Brooks Saddle Got Rain Drops
 

A while back I bought a Brooks B-17W for my bride's SS, since she had tried my B-17 and liked it. I did the same pre-treatment for hers that I did on mine using Brooks PROOFIDE. Today we were off the bikes when a very fast very light rain passed through our little Northern Arizona town. The rain beaded up and ran off my saddle, but hers got something like a blister everywhere a drop landed.

Que Pasa? Is her saddle ruined? Will more beeswax keep this from happening again? Did I ask "Is her saddle ruined?" I feel awful and want her to be happy not making-do with a saddle that is in the process of delaminating or worse.

Thanks.

Do the "blisters" show up on photographs?

I wouldn't worry excessively, it's designed to be an outdoor product. Leather shoes take a lot more water abuse than that without being ruined. What happens if you just buff her saddle with a dry towel?

It will be fine...unless you have a counterfeit.

You got a Brooks wet? OH NO! :eek:

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e3.../BikeCrash.gif

Seriously, just let it dry out and it should be okay.

Thanks for the replies. I'll check it out again in a couple of minutes. An hour after we got back it still looked the same. if it hasn't changed I'll post a pic or two.

Now, what is with the animated bicycle crash! Who? Where? When" WTF? (Winning the Future? - yeah right!)

This is after several hours in a very warm garage. It still looks blistered, though not as bad as it did when she first saw it.

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=258699

If I can't get it close to "like new" I will have to replace it.
(Remember, this saddle is on a sharp looking wife's bike.)

Weird... I Proofide mine (all 7+ of them) about once a year and have never had issues with them in a light shower. I do try to remember to slap my high dollar stolen from hotel shower caps on them when I park. All else fails I use a Target bag.

Have her ride it a few miles and see what happens. I have never had one of mine look like that.

Aaron :)

[HR][/HR]exactly, right down to the Target bag. I have three B-17s and a Brooks Pro, from four to 20+ years old. They get Proofhide once or twice a year, no more than that (once is probably enough, but I live in the desert and worry...). At least two of them have been completely soaked, one by a hard rain through a leaky patio cover and one by immersion. I let them dry, gooped them with Proofhide and haven't had any problems, and I weigh 240.
What's with the beeswax, though? A can of Proofhide is, what, six or seven bucks now?, and it will last you forever. Mine is at least 10 years old and not half-gone yet. Only takes a blob the size of a dime to do the whole saddle.

In the olden days we used bees wax to treat our saddles. I've used Proofide for a while now and that's what we used on her saddle. I'm going to give it a thorough rubdown with the good stuff tomorrow in hopes the blisters disappear. Otherwise I'll be looking into the 2-year warranty. I only hope I can find the receipt...

I believe one of the main components in Proofide is beeswax.

Aaron :)

Now , you can treat it with the Proofide..[ I used a bunch on the bottom.
warmed the saddle in a 100F oven upside-down,
to melt the waxes and was sponged up by the leather ..
did that to my Pro, 30 years ago.. ]

but I still ride with a plastic bag over it when it's raining..

Brooks saddles do not delaminate. They are a single layer.

The blisters are caused by water filling the spaces in the leather fibers and expanding. They will eventually go away, and do not affect the performance of the saddle. The saddle is not ruined unless you are some hipster that spends more time taking pictures of their bike than riding it.

The way that brooks saddles get ruined is not from a light rain, but by being ridden while wet - they will then stretch, sag, and tear. Proofiding or (cheaper) SnoSealing will help somewhat, but it will eventually soak through and then you will be irrevocably stretching the leather with every minute you ride, eventually your butt will touch the seat rails and then the saddle is ruined.

An Aardvark seatcover is much more durable than a plastic bag. I would buy one.

Why would you replace it? signs of wear and weather build up naturally and create a beautiful patina. If you really think it's ruined because it's not like new, I'll gladly take it. I love leather that doesn't look like new. :-)

If it were just appearance, there wouldn't be an issue. It really did look like blistering - separation of a top layer from the substrate. Even though the blisters have subsided, they are still clearly visibly and tactually noticeable. While I want it to look nice for my bride of 37 years (you might not want to call her a hipster to her face) I was more concerned with possible ongoing damage to the otherwise smooth surface.

I've applied another light coat of Proofide and we'll keep an eye on it.

The benefit of creatures having hair, is the blistering , from sunburn,
is not an issue.
dead and skinned, and then submitted to the leather tanning process , blistering?

I am not sure if cattle sunburn..

I think Brooks manual says to just let it air dry fully before riding again.

I fold up and jam a plastic shopping bag under the saddle. It is always there and can never be forgotten at home. Saddlebag or whereever just keep a plastic bag around, they are tiny and weigh nothing.

My leather saddle (a Velo Orange) has had some minor blistering from getting wet in the past. My experience was that simply using the saddle afterwards was enough to buff and smooth out the blisters just fine. The bike shorts and my rear end acted as a good, cumulative buffing machine. Just put some miles on it, and you'll likely be happy with the results. Fingers crossed for you.

Thanks all. I think the worst thing is that she has a nice plaid saddle cover that I ordered when I ordered her saddle. However, it seldom rains here and there was no rain in the forecast when we left home. There was no sign of rain when we got to the store, we were only inside the store for 15 - 20 minutes, and when we came out, the rain was long gone. I keep my cover wrapped up in between the rails. I think she will too, from now on.

Somehow this reminds me of the Seinfeld suede jacket episode.

I think I'll stick to my Fizik.

+1

Brooks saddles are tough enough to handle a few drops of rain.

^^^THIS^^^

To the OP, if I stood on a corner in Winslow Az, will a girl on a flat bed Ford slow down to take a look at me? :innocent:

I have gone through Winslow many times, on my way to Williams, Flagstaff and on to Santa Fe. It is a really nice area of the country. :thumb:

It's been dried in an un-air-conditioned garage for a couple of days, re-conditioned with Proofide, buffed with a micro-fiber rag, and ridden around town. The blisters have subsided somewhat, but are clearly now part of the saddle. They won't likely cause abrasions, but it is cosmetically damaged.

Did the cattles' hides in Winslow also get djpled froim the rain?
Don't worry, adds character to the saddle!

You can get a picture with a reflection of the girl in a shop window.
Let me know if you come through again, I'll take the picture and I'll buy you a cup of coffee.