HOW DO I DETERMINE WHETHER I HAVE THE CORRECT LEVEL OF TENSION IN MY BROOKS SADDLE?
Your saddle tension should have been correctly set by Brooks during manufacture. This tension should be good for the first six months that you own the saddle.
Brooks recommend that you inspect your saddle after every six months; there are two guidelines to help you decide whether, or not, to add more tension: -
The aim is to maintain a fairly flat profile on the leather, when viewed from the side, just like when it was new.
To increase the tension, you should turn the Tension Pin nut so that it moves towards the rear of the saddle (when viewed from the front of the saddle, this will be a clockwise turn on the spanner). This will retighten the leather and ‘’pull up’’ any sagging.
Normally just between ¼ and one complete spanner rotation should be sufficient to correct the tension issue. You need also to wary of over-tensioning*; Imagine that the leather is like the hamstring of a professional athlete; adding too much tension in any one adjustment period will pull, and may even tear, the inner fibres of the leather.
(*This is especially prevalent on saddles that use the Allen Key adjuster.)
Never adjust a wet saddle .

HOW OFTEN SHOULD I APPLY PROOFIDE TO MY BROOKS SADDLE?
The primary function of Brooks Proofide is to nourish the leather to keep it supple and to prevent it from drying out with age. With this in mind, it is generally not necessary to apply Proofide to a new saddle. Instead, it is recommended to apply it after every 6 months.
Proofide should be applied sparingly to the upper surface of the leather using just enough to cover the entire upper surface area. This should then be left on the leather for several hours (perhaps overnight) in order to allow penetration through into the inner fibres, before buffing off thoroughly with a soft cloth.
Some Brooks saddle owners use Proofide for two further purposes:
a/ If the saddle is giving excessive discomfort after some time of use, then Proofide will soften the leather and hence encourage it to break-in more readily
b/ If riding regularly over wet surfaces (especially if you bicycle does not have mudguards), then a coating of Proofide applied and left onto the underside of the leather will offer some moisture shielding to the leather
HOWEVER , in both of these two cases, it is very important to be mindful of the irreversible damage that can result from excessive application of Proofide. There is a risk that the leather will over soften and then no longer be able to support the rider’s weight.
Proofide is a tried and trusted product, the ingredients of which are all know to Brooks. This is the only dressing, therefore, that we can endorse for use on a Brooks leather product. The use of any other product is frowned upon and will also jeopardize your warranty rights.