khorpulent

I used neatsfoot oil (baseball glove conditioner) on mine, though that's not exactly vegan-friendly either. It's worked well for me -- I have about 6000 miles on my saddle and no problems. Might make it a bit softer than the proofide, I don't know, but my saddle is quite comfortable.

cod.peace

Velo Orange has a new leather saddle care product, which is about 1/4th as expensive as the Proofide: https://velo-orange.blogspot.com/2010...ddle-care.html
"It contains natural hydrocarbons, lanolin, silicone, oils, and a just little white camphor oil."

garethzbarker

One reason people would be asking this question would people in my situation; I just got the saddle in this morning, had it ordered to me in S. Korea. I don't feel like getting online and ordering the stuff from another continent to treat the saddle so it's cool to know what else I an use. Personally, I'm going to walk down to the sports store and grab a tin of baseball glove oil tomorrow.

stringbreaker

How about Crisco

JeanM

Is Snow Seal really made out of dead baby seals?

staehpj1

I would caution that might not be a good idea. In my limited experience with a brooks saddle... mine got less comfortable as it got fully broken in and that stuff is supposed to soften leather.

I personally wouldn't buy another Brooks saddle since I didn't find it comfortable enough when new to justify the extra weight and not comfortable at all when fully broken in. But if I did buy another, I would stick with treatments that didn't soften the leather. I'd probably use Sno-Seal if I didn't want to use Proofide.

staehpj1

From the company web site:
"Sno-Seal Original Beeswax Waterproofing protects leather from rain, sun, snow, and salt. The beeswax formula dries to a solid wax that "stays put" in the .."

redbike72

I would be concerned that a non standard waterproofing might promote a fungal growth.... especially if your bike was out here on the Wet Coast. I've seen green fuzzy stuff grow on just about every organic material (leather saddles) or sometimes non organic material (the insides of a car).
Something to consider if you are not riding the bike for a day or two.

azesty

I couldnt find either proofide or sno-seal here in China, so I ended up using something called Sheep Oil, which I am guessing is lanolin. Seems to be working so far.

z

Wanderer

There is no alternative to Proofhide.

Use something else at your own risk.

Many people return to this forum, crying that their saddle is ruined.

If they would have only listened to the manufacturer of their saddle!!!!!

JPMacG

I followed Sheldon Brown's advice and used pure neatsfoot oil. I got a quart at a local tack shop for less than the cost of a tin of the Brooks' snakeoil. That was 5000 miles ago and my B17 is just fine.

It's not that I'm too cheap to buy proofhide, it's that I resent being played for a sucker.

Barbs 74

I'm touring and magaged to order a brooks saddle to a post office, but couldn't get the wax delivered there for some reason (Amazon say no). In this case an alternative recommendation from Brooks would be really helpful and I also agree with the point already made in the forum that the. Only buy our own expensive (and sometimes difficult to procure) product isn't that helpful. It also seems that if the Brooks wax is important then the saddle should be sold with at least one treatment so that it can be used immediately, without fear of damage in the event that proofride isn't available.

Salamandrine 

In fairness to Brooks, I am sure they got sick of warranty claims for saddles that were ruined with some sort of DIY goop. Anyway, they are careful to say that other products will jeopardize your warranty rights, not null them. BROOKS ENGLAND LTD. | FAQS | SADDLE_MAINTENANCE

They do specifically say not to use neatsfoot oil.

I'd think if waterproofing is the main concern, a bit of ordinary paste wax is a pretty safe bet. (ie Johnson in the yellow can).

Marc40a

I use Obenauf's Heavy Duty LP annually:

Heavy Duty LP 8 oz.

I also use it on my leather boots. It's mostly beeswax and propolis, which is a tree oil.

For more delicate leathers (like furniture) I use Obenauf's Leather Oil.

Can't recommend it highly enough. Top notch stuff.

saddlesores

dubbin is supposed to be a good alternative,
mostly same ingredients, but 1/5 the price.

and smells so yummy!

GerryinHouston

A new Brooks saddle comes with one serving of Proofide. I ordered mine from Wallingford Bicycle Parts and with a new saddle you can get a can of Proofide at half price.

My LBS also carries Proofide. At full price...

Given the fact that Brooks recommend applying Proofide every six months, even the small can will last 3-5 years. A $1.25 per application?

In my book, money well spent... if one wants to save money, one should skip one Sunday brunch and go riding...

robow

I have used Bee's wax or Sno Seal very successfully for over 15 years and have had no ill side effects.
As stated above, I personally would not use Neatsfoot oil like we used for softening our new leather baseball gloves like we did growing up.

fietsbob

Beeswax.

My team pro , I melted the waxes in Proofide at 100F while saddle Upside down. (Home Oven)
did that in 1975.. its been fine ever since..

Under surface remains slightly waxy

veganbikes

I have an old Turbo saddle that was on a bike I purchased used (and didn't see it up close) and I use Desert Essence coconut body lotion, it is all vegan and smells quite nice and the saddle seems to be doing ok. I at the time didn't realize the saddle was made of animal skins and probably would have avoided the bike based on that.

However on my Brooks, I use nothing because I don't need to because it is made from cotton canvas and natural rubber. +1 for Cambium.

If you are worried about fungus then try adding some tea tree oil to the body lotion or separately.

dim

Gilles Berthoud saddle wax is what I use (I have a brooks saddle and a Gilles Berthoud saddle) .... not sure how different it is from the Brooks stuff, as I have only used the Gilles Berthoud wax:

GILLES BERTHOUD GB Saddle Wax :: £6.00 :: Parts & Accessories :: Saddles - Leather :: Spa Cycles, Harrogate - The touring cyclists specialist.

rhm

Now, that is interesting! I hadn't realized Obenauf's had propolis in it. According to their website:
They don't mention that propolis, like beeswax and honey, is a bee product.

On my saddles I use a paste that I make from about 2 parts beeswax to 1 part neatsfoot oil. I melt the beeswax into the oil, then stir it periodically to prevent them from separating when it cools. Next time I make some, I will include propolis in the mix, see what happens.

If anyone wants propolis, ask a beekeeper. We end up with lots of it, probably already mixed with wax (they are sometimes hard to distinguish in the hive).

nedb7

I didn't see any mention of using mink oil. Anyone tried that with success or no success?

seeker333

It must be newb / resurrect old thread day.

NEVER use anything except Brooks Proofide, and use that very sparingly.

Anything else is very likely to ruin the saddle. Softening the leather of a tensioned leather saddle is a recipe for disaster. Tensioned leather saddles highly depend upon the rigidity of the leather for support.

Rob_E

Enjoying my Brooks Cambium. I am also vegetarian and try to avoid leather, which is one reason I went with the Cambium over the leather options. I can't say that it's as good as the leather options because I haven't tried them, but it's the best saddle I've ever used, and it doesn't require proofide.

seeker333

^^^ I think he likely made a decision about nine years ago...