Hey guys. I have a practically brand new Brooks Swift saddle that I was going to put on an old Raleigh - to replace the two B17s that have blown out and started peeling away. Instead, I'm thinking of putting it on an '88 Merckx Corsa Extra frame that I'm building up with period parts to be a fun city bike. I really don't like the hi-gloss finish on it. I love suede saddles and was wondering if there was any way to alter the finish. Fine sandpaper, steel wool? Soaking it in something? I would prefer not to destroy it, but I am open to any and all forceful/chemical methods to alter the leather to exactly the texture I want. Thanks for your help.

**I'm actually just going to experiment on the broken saddle.

You can use a razor blade to "scrape" the surface. Dragging the edge of the blade across the surface will take the gloss off and leaves a nice finish if done well.

For only a short time though.

From my experience suede saddles are great for show bikes only. The act of riding mats down the suede fairly quickly, first at the zones of contact, and for a while the saddle looks quite unattractive. until it all mats down, then you have a saddle that looks like a smooth leather saddle.

True suede is leather- turn it upside down on its frame. The bottom should be raw(suede).

Hmm, the razor idea sound good to take a few layers off quickly. I forgot that the leather tends to bleed a brown color when it gets damp in use. Is there a way to get that out or eliminate it?

this is true.

i've had experience doing this, but not because i WANTED a suede leather saddle.

i had an old brooks pro that had very cracked leather. i reconditioned it, but the cracked leather looked awful. i took some 100 grit sandpaper to it. voila! suede. but as noted above the suede look is short-lived. i eventually used a sanding disk in my drill to expedite the process. not that i recommend doing it that way.

Real sueded leather is not just the skin side. Suede is made by splitting the leather.
You can come close to the look by sanding. Sand the glossy finish off a Brooks.
Though I would never do it.

Might also carefully use a hide scraper. I only did this when I had to remove the very thin finish layer of a brooks because of cracking. I'd gotten it in a trade, and it had been left outside for some time. Results were great.

Or trade me for my black suede San Marco

That's probably the best idea.

Alternately, I have a Zeus suede saddle I'd gladly send your way if that will keep you from ruining your Brooks. It's shaped like a Brooks Pro and well used, but I'm sure the suede can be spruced up with a suede brush.

If you really want to ruin your Brooks, I would say sandpaper is the way to go; start with maybe 200 grit sandpaper, and follow up with regular use of the suede brush. For the record, I think this is a really bad idea.

I insist on pointing out as others have - this suede look will only be temporary if you ride the bike no matter what technique or preparations you do. Your butt will polish it down surprisingly quickly, and not evenly. Daily use of the suede brush on the Zeus saddle only postpones the inevitable buffing to a smooth finish as the suede "nubs" turn to dust.

Sell your Brooks and buy this:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Cardiff-Brus...item53df4c0c4e

Don't mess up what sounds like a really nice saddle

Think we've talked him out of it yet?

Or you could get a fuzzy G-String for your bike!
https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Cycleops-...-/330818913460

I remember my San Marco Concor in the 80's having a suede finish of some sort that was much finer than what you usually see on other saddles. So fine that it looks and feels almost like velvet. Really classy looking, but it sure did not last that long and soon the saddle leather was mostly more like a smooth semi matte finish after just a season of riding. Never seen such on any other brand/model saddle since and the re-issued Concor I bought two years ago has more of the (rougher) typical heavy suede finish to it.
Here's a nice looking suede saddle that I thought of seriously buying.....
https://www.ebay.com/itm/ISCASELLA-It...p2047675.l2557
in Ivory/white too!!
I had second thoughts though, because I'd be afraid to use it for even the shortest time as it surely won't look that good after a while.
In the end, I think a suede finish on any saddle does not really make that much sense, unless you want to just put it on a wall hanger bike....
JMOs

Chombi

I would get the saddle position and tilt dialed in before thinking about any mods -- many of us prefer the slick surface because it allows free movement of the legs and helps prevent chafing.

I love suede saddles ! I have them on four of my bikes ATM and am always on the lookout for NOS.
THey DO require a LOT of care to keep nice looking. (Notice, I didn't say NEW looking, because I believe that is impossible.)
Part of the reason I like them is specifically because my tukus stays put and DOESN'T slide around.
Rain is really your biggest adversary.

OK, so you want to totally ruin your Brooks, gotcha. Why dont you just ride it in the rain then go at it with a wire brush? That'll do the job.

Hello, fellas. Thought I would update you on my saddle experiment. In a late night substance-fueled state of creativity, I ended up soaking the Swift in hot water and then took some steel wool and a metal file to it, followed by a few cycles of buffing with a Sonicare toothbrush. Don't know if the toothbrush did anything, but it seemed like a good idea at the time. It looks alright, but I think I'm going to do a few more soaks maybe in some sort of de-degreaser to wash the color out. Haven't decided yet. If this compromises the leather too much, I might build some sort of plastic support underneath, or play around with a flexible epoxy. I'll see.

In the mean time, I bought a vintage Selle Royal Sprint and San Marco Concor America - the Sprint is dark brown suede and the Concor is dark brown speckled (or perforated) leather. I'll see what saddle works best and then put the others up on the wall.