Alternative to Proofide for Brooks Saddles
 

Have just had a fantastic Brooks 17 special delivered by our sponsors, the distributors for Brooks here in Japan. Alas they have run out of Proofide and there seems to be none in the whole country. Does anyone have any suggestions for alternatives as it is killing me having this beauty sitting here and not being able to use it.

Gav

www.cycle-for-change.com

You can definitely still use your Brooks. I didn't get Proofide for mine until several months after getting the saddle (and riding it throughout that time). It might be true that Proofide speeds up break-in, and in that case it may take longer for you to get comfortable with it. If you don't care... it doesn't really matter. You will definitely need some (or an alternative) EVENTUALLY, but it's not all that important right away. Just make sure you keep it covered in the rain.

snoseal or any other kind of spreadable beeswax

If you plan to use Proofhide, DO NOT USE ANYTHING ELSE !

It will be better to just ride it now, keeping it protected in bad weather.

You don't want anything else trapped in the leather. MHO!

Obenauf's Montana boot grease or Snoseal are both very similar to proofhide and are very suitable for Brooks saddles.

I prefer the Obenauf's. ask for it at the cobbler.

oh, i see you are in japan. maybe a block of beeswax, heated into the leather?

(doesn't REI still have a japanese presence? should be able to get snoseal thru REI..

A couple thoughts from Mr Brown. I've only excerpted a couple notable points - he goes into more detail (see link, below):

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/leather.html

I've used sno-seal and proofide on my saddles. They have yet to catch fire or otherwise implode.

I think Sheldon's way offbase re oiling a brooks. Neatsfoot, mink oil are great for gloves or dress shoes that are supposed to be supple and soft but not for anything that's supposed to provide support, be it a brooks or work boots. Maybe you can put on the just exactly perfect amount to soften the surface but not undo the structure of the core of it, that's gotta be some crazy trial and error process though.

I use kiwi clear shoe polish on mine,so far so good.

butt sweat and time

FALSE x 1,000,000

What most everyone has suggested here is fine....Snoseal, beeswax type compounds, etc. However, Proofhide and other beeswax compounds do nothing to break in a Brooks. Only your tush can do that.

And to the naysayers of neatsfoot oil...I suspect those are folks who have never tried it.
It worked fine for my B17 Champion Special. It's showing no signs of deterioration....4,000+ miles

I too used a bit of neatsfoot oil on my B17 in the beginning, not a soak but just a good healthy rub in. I only did it once, but did heat up the saddle to help it soak in (I keep my house at 50 degrees in the winter and even the olive oil gets thick). I don't see anything that would suggest that it had any harmful effects, but I guess time will tell. To me, a few hundred less miles of break-in are worth the slim chance of any possible problems down the road. And if my saddle does kick the bucket, at least you guys will finally know that it is a poor choice of techniques.

The absolute worst technique I've read, suggested in Commuting a couple of years ago, was to soak your saddle in old motor oil.

Obenhauf's works fine. That's what Rivendell sells/recommends. To my eye it's the same stuff as Proofhide and it's a bit cheaper and is widely available (online and at tack stores).

I think both Obenhauf's and Proofhide are 99% beeswax and 1% b.s. No reason to overpay for the b.s.

BTW, I also believe 99% of the "mythology" surrounding treatment of Brooks saddles is b.s. as well. I badly "absued" my Brooks Professional sadly using the Sheldon Brown Neatsfoot oil method and it's still going strong 26 years later.

I agree with those who said: use the saddle as is, no proofide. Protect it from rain. A new saddle will not be in any danger of drying out.

If you buy a NOS saddle, I would recommend applying proofide or something, just to make sure. In such a case, spread a thick layer on the underside of the saddle, and rub some in from the top. A little heat, to make sure the proofide penetrates the fibers, is probably a good idea.

If for some reason your saddle gets a little wet, let it dry thoroughly before you ride on it. If it gets really soaked, some proofide would be a good idea after it dries out. If (god forbid) your brother in law borrows the bike and leaves out in the rain for a week and the saddle goes through several rains and dries out several times, this will dry out your saddle quickly. In such a case, apply proofide as described above.

Although the neatsfoot oil technique works, I would never use it on a Brooks intended for commuting due to the dye leaching/staining clothes issue.

And why use motor oil? Synthetic or dino? :rolleyes:

"There are probably lots of other liquid oils that would work as well-RAAM pioneer Lon Haldeman uses SAE 30 motor oil, but his saddles tend to wear out after only 300,000 miles or so (according to Cyclist Magazine)."

again, from sheldon brown.

I've always used Sno-Seal on mine. Over 15 years and no problems at all.

I think there's a little more to it than that, if you leave some Proffhide out in the sun, you'll notice stuff melting at different rates and sort of settling into layers. But, it's pretty much beeswax with different types of oils mixed in. So, probably the closest thing to it would be something like Burt's Bees hand salve or Badger Balm. You could also do something like rub some mineral oil underneath the saddle and then melt beeswax on the top and bottom. Snoseal is fine too. You could also use chapstick. Neatsfoot won't hurt it unless you soak it repeatedly, but it doesn't provide the dry, enduring proection of a wax-based treatment.

Proofide has beeswax, beef tallow, and a few other fats and oils mixed in.

C'mon people - its leather... not unicorn hide. rub some fat on it, liquid or solid, keep it pretty dry and use it. The stuff is tough; think baseball gloves and horse saddles...

Bah! You're no fun!

Proofhide has an annoying tendency to go rancid over time in my experience from the animal and fish fats. obenaufs and snoeal both seem to avoid this.

FWIW, Brooks Saddles specifically warns people not to use neatsfoot oil on their saddles.

+100

I own 4 Brooks saddle with many years and thousands of miles on them. I don't get the mysticism around what to put on them. I ride my bikes in all kinds of weather and I'm 1,000 times more concerned about inspecting my drivetrain, rims, brake pads, etc. than I am my saddle.

If I were stuck with nothing and didn't have access to Brooks Magic Elixir, I'd try skin cream, cooking oil, or anything greasy/oily/waxy meant for shoes.

The best thing that I have used to soften/ break-in a Brooks saddle is a leather conditioner and preservative called "Lexol". One can find it in shoe repair places and Tack shops (you know horse saddles and horsey stuff). I apply it in two circles where your "sit" bones hit the saddle. This stuff will not cause the dye to run. I used to soak my toe straps in the stuff,; they have lasted over ten years of daily riding (no Joke!) It is used in museums to restore old cracked leather. . It's easy to over apply this stuff, though; too much and the saddle can loose its structure. Try a little at a time; you can always add more. I think it will shave about two hundred miles off the break-in period. My thity+ year old B-17 is a joy to ride! I am currently working in a Champion Flyer using this technique.