Aah! That Proofide smell...

[simon.r]

With apologies to Bisto...

...that lovely smell when the Proofide starts to seep into the leather!

 

[welsh dragon]

It hasnt happened to my saddle yet, but I havnt had it long. I do like the slightly citrus smell of proofide

 

[Mrs M]

Thanks for reminding me, need to get some soon

 

[Yellow Saddle]

There is a reason god invented plastic.

 

[Banjo]

I wonder if proofide is just overpriced dubbin .?

 

[Alan O]

A bit of dubbin every few months is all I used on my old Brooks saddle years ago, and that was comfy for decades (until I foolishly gave it away along with the bike it was on).

Now I have a new one, I'm using neatsfoot oil treatments until it gets broken in a little, then it'll just be occasional dubbin again.

There's a number of oils and things that are good for treating leather and keeping it supple, but there's nothing needed that's so expensive it justifies the cost of Proofide. It's just marketing based on the "People who pay £100 for a saddle can be sold very expensive gunk to rub on it" principle - and it's understandable that people who buy an expensive saddle will play safe by buying the recommended treatment for it.

Cynically,
Alan

 

[dim]

A bit of dubbin every few months is all I used on my old Brooks saddle years ago, and that was comfy for decades (until I foolishly gave it away along with the bike it was on).

Now I have a new one, I'm using neatsfoot oil treatments until it gets broken in a little, then it'll just be occasional dubbin again.

There's a number of oils and things that are good for treating leather and keeping it supple, but there's nothing needed that's so expensive it justifies the cost of Proofide. It's just marketing based on the "People who pay £100 for a saddle can be sold very expensive gunk to rub on it" principle - and it's understandable that people who buy an expensive saddle will play safe by buying the recommended treatment for it.

Cynically,
Alan

proofide costs £8.99 a tin ....

https://www.evanscycles.com/brooks-...esvaid=50080&gclid=CI2o4qnX7M8CFRdmGwod2ZkLQQ

dubbin costs £7.95 a tin:
http://supremeshoecare.com/hennesy-luxury-dubbin.html?gclid=CJXw8dPX7M8CFW4B0wodMaoI1g

so .... proofhide which is recommended by Brooks costs less than a pound than a tin of Dubbin .... it's a 'no brainer' as to what I will use

I don't use any of those ... I have a Gilles Berthoud Aravis saddle on my Surly LHT and use the Gilles Berthoud wax/proofhide that is recommended by them .... a tin lasts 2-3 years and costs under a tenner

forget about mink oil or exotic treatments about warming your saddle in an oven etc .... don't be a wuss and try and take shortcuts .... sit on the saddle, ... ride ... take the pain for a few hundred miles and you will have good comfortable saddle for many years if you look after it

 

[simon.r]

But, but...what about the smell?!

 

[Tim Hall]

But, but...what about the smell?!

The smell, you know that gasoline Proofide smell, the whole hill. Smelled like....

victory. Someday this war's gonna end...

 

[CanucksTraveller]

it's understandable that people who buy an expensive saddle will play safe by buying the recommended treatment for it.

Yes, I have to admit, that was me, and as my Brooks B17 was a present from a loved one I decided that I needed to treat it with the utmost respect, making sure I never did anything to potentially ruin it. I treated it with proofide for years according to the instructions, riding it in, avoiding rain, even pushing the envelope occasionally by heating it and letting more than the recommended amount seep in, and yet 6 years on it still feels like a saddle made of solid wood. They forbid you using anything else of course, but f**k 'em. I'm going nuclear with a tip from @jay clock... and it ain't proofide. It's Flexalan and stamping. This leather has to give at some point. If I ruin it, then frankly I've lost nothing now... the loved one's outlay was 6 years back, so it's about time it either became useful, or bin fodder.

 

[welsh dragon]

Yes, I have to admit, that was me, and as my Brooks B17 was a present from a loved one I decided that I needed to treat it with the utmost respect, making sure I never did anything to potentially ruin it. I treated it with proofide for years according to the instructions, riding it in, avoiding rain, even pushing the envelope occasionally by heating it and letting more than the recommended amount seep in, and yet 6 years on it still feels like a saddle made of solid wood. They forbid you using anything else of course, but f**k 'em. I'm going nuclear with a tip from @jay clock... and it ain't proofide. It's Flexalan and stamping. This leather has to give at some point. If I ruin it, then frankly I've lost nothing now... the loved one's outlay was 6 years back, so it's about time it either became useful, or bin fodder.

Please let us know if It works.

 

[subaqua]

proofide costs £8.99 a tin ....

https://www.evanscycles.com/brooks-...esvaid=50080&gclid=CI2o4qnX7M8CFRdmGwod2ZkLQQ

dubbin costs £7.95 a tin:
http://supremeshoecare.com/hennesy-luxury-dubbin.html?gclid=CJXw8dPX7M8CFW4B0wodMaoI1g

so .... proofhide which is recommended by Brooks costs less than a pound than a tin of Dubbin .... it's a 'no brainer' as to what I will use

I don't use any of those ... I have a Gilles Berthoud Aravis saddle on my Surly LHT and use the Gilles Berthoud wax/proofhide that is recommended by them .... a tin lasts 2-3 years and costs under a tenner

forget about mink oil or exotic treatments about warming your saddle in an oven etc .... don't be a wuss and try and take shortcuts .... sit on the saddle, ... ride ... take the pain for a few hundred miles and you will have good comfortable saddle for many years if you look after it

You pay far too much for dubbin.

Ackshully , no need for Dubbin, just use neutral coloured shoe polish

 

[CanucksTraveller]

Please let us know if It works.

Yes I'll try to remember, my Flexalan is on order so the project will run in the next week after delivery on Monday. I'll try to remember to report back next Saturday. I think I have a particularly thick piece of leather on my Brooks, maybe I've been unlucky, but it's been form over function personified.

 

[Accy cyclist]

We used to use saddle oil, and Duraglit on the chrome bits years ago. I wouldn't like to have to use either now,and luckily i don't.


Does this Proofide stuff not get on your shorts, then anything else you sit on?

 

[Banjo]

Brooks saddles are strange things .my b17 was comfy straight out of the box then improved with use .Only downside of it is I dont like spending too much time on the drops with it.

My Brooks proffesional was really nasty initially but now after a few thousand miles is comfortable on the hoods or the drops.

Re proofide .I can buy dubbin for less than half the price of proofide but with one can lasting a few years its not really a game changer.

Never noticed it getting on my shorts .You put it on leave to sink in then polish off.I only wear black shorts which may help.