I have a Brooks Professional Select which has been lying used for 13 years. I dug it out and with the help of the Brooks care leaflet I applied Proofhide. Normally I only ever applied it to the underside but the care leaflet mentions both sides.

After applying and waiting a couple of days for it to sink in and evaporate I polished the top up to a shine. As I was testing other things on the bike I went out for a 10 mile ride wearing my street Rohan trousers. On return I was pleased that there was no sign of Proofhide on them. Also the saddle was smooth and slippy.

Yesterday I did a 17 mile ride wearing my road Ultima bib leggings which are 82% poly-amide elastan. Not long after the start I realised that I was not sliding at all. Quite the reverse I was sticking to the saddle. On returning home the saddle was in a horrible state, rough with loose Proofhide smears as was the seat of the leggings.

Has anyone ever had such a thing happen where the material especially poly-amide has an effect on saddle proofing?

Ian

No, but (pun not intended) maybe the material "pulled the proofhide out of the leather (speculation only). Some apply heat for a period of time to let the proofhide soak in further as a time accelerator. I would just wipe it off and keep riding.

This may also be the reason why so many say not to apply to the top side!

As the owner of two Brooks Pros and an Ideale, I would like to know more about whether or not to apply Proofhide on the upper surface.

I have been applying to the upper surface with no issues. I do apply heat carefully with the low setting on a heat *** then wipe it off and let dry thoroughly. My saddle has broken in nicely and is now very comfortable. I am watching it closely to see if it needs tightening but so far no. Of course I wear black Lycra shorts and they do not seem to effect the saddle surface.

For what it's worth, John, Tony Colegrave, a guy whose opinion I very much respect, says to apply Proofide to the top surface only, as I remember. That said, I have applied Proofide to the under side of my 3 Pros, but only once, usually. I normally apply only to the top when it needs a touch up. Which isn't often. Colegrave's contention, again, as I remember, is that applying Proofide to the bottom of the saddle doesn't allow the leather to breathe, or something.

As for the OP's dilemma, just a guess here but I sort of suspect that the heat and friction from that miracle synthetic somehow drew the Proofide up to the surface. Or that a bit too much was applied and didn't sink in well. The stuff is mostly wax, after all, and will melt and become tacky again, with warmth. I too use a hair dryer of heat g*u*n on low to help the stuff soak in a bit, then wipe off the excess. And I use as little as possible.

I do admit to applying a liberal amount to both sides but did check the instruction sheet and it does advise this at least for the first application. I never thought about applying heat especially since its a month since I applied and removed the excess.

In case some are not aware this Professional Select model has particularly thick cowhide so it will have absorbed a lot of the Prooofhide beeswax. I have a new B17 on my Brompton and it is 50% thinner.

Ian

I have stopped applying proofide entirely since I was having endless problems with the leather softening too much/too fast. I like the leather to remain firm. If I anticipate any rain, I keep a saddle cover with me.

I proofided them from underneath .. warmed upside down in oven to reach the wax melting point, then it solidified again, 1 is 30 years old.

Actually I noticed that more people say not to apply it at the bottoms....
I apply it to both top and bottom, but do the bottoms much less than the tops, like only when the saddle is new and rarely after that as the bottom tends to really drink up the stuff when you apply it.

Anyone ever use Sno-Seal?

some do
It always provokes fiercely divided opinions.

Yes I do here:





Ian

i apply to bottom only once when new.. Then I reapply to top as need (usually many years apart). I have a professional select, It is a rock.

Yes. SnoSeal is just beeswax dissolved in a volatile carrier. Beeswax is a component of Brooks' "Proofide." It seems quite benign when applied to saddles, and may even help protect from water damage.

Proofide.

No "h"






I just got my first Brooks saddles in the past couple of months. My C17 isn't leather, and the B17- I used SnoSeal. It wasn't for any particular reason, other than I had it.

SnoSeal works. But you could be missing out on the rendered beef suet and Cod squeezins'

Yummmm...

Sno-Seal is what I've been using.

It's consistent, penetrates quickly and thoroughly, is readily available, inexpensive and (since made from bee's wax) allows the saddle to breathe somewhat.

Proofide is tallow, stabilized with citronella.

No matter what you use on a leather saddle, there will be some of the treatment that comes out as you ride. It's as certain as death/taxes. Not a big deal, unless you ride in expensive synthetic cycling clothing in a color other than black.

Poly-amide elastan and animal by-products don't mix?

other ingredients as well

Half the fun of owning a brooks saddle is arguing over how best to treat it so it doesn't rot away; the other 50% of the fun comes from breaking it in.

BTW, that "Select" is a real nice saddle. Anyone know the history of that particular type of Pro?

I know Brooks has the new line of "select" saddles, made with Swedish organic leather or something. If they had made a Professional in that line I probably would have bought one. Except those ugly black rails they put on them don't thrill me.

It's amazing they can still find a Cod to squeeze the oil from. Been almost wiped out around here.