Are bees endangered? Proofide is a beeswax based compound similar to Obenauf's LP. Obenauf's is $14.00 for an 8oz tub. I bought one 4 years ago and I've used it on 4 Brooks saddles, 2 sofas, a recliner and the seat for my wife's mobility scooter; I still have half the tub left.

You know, I never thought about the slickness of the saddle, but you're right. I ride my bike in street clothes quite a bit and I'm never uncomfortable on my Brooks. Can't say that about other saddles I've used in the past. So, would the embossed Brooks saddles be less comfortable?

I was also looking into a Brooks saddle, mostly because they look cool, and they are world renowned for comfort. I wasn't planning on posting, but after another poster mentioned Selle SMP, I gave to give a shout out. I currently own a Selle SMP Extra, and I gotta say it is the MOST comfortable saddle I've ever ridden in (not that there have been many, and not a brooks...yet). I got it 2 years ago, and it was comfortable right from the start, although it seems to have lost some cushion as of late. That's my two cents.

I saturated Proofide by heating my saddle in a warm oven ,
soaked it up like a sponge
the waxes in it liquified, and when it cooled again re solidified in the leather..

Its been fine for decades.. my butt liked the Professional version.

That's an expensive saddle. Cost about the same as a Brooks.

The problem with non-leather saddles is that it can only get worse. Eventually what ever padding is in the saddle will break down. After that you're essentially riding on a piece of plastic. You can expect to replace any non-leather saddle every 2 or 3 years depending on how much you ride. On the other hand leather saddles can last for decades with proper care. The initial price may be high but in the long run it's inexpensive.

I have two saddles. A well broken in flyer (a sprung B-17) and recently a VO model 8. The flyer is on my hybrid and the model 8 on my upright commuter. I'm set for decades with no worries.

But if a suspended leather saddle is uncomfortable, then are decades of discomfort worth the savings over a new plastic shell saddle every 3 years?

I have been using a Selle Italia Flite since I bought it new in the mid-90's.
The only wear is a bit of the black finish rubbed off on the edges of the nose.

Okay, here's an original of mine:

Actually, yes.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pollinator_decline

I tell people that it's hard to the touch because nobody (well, not any of us mortals) can push down on the saddle with our hands using as much force as our butts impart when we sit on it. I can only demonstrate the leather's flex by leaning hard onto it with my elbow. Once they see that, though, they say, "Oh, I get it now, that's pretty cool."

I'm keeping my brown B17 Special for now, but haven't decided what to do with my black B17 Standard. They've both been on my commuter, a hybrid/city bike converted to drop bars only a couple inches below the saddle. I had a Swift on my road bike, but decided to try a Specialized Romin, which is turning out to be pretty good. I also still have an unused Swift that I got for a bike that's since been sold.

Oh, and +1000 for the slickness of a Brooks. That's the drawback of the Romin, which, although it's not the grippiest saddle I've ever tried, still requires me to unweight if I want to change position. The lycra-covered gel saddles I see for sale have to be the worst idea ever.

+1
Very slight adjustments tilting and forward and back make a huge difference in comfort with the brooks. I found my brooks to be comfortable from the beginning. I suspect that some of the people that find them really uncomfortable during break-in would benefit from tweaking of the tilt/position.

25000 miles on my B-17, never had to adjust it or use Proofhide. Had used just regular saddle soap.

A couple of folks have talked about their non-leather saddle being comfortable "from the beginning." Isn't that the only way those things are comfortable, since they do not break in? Sure, you might find after an hour or two that it isn't quite as comfortable as you thought, but as long as your butt is used to long hours in the saddle, the saddle is what it is.

I have yet to find that non-leather uber saddle FOR ME. I've got Flites on all my MTBs and it is thoroughly adequate, but it is not the decadent luxury of my Brooks-clad road machines.

I have three bikes which have brooks B-17 saddles on them, so I guess you could call me a fan. One of the bike/saddles has 14,000 miles on it now, and the saddle sags a little in the middle, I have tightened the bolt, and it has made it better, but the saddle is not what it once was. Each of the other two have about 4,000 miles on them. One thing that I find surprising is that the newer of those two (one was bought 2 years ago, the other years ago), looks almost new, and is still very hard and firm. The older one is visibly more broken in, and is more comfortable. I wonder if the quality of the leather used hasn't changed between my various saddles.

Lately I have been experiencing lust over the Gilles Berthoud saddles - OMG are they gorgeous. I got a chance to see and caress one in person and have been dreaming about it ever since.

I wonder if you could revive it by lacing the sides together as described on Sheldon's site.

Yes, you can. I've punched and laced 2 of mine to restore the feel. One was sagging out because I had about 5000 miles on it and wasn't very lightweight at the time. The other was gifted to me from another forum member who just didn't like it after a number of months trying different positions, seatposts, and even treating it overnight with Neatsfoot.
That overnight soak made the leather as elastic as a rubber band, and no amount of cranking the tensioner bolt would keep the center section from sagging out. But in both cases, punching and lacing fixed them up just fine. I use a Sprenger-Herm rotary punch for making clean holes, and 2mm climber's accessory cord for lacing because it has a strong wear life and very little stretch.

I've done about 150 miles worth of commuting, 18 miles/day, so far on the Imperial and it's much more comfortable than the B17 I tried. But then again: anything would be more comfortable than the B17 I tried OK, it's more comfortable than my midrange WTB saddle too. I may go for a two week tour next week and I'm thinking about taking the Brooks saddle. I still need to tweak the position a bit but it looks promising. It definitely makes riding in normal clothing much more comfortable.

A big +1 to that!!!!! I don't even bother to wear cycling specific shorts with my Brooks saddle. I've done 30 miles on hot nasty days, with some cheap Champion brand wicking underwear from Target and plain old cotton cargo shorts. No problems.

It's as if the cycling industry has creating business for itself, by moving from leather to synthetic saddles, which in turn has necessitated the need for expensive cycling shorts. It's a conspiracy!!!!

In the long run, between the long life of a leather saddle, and the lack of specialty clothing required, a good quality leather saddle is by far the cheapest option for cyclists.

I've been following the thread above and figured i'd jump in with my $0.02. I've been commuting with a 2005 Trek Multi-Trak 7200 Hybrid for about 18 months or so. After going through the stock saddle (ugh!!) followed by a Terry saddle I was doing some reading on the Brooks on-line catalog for the B68. This sounded ideal because it was wider to account for the more upright position but didn't have the springs, because I have a telescoping seat post. What I found was discomfort in my hip joint. But what I finally realized is that my seating position is not really all that upright, even on my hybrid. I sold the B68 on Ebay and replaced it with a standard B17 and the pain is gone. FWIW.

FWIW women have issues with leather saddles sometimes which men don't experience; men have experiences with saddles in general that women don't have.

they are expensive enough now to steal and fence.. craig's list and ebay are the iFence, now.