What do you treat your Brooks saddle with?
02-09-12, 04:12 PM
#1
Steel is real, baby!
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What do you treat your Brooks saddle with?
I can pick up a can of Proofide, but was curious as to what you all use?
02-09-12, 04:15 PM
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Proofide or SnoSeal. Wipe on top of saddle, heat with hair dryer to melt it a bit, then buff off. Then wipe some on the bottom of saddle and leave it on.
02-09-12, 04:21 PM
#3
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I use Proofide. This is a popular topic, by the way.
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02-09-12, 04:24 PM
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Shoe polish on the top. Linseed oil on the bottom. A whole lot less expensive than Proofide.
02-09-12, 04:58 PM
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You gonna eat that?
Originally Posted by bragi 
02-09-12, 05:04 PM
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Obenauf's LP. I love dipping my fingers in that bees-waxy goodness. Smells great too.
02-09-12, 05:12 PM
#7
Steel is real, baby!
Thread Starter
I use Proofide. This is a popular topic, by the way.
02-09-12, 05:13 PM
#8
Steel is real, baby!
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02-09-12, 06:27 PM
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02-09-12, 06:27 PM
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I get chunks of beef tallow from the market, it's free and seems to work pretty well. Don't really know if the best thing for saddles, but it's probably better than nothing. I rode on my Brooks Pro for like twenty years before I put anything at all on it.
02-09-12, 06:29 PM
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02-09-12, 06:40 PM
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Proofide, most of the saddles I bought came with a tin of it. I lay my saddles out in the sun, let them warm up then heavily coat the bottom, not so heavy on the top. Let is sit in the sun some more, then wipe the top off and ride. I depending on the bike they get done once a year or twice a year if the bike sees a lot of riding and weather. I also run fenders on most of my bikes which helps to protect the underside.
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Webshots is bailing out, if you find any of my posts with corrupt picture files and want to see them corrected please let me know. :(
ISO: A late 1980's Giant Iguana MTB frameset (or complete bike) 23" Red with yellow graphics.
"Cycling should be a way of life, not a hobby.
RIDE, YOU FOOL, RIDE!"_Nicodemus
"Steel: nearly a thousand years of metallurgical development
Aluminum: barely a hundred
Which one would you rather have under your butt at 30mph?"_krazygluon
02-09-12, 06:42 PM
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Both Brooks and Gilles Berthoud warn against using neatsfoot oil on their saddles and insist you only use their stuff. Many rider found out though that their saddles did not asplode when they did use the neatsfoot oil even after many years of doing so. I think the saddle makers just want to sell you more stuff, but you do have to consider that they might not honor any warranty claims if they found out you did not use the stuff they approve of/recommend. I treated my Berthoud saddle with the Berthoud branded wax they make for their saddles, and I do have to admit. it went on really nice and even. I can even notice a slight difference already in the suppleness of the leather at the sit bone area. So I could say that so far, it looks like the stuff they sell for their saddle is pretty good. I suspect Brook's Proofide does similar for their saddle.
Chombi
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02-09-12, 06:55 PM
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Proofide, sparingly. I got a tin with my Brooks Professional back in 1982 or so and there's still plenty left.
02-10-12, 04:39 PM
#22
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I use Kiwi Mink Oil paste. It's worked fine for 40 or so years.
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02-10-12, 05:48 PM
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I love the Brooks treatment threads... Having just weeded-through a bunch of old threads on this subject (on different forums as well) and finding so many different methods, I tabulated them and arrived at the most common which is neatsfoot. So,I did that..
To revive my three almost NOS 1972 & 1973 OEM Schwinn Paramount Brooks "Professionals" and a 1971 B-15, I used genuine neatsfoot oil. The three Paramount saddles had never been broken-in, but being 40-years-old, were hard as stone. (My three paramounts are very low miles, one bike is basically NOS)
I painted it on from the bottom with a brush. With the seats upside-down on newspaper. A several day process. The B-15 has a lot of miles and some weather exposure. So it had some curl and has some cracking as well, so I had it wrapped in rubber bands.
Now, the Professionals are no longer rock-hard and I look forward to Spring-time to start breaking them in. The B-15 is super nice and I have ridden some miles on it already, seems to be good.
I think it was Sheldon Brown who mentioned that in the 1970s they soaked them in motor oil, and I actually remember hearing about that method back in those days.
So, this summer, I'll know if I have ruined my saddles or not..
To revive my three almost NOS 1972 & 1973 OEM Schwinn Paramount Brooks "Professionals" and a 1971 B-15, I used genuine neatsfoot oil. The three Paramount saddles had never been broken-in, but being 40-years-old, were hard as stone. (My three paramounts are very low miles, one bike is basically NOS)
I painted it on from the bottom with a brush. With the seats upside-down on newspaper. A several day process. The B-15 has a lot of miles and some weather exposure. So it had some curl and has some cracking as well, so I had it wrapped in rubber bands.
Now, the Professionals are no longer rock-hard and I look forward to Spring-time to start breaking them in. The B-15 is super nice and I have ridden some miles on it already, seems to be good.
I think it was Sheldon Brown who mentioned that in the 1970s they soaked them in motor oil, and I actually remember hearing about that method back in those days.
So, this summer, I'll know if I have ruined my saddles or not..
02-10-12, 05:57 PM
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I love the Brooks treatment threads... Having just weeded-through a bunch of old threads on this subject (on different forums as well) and finding so many different methods, I tabulated them and arrived at the most common which is neatsfoot. So,I did that..
To revive my three almost NOS 1972 & 1973 OEM Schwinn Paramount Brooks "Professionals" and a 1971 B-15, I used genuine neatsfoot oil. The three Paramount saddles had never been broken-in, but being 40-years-old, were hard as stone. (My three paramounts are very low miles, one bike is basically NOS)
I painted it on from the bottom with a brush. With the seats upside-down on newspaper. A several day process. The B-15 has a lot of miles and some weather exposure. So it had some curl and has some cracking as well, so I had it wrapped in rubber bands.
Now, the Professionals are no longer rock-hard and I look forward to Spring-time to start breaking them in. The B-15 is super nice and I have ridden some miles on it already, seems to be good.
I think it was Sheldon Brown who mentioned that in the 1970s they soaked them in motor oil, and I actually remember hearing about that method back in those days.
So, this summer, I'll know if I have ruined my saddles or not..
To revive my three almost NOS 1972 & 1973 OEM Schwinn Paramount Brooks "Professionals" and a 1971 B-15, I used genuine neatsfoot oil. The three Paramount saddles had never been broken-in, but being 40-years-old, were hard as stone. (My three paramounts are very low miles, one bike is basically NOS)
I painted it on from the bottom with a brush. With the seats upside-down on newspaper. A several day process. The B-15 has a lot of miles and some weather exposure. So it had some curl and has some cracking as well, so I had it wrapped in rubber bands.
Now, the Professionals are no longer rock-hard and I look forward to Spring-time to start breaking them in. The B-15 is super nice and I have ridden some miles on it already, seems to be good.
I think it was Sheldon Brown who mentioned that in the 1970s they soaked them in motor oil, and I actually remember hearing about that method back in those days.
So, this summer, I'll know if I have ruined my saddles or not..
Chombi