Leather saddles and saddle cream

[LittleGreyCat]

I have a tiny pot (think lip balm) of saddle cream for my new leather saddle.

Somewhere I have a very large tin of saddle soap (also a leather treatment, not for washing).
I also have a tin of NikWax leather treatment (old style tin not the modern squeezy bottle).

Any reason not to use these traditional leather treatments? They are intended to maintain flexibility and proof against water.

[rjb]

Yes you can use them sparingly but test a small area first. I use Ronuk wax floor polish mixed 50/50 with rapesead cooking oil. The floor polish came in a 500 gram tin which I used on a now long gone parquet floor.
I use this on my brooks saddle and various leather shoes, belts etc. Keeps leather items water-resistant and it doesn't smell and will polish up nicely when dry. And it looks a very similar colour and consistency to Brooks Proofide.

[PaulaT]

i just give my saddle(s) an occasional application of Brooks Proofide. The small tin I have dates from the 1990s and there's still loads left. I suspect it will see me out

[MarcusT]

I spent the money for Proofhide and after 4 yrs , there is still a lot left. I consider that money well spent.
The problem with the other treatments, is without experimenting, one does not know if it will soften the leather too much.

[pwa]

Use a little and not too often. Too much will kill your saddle.

[9494arnold]

I used to use Proofide but more recently have started using Nikwax which I think has slightly better waterproofing characteristics.
I also used to use Saddle Soap which I also put on the Leather seats of my Vintage Riley

[alexnharvey]

I have a tiny pot (think lip balm) of saddle cream for my new leather saddle.

Somewhere I have a very large tin of saddle soap (also a leather treatment, not for washing).
I also have a tin of NikWax leather treatment (old style tin not the modern squeezy bottle).

Any reason not to use these traditional leather treatments? They are intended to maintain flexibility and proof against water.

Saddle soaps are soap and/or glycerine based cleaners which also normally contain some wax (surface polish and waterproofing) and some fats (tallow, lanolin) and other compounds (oils, emulsifiers) which condition or nourish the leather. I believe that because of the soap, if it is used at all, saddle soap should be removed from the saddle by rinsing the surface. Presumably some of the fat and wax remains after rinsing. I prefer not to use saddle soap on leather. Some people think the soap destroys leather whilst others report using it for many years without issue. Also most humans sweat less than horses and so cleaning regimes for horse tack are not required for bike saddles.

Leather conditioners contain the fats and oils and emulsifiers which keep leather supple and often a little beeswax or other waxes for surface polishing and a degree of water resistance. When we consider fatliquoring as part of the tanning process the idea of adding some fat or oil starts to make more sense http://en.kimyasal.boun.edu.tr/webpages ... deri24.htm Given that fatliquoring sometimes used soap-based emulsions maybe we might think saddle soap will not be as catastrophic as some imagine.

I sometimes use a little dripping/tallow, lanolin and small amounts of cod liver oil on old, dry leather, including saddles before polishing them. Brooks are very clear that their saddles should not be treated with large amounts of any oils, especially not neatsfoot oil. I would also use other water based leather conditioners and balsams sparingly on tensioned leather saddles.You should also be careful that if any vegetable oils are to be used on leather they will not go rancid over time or lead to mould problems.

There are some articles that recommend a historic practice of soaking leather saddles in oil. That will certainly make a saddle softer and may also shorten its useful life. You do not want a leather saddle to become really supple and flexible by too much conditioning lest it deform and stretch.

Leather polishes contain mostly waxes (bees, carnauba and or parrafin) and sometimes a little fat or oil, often with a solvent to make them spreadable.
Proofide itself contains some vegetable oil and cod liver oil, as well as tallow and waxes.

Condition your saddle infrequently (biannually?) with small amounts of appropriate fats and keep the surface polished more regularly with a good wax (such as your old-style tinned Nikwax), to shed water, or use proofide which does a little of both each time.

[LittleGreyCat]

Returning to this, I have swapped out my Spa leather saddle for a bit for a gel saddle because my bum bones were not adapting and/or the saddle was not softening.

Either way, I ended up with a small painful area on each side where bum meets leather.

Talking to a serious long distance rider - he was shortly going to attempt the Great Divide (if I remember correctly) and he said that his research online produced a very strong recommendation for a Brooks leather saddle.

He also said that the recommendation was to give it a lot of treatment to make it supple.
There was mention somewhere on here about putting a warm damp tea towel over the saddle to relax the leather.

https://forum.cyclinguk.org/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=129797&p=1352001&hilit=saddle+leather#p1352001 also talks about giving up on a Spa saddle because it wouldn't break in.

Interesting, as usual, to find opposing opinions so I think I will start treating the leather saddle to see if I can make it more supple.
I think I might experiment very gently with the tension as well to see it a slight relaxation makes a difference.
Given the thickness of the leather it might need quite a bit of treatment, though.

[ANTONISH]

Around 1960 I bought a new Brooks saddle - competition standard can't remember the number - Brooks made a large number of saddle types.

I chiselled off the rivets and replaced them with mushroom head copper rivets as was the fashion at the time - Brooks copied it to make the professional.
After that I sat before an open fire warming the saddle and rubbing in proofide concentrating more on the underside (I'd read something about Reg Harris doing the same).
I used a whole tin - I don't know how much was absorbed by the saddle but it was the only really comfortable leather saddle I've ever had.
After giving up cycling for a good number of years I bought a bike and a Brooks B17 - tried the proofide - didn't work.
The saddle never seemed broken in - I acquired another with similar results.

I have been told that the qualities of leather have changed.

I've settled on a saddle that is comfortable (for me), lighter and cheaper - good luck with your project.