Proofide your saddle top too ?
10-15-20, 01:40 PM
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Proofide your saddle top too ?
I have three bikes with Brooks leather saddles and thought it would be a good idea to apply Proofide to them since I haven't done it in a long time. I read the Brooks instructions and it said to apply to the underside of the saddle and to the top side too on a new saddle but on an older saddle to do the bottom side only. I am just applying the Proofide to the bottom sides as they say but I wonder why they don't want it on the top side on older saddles ? Would it hurt anything ? It bothers me to not put a little on the top too 
10-15-20, 03:09 PM
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I've always applied Proofide to both the top and bottom of a Brooks when it's brand new, and then just the top for subsequent treatments, maybe once a year or so. The only time I've ever varied that is on one Brooks I've owned, I substituted Sno Seal (beeswax based leather boot treatment), for more waterproofing than Proofide provides. But even then, one treatment on the bottom when brand new, subsequent, occasional treatments just on the top. YMMV.
10-15-20, 03:29 PM
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Brooks is assuming that you have followed their directions from day one. Proofide, and any wax and oil based leather waterproofing and conditioning treatment will necessarily lubricate the collagen network in the hide, allowing it to stretch a little more. If you do that frequently enough, the saddle will get too soft and will lose its shape. You'll have to make a gut call; is the top smooth, or starting to have a little roughness to it? Are there areas of wear through the dense top layer of the leather that seem fuzzy or matte in appearance? If those things are happening, I'd treat the top of the saddle.
Fats oxidize over time, and fats we treat tanned leather with are no different. Oxidizing fats are responsible for cracking and brittle leather, so take care how much you force into the leather because it usually doesn't come back out short of washing it out.
Fats oxidize over time, and fats we treat tanned leather with are no different. Oxidizing fats are responsible for cracking and brittle leather, so take care how much you force into the leather because it usually doesn't come back out short of washing it out.
10-15-20, 03:34 PM
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I've always applied Proofide to both the top and bottom of a Brooks when it's brand new, and then just the top for subsequent treatments, maybe once a year or so. The only time I've ever varied that is on one Brooks I've owned, I substituted Sno Seal (beeswax based leather boot treatment), for more waterproofing than Proofide provides. But even then, one treatment on the bottom when brand new, subsequent, occasional treatments just on the top. YMMV.
10-15-20, 07:05 PM
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Thanks guys, the saddles are in great condx. I will treat the underside and give the tops a light app and buff off with a rag. Sadly I have not treated them in a long time 
, but they are in very good shape so better late then never. I remember to lube the hubs, and everything else on the bike but forget about the saddles.
, but they are in very good shape so better late then never. I remember to lube the hubs, and everything else on the bike but forget about the saddles.
10-16-20, 07:36 AM
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Thanks guys, the saddles are in great condx. I will treat the underside and give the tops a light app and buff off with a rag. Sadly I have not treated them in a long time , but they are in very good shape so better late then never. I remember to lube the hubs, and everything else on the bike but forget about the saddles.
, but they are in very good shape so better late then never. I remember to lube the hubs, and everything else on the bike but forget about the saddles.don't confuse regular mechanical greasing maintenance with proofide applying. On my leather brooks that I ride regularly, I have come to the conclusion that unless there is obvious signs of drying or whatever, I dont add proofide to them. I might, might....put a teeny amount around the tension points of rivets, but honestly, as my saddles dont get left out in rain, and when riding in rain I use covers, the leather doesnt appear to need any proofide even after lots of riding.
the reason I bring all this up is that I feel that I may have over applied proofide to my very first Brooks, got it about ten years ago, and it is more pliant and slightly splayed out than my other three leather ones. Not a big amount, but noticeable. It may have been also because the leather was thinner than my other models. The one in question is a standard model, steel rivets. My other models are the ones with brass rivets, and while its hard to tell if the leather is thicker, my first one is softer than the others, and you can feel this by pushing down on the top of the various saddles.
anyway, just a warning
and I do care a lot about my beloved Brooks, so the fact that with hardly any reapplying, or maybe I should say that my fav B17 on my touring bike still looks great after numerous long trips and years, with hardly any proofide reapplied, is proof for me that its better to leave it as is--unless there are spots that look like they need a bit. When I last put a bit on my touring bike seat, I mean I just "wet" my finger in proofide and put just a really small amount on the areas near the rivets at the rear that looked like it needed a bit. The rest of the seat leather looks fine, so I just left it as is.
maybe show a photo of your seat, hard to tell in photos, and maybe too late anyway if you've already done it.....
10-16-20, 10:46 AM
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I dunno, but my experience is to be wary of overdoing proofide, as I feel that too much will oversoften the leather. Does your bike have fenders? ie does it get water thrown up at it from under?
don't confuse regular mechanical greasing maintenance with proofide applying. On my leather brooks that I ride regularly, I have come to the conclusion that unless there is obvious signs of drying or whatever, I dont add proofide to them. I might, might....put a teeny amount around the tension points of rivets, but honestly, as my saddles dont get left out in rain, and when riding in rain I use covers, the leather doesnt appear to need any proofide even after lots of riding.
the reason I bring all this up is that I feel that I may have over applied proofide to my very first Brooks, got it about ten years ago, and it is more pliant and slightly splayed out than my other three leather ones. Not a big amount, but noticeable. It may have been also because the leather was thinner than my other models. The one in question is a standard model, steel rivets. My other models are the ones with brass rivets, and while its hard to tell if the leather is thicker, my first one is softer than the others, and you can feel this by pushing down on the top of the various saddles.
anyway, just a warning
and I do care a lot about my beloved Brooks, so the fact that with hardly any reapplying, or maybe I should say that my fav B17 on my touring bike still looks great after numerous long trips and years, with hardly any proofide reapplied, is proof for me that its better to leave it as is--unless there are spots that look like they need a bit. When I last put a bit on my touring bike seat, I mean I just "wet" my finger in proofide and put just a really small amount on the areas near the rivets at the rear that looked like it needed a bit. The rest of the seat leather looks fine, so I just left it as is.
maybe show a photo of your seat, hard to tell in photos, and maybe too late anyway if you've already done it.....
don't confuse regular mechanical greasing maintenance with proofide applying. On my leather brooks that I ride regularly, I have come to the conclusion that unless there is obvious signs of drying or whatever, I dont add proofide to them. I might, might....put a teeny amount around the tension points of rivets, but honestly, as my saddles dont get left out in rain, and when riding in rain I use covers, the leather doesnt appear to need any proofide even after lots of riding.
the reason I bring all this up is that I feel that I may have over applied proofide to my very first Brooks, got it about ten years ago, and it is more pliant and slightly splayed out than my other three leather ones. Not a big amount, but noticeable. It may have been also because the leather was thinner than my other models. The one in question is a standard model, steel rivets. My other models are the ones with brass rivets, and while its hard to tell if the leather is thicker, my first one is softer than the others, and you can feel this by pushing down on the top of the various saddles.
anyway, just a warning
and I do care a lot about my beloved Brooks, so the fact that with hardly any reapplying, or maybe I should say that my fav B17 on my touring bike still looks great after numerous long trips and years, with hardly any proofide reapplied, is proof for me that its better to leave it as is--unless there are spots that look like they need a bit. When I last put a bit on my touring bike seat, I mean I just "wet" my finger in proofide and put just a really small amount on the areas near the rivets at the rear that looked like it needed a bit. The rest of the seat leather looks fine, so I just left it as is.
maybe show a photo of your seat, hard to tell in photos, and maybe too late anyway if you've already done it.....
I have allready treated them but I hear what you are saying and duly noted
10-18-20, 05:32 PM
#9
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The purpose of Proofide is to allow the saddle to conform to your anatomy over an extended period of use. If you care about the saddle, just do as Brooks directs and ride.
