Advice on leather shoe treatment

General cycling advice ( NOT technical ! )
asterix
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Advice on leather shoe treatment

Post by asterix »

Managed to get some Giro Republic LX in my size at a price below 3 figures last month. Sadly my Lidls are getting tired and dog-eared.

What's the best treatment for new leather? I have some of that squirty stuff shoe shops love to sell you but I didn't want to use it if it interfered with good old sports shoe polish that I used to use on my old leather toe-clip shoes.

Any advice welcomed..
profpointy
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Re: Advice on leather shoe treatment

Post by profpointy »

shoe polish or nikwax depending on whether shinyness or waterproofing is of most concern at any particular polishing aession
tatanab
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Re: Advice on leather shoe treatment

Post by tatanab »

I've always used plain old polish. I know that the liquid stuff in a tube with a sponge is not the best for leather, but I used it sometimes. When I got my LX about 2 years ago I did some reading, and it seems that the usual waxes can clog up the pores of the leather, and a leather cream is to be preferred - such as -https://www.loake.co.uk/leather-cream.html I cannot remember the brand I have, I got it from a supermarket. Seems to be ok.
mnichols
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Re: Advice on leather shoe treatment

Post by mnichols »

I have those shoes and just use shoe polish

More important is how you dry them when wet. Best way is slowly stuffed with paper

Mine were badly stained after a well meaning guest house owned put mine on a shoe drier. Never been able to get the stain marks out. Gutted
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The utility cyclist
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Re: Advice on leather shoe treatment

Post by The utility cyclist »

Shoe polish:
Apply several layers, building up the protection is always the way to go.
Vorpal
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Re: Advice on leather shoe treatment

Post by Vorpal »

Polish is for dress shoes.

If you want them to repel water and protect them from water & salt, use oil. I use neatsfoot oil, but mink oil, and some others work well.

If you clean them and re-oil them regularly, the oil will protect the leather & they will last a very long time.

If you don't clean them, the surface will collect dust, and abrsive particles and it will rub in the creases and ruin the leather (that will happen whether you use polish or oil).
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iow
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Re: Advice on leather shoe treatment

Post by iow »

Vorpal wrote:If you don't clean them, the surface will collect dust, and abrsive particles and it will rub in the creases and ruin the leather (that will happen whether you use polish or oil).

+1.

for protection my preference is dubbin (wax and tallow) melted in with a hair drier.
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Pastychomper
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Re: Advice on leather shoe treatment

Post by Pastychomper »

Vorpal wrote:Polish is for dress shoes.

If you want them to repel water and protect them from water & salt, use oil. I use neatsfoot oil, but mink oil, and some others work well.

If you clean them and re-oil them regularly, the oil will protect the leather & they will last a very long time.

If you don't clean them, the surface will collect dust, and abrsive particles and it will rub in the creases and ruin the leather (that will happen whether you use polish or oil).


+1 for neatsfoot. Be warned that it's an animal fat so any canines in the house are likely to want to lick it off after you apply it. :P

I usually add a layer of polish after the oil has had a day or two to soak in, on the theory that the waxes in the polish will stay on better and resist water for longer. The combination works well for my para boots anyway, they're old enough to vote and still waterproof.
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asterix
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Re: Advice on leather shoe treatment

Post by asterix »

Thanks all for the useful info. Looks like polish or oil is best.
ANTONISH
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Re: Advice on leather shoe treatment

Post by ANTONISH »

I use black dubbin - works very well for cycling shoes.
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Sweep
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Re: Advice on leather shoe treatment

Post by Sweep »

Vorpal wrote:Polish is for dress shoes.

If you want them to repel water and protect them from water & salt, use oil. I use neatsfoot oil, but mink oil, and some others work well.).

Was interested in that oil, but then looked at this and it appears to have some suggested issues:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neatsfoot_oil

So may stick to polish.
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Paulatic
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Re: Advice on leather shoe treatment

Post by Paulatic »

I was a great Neatsfoot oil man then about 20 yrs ago I couldn’t find any and was advised to by a balsam instead.
I use "effax" Lederbalsam and find it gives leather a longer life than the oil did. As an oil user I alwYs treated all the stitches with Beeswax before oiling. With this product I don’t bother. It contains Lanolin, Avocado oil, and Beeswax
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Re: Advice on leather shoe treatment

Post by Vorpal »

Sweep wrote:
Vorpal wrote:Polish is for dress shoes.

If you want them to repel water and protect them from water & salt, use oil. I use neatsfoot oil, but mink oil, and some others work well.).

Was interested in that oil, but then looked at this and it appears to have some suggested issues:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neatsfoot_oil

So may stick to polish.

Try mink oil.

I have a pair of boots that are approximately 30 years old, and only started cracking in the last 5 years or so. I have to admit that I don't wear them much anymore, but they were worn almost daily for 15 years, and went through 4 or 5 soles before they were replaced, but still used for occasional wear as work boots, rough walking conditions, etc. They were mostly treated with mink oil, and cleaned regularly.

Based on your link, I may switch back to mink oil.
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The utility cyclist
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Re: Advice on leather shoe treatment

Post by The utility cyclist »

I guess the armed forces have been doing it wrong for years then with respect to polish only being for dress shoes. Sorry but you're definitely wrong on that score, I used the same method on my rugby boots for decades as a kid and into adulthood and as I did with my army boots.
9494arnold
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Re: Advice on leather shoe treatment

Post by 9494arnold »

Plus one for Niqwax (put it on my saddles too) and then Polish on top, Kiwi Parade Gloss if you can get it in suitable colour there's more wax etc than bog standard Kiwi . Put it on with a duster and one finger in the warm so it spreads nicely.
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