Touring - Slippery Brooks

This may have been covered but I couldn't find it..I have and love a Champion Flyer that I have used Proofhide on and wondered if the slipperiness of the finish goes away with time..feels like I'm sliding around on the saddle. I have tried to find the most comfortable tilt and am very comfortable on the saddle..just slide a bit.

This may have been covered but I couldn't find it..I have and love a Champion Flyer that I have used Proofhide on and wondered if the slipperiness of the finish goes away with time..feels like I'm sliding around on the saddle. I have tried to find the most comfortable tilt and am very comfortable on the saddle..just slide a bit.

It goes away...or you get used to it. I can't decide which:rolleyes:

I have used Proofhide on and wondered if the slipperiness of the finish goes away with time..feels like I'm sliding around on the saddle.

Proofhide is wax, so yes, as the oily part gets absorbed by the leather, the residue will eventually wear off. As you seem to have already done, The best way to cope with that is tilting the saddle a bit to compensate.

If this is a new saddle, the dimples will form over a couple of weeks, stabilising your position.

On one of the many Brooks threads someone once argued that the slipperiness was a good thing. I like the buffed shiny look of my Brooks, so I wax it every few months. It stays slippery, and I like the feeling. I just had to get the tilt right so that the tendency to slide is neutral.

Speedo

My first Brooks seemed slippery, but I think it was because it wasn't set up in the right position. My second one went in right where the first left, and I never had any issues.

Slipperiness is good, to a degree...it allows me to not wear chamois ;)

If you follow the recommendations by Brooks, Proofhide only is applied on the underside of the saddle and never on the top, finished side. Proofhide is used only as a waterproofing and keeps water from saturating the bare underside. If you put the Proofhide on the finished side, the wax will be very slippery and doesn't do anything there. I have used Brooks saddles for over 30 years and I love them and would use only them. The Flyer is my favorite.

What you did will eventually wear off. But try putting it only on the underside from now on.

See this link for more information about carrying for a brooks saddle.

http://www.bicycle-touring-guide.com/bicycle-saddles.html

John

Sorry but if you download the PDF (http://www.brookssaddles.com/brooksengland.html) for saddle care from Brooks, they state quite clearly to apply a small amount of Proofhide to the finished side of the saddle, let it permeate into the saddle for a while and then polish the remainder off. They suggest treating the underside of the saddle with Proofhide if you don't have fenders on the bike but without the polishing step.