Killing leather saddle mold
#26
Banned
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From: NW,Oregon Coast
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My Touring Bike is in the basement, my Brooks saddle , now removed and kept inside the house.
having a waxy Proofide absorbed leather the mildew was just on the surface of it.
....
having a waxy Proofide absorbed leather the mildew was just on the surface of it.
....
Last edited by fietsbob; 08-02-17 at 08:36 AM.
#27
I think you have ruined the leather by putting too much stuff on it. IMO mold is usually a sign you have clogged the pores of the leather. It cannot dry properly.
At this point maybe try soaking in water and then reforming the saddle as it drys.
But I still say it's ruined.
At this point maybe try soaking in water and then reforming the saddle as it drys.
But I still say it's ruined.
#28
aka Tom Reingold




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Wow, this thread has a wealth of information. I've learned a lot. I have a moldy saddle, too. I may or may not treat it, as it is nearing its end of life.
By the way, we Americans are not spelling mold/mould wrong. We spell it without the 'u' for whatever reason.
By the way, we Americans are not spelling mold/mould wrong. We spell it without the 'u' for whatever reason.
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New York City and High Falls, NY
Blogs: The Experienced Cyclist; noglider's ride blog
“When man invented the bicycle he reached the peak of his attainments.” — Elizabeth West, US author
Please email me rather than PM'ing me. Thanks.
#29
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#30
Facts just confuse people




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Though I do prefer the international spelling of the metric unit of length as "metre" instead of "meter".
Last edited by Iride01; 08-02-17 at 10:38 AM.
#31
Phyllo-buster


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It seems a shame to throw away 13 years of public school.
#32
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Wow, that sounds gross. I think it's time to try a hand at making your own saddle top. IME mold is pretty much impossible to get rid of once it starts.
OTOH, maybe you could introduce some penicillin spores and induce a colony of that. That way your moldy saddle will prevent saddle sores, as long as you don't mind that it is white and fuzzy...
OTOH, maybe you could introduce some penicillin spores and induce a colony of that. That way your moldy saddle will prevent saddle sores, as long as you don't mind that it is white and fuzzy...
#34
#35
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Wow, that sounds gross. I think it's time to try a hand at making your own saddle top. IME mold is pretty much impossible to get rid of once it starts.
OTOH, maybe you could introduce some penicillin spores and induce a colony of that. That way your moldy saddle will prevent saddle sores, as long as you don't mind that it is white and fuzzy...
OTOH, maybe you could introduce some penicillin spores and induce a colony of that. That way your moldy saddle will prevent saddle sores, as long as you don't mind that it is white and fuzzy...

#36
Senior Member
Joined: Jan 2010
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From: Adelaide, Australia
put the saddle in a sealed bag and put it in a freezer. Works by killing the actively growing mould.
Mould Outbreak ? An Immediate Response - Canada.ca
Then you need to improve the airflow and decrease the relative humidity to limit reoccurence.
Mould Outbreak ? An Immediate Response - Canada.ca
Then you need to improve the airflow and decrease the relative humidity to limit reoccurence.
#38
multimodal commuter
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Bikes: 1940s Fothergill, 1959 Allegro Special, 1963? Claud Butler Olympic Sprint, Lambert 'Clubman', 1974 Fuji "the Ace", 1976 Holdsworth 650b conversion rando bike, 1983 Trek 720 tourer, 1984 Counterpoint Opus II, 1993 Basso Gap, 2010 Downtube 8h, and...
I find sunshine does the trick.
I'm sure there are many other things you could do; the trick is to kill the mold without damaging the saddle. Baking it in a 175F oven will probably kill both the mold and the saddle (similarly, dousing it with gasoline and lighting a match to it would definitely kill the mold). Anything that changes the chemistry of the leather is basically damage. I don't know about how effective vinegar would be, but (being acidic) probably won't change the ph of the leather unless you do something extreme.
But sunshine works for me.
I'm sure there are many other things you could do; the trick is to kill the mold without damaging the saddle. Baking it in a 175F oven will probably kill both the mold and the saddle (similarly, dousing it with gasoline and lighting a match to it would definitely kill the mold). Anything that changes the chemistry of the leather is basically damage. I don't know about how effective vinegar would be, but (being acidic) probably won't change the ph of the leather unless you do something extreme.
But sunshine works for me.
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www.rhmsaddles.com.
www.rhmsaddles.com.
#39
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From: Los Angeles
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I'm glad I live in a dry climate. Mold grosses me out.
#40
aka Tom Reingold




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From: New York, NY, and High Falls, NY, USA
Bikes: 1962 Rudge Sports, 1971 Raleigh Super Course, 1971 Raleigh Pro Track, 1974 Raleigh International, 1975 Viscount Fixie, 1982 McLean, 1996 Lemond (Ti), 2002 Burley Zydeco tandem
It certainly is gross. We are renovating our house in upstate New York, and thank goodness we're taking out the sheetrock and some of the beams. The smells were nauseating. We are also abating the water flow around the house, as it's on a steep, rocky hill.
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Tom Reingold, tom@noglider.com
New York City and High Falls, NY
Blogs: The Experienced Cyclist; noglider's ride blog
“When man invented the bicycle he reached the peak of his attainments.” — Elizabeth West, US author
Please email me rather than PM'ing me. Thanks.
Tom Reingold, tom@noglider.com
New York City and High Falls, NY
Blogs: The Experienced Cyclist; noglider's ride blog
“When man invented the bicycle he reached the peak of his attainments.” — Elizabeth West, US author
Please email me rather than PM'ing me. Thanks.
#41
tantum vehi


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Regular rides:
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1984 Peugeot Urban Express (funky rando-esque 26" gravel grinder)
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1977 Austro-Daimler Inter-10 (an experiment in valley-floor road riding)
1979 Trek 710 (first frame-up build)
1984 Specialized Stumpjumper Sport (daily driver)
1984 Peugeot Urban Express (funky rando-esque 26" gravel grinder)
2014 Salsa Mukluk (daily winter driver)
2015 Elephant NFE (Gugiefied gravel grinder)
2019 Electric Queen (first "real" MTB)
2024 Salsa Blackthorn (summer slayer of trails)
2024 Farley 9.6 (winter slayer of trails)






