaker" was a derogatory term for a poor mechanic. So it was kind ironic that my road bike was cared for annually by a shoemaker. He was also the go to guy for cleat installations (when they were nailed on) and our shop sent all our new shoe buyers to see him.

If there's a decent shoemaker (should be at least 50 years old) around, he can probably clean it up for you. If not, the next best place to find good leather work is in the saddle (horse) trade. The only problem is that folks are used to a monied crowd and know how to charge.
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