running a leather saddle on the MTB, needless to say its getting soaked n covered in mud every ride at the mo

after wiping off do you apply neats foot oil or the like, nothing or what??

Change it to a non leather one.

Shoe polish every 3 or 4 months.

Brooks proofhide liberally applied to the underneath with a 1 inch paint brush. Make sure everywhere is well covered
Then rub proofhide into the top and edges with your fingers( the body heat helps it soak in) massage it in for a few minutes. Then leave overnight and polish with a soft cloth. Job done. This should be done once a week for the first month, then once a month for the first year, then at least yearly after that.
I have 4 Brooks saddles , one 12 years old ( a mere youngster!) and never had a problem with water on them

I don’t to be honest.
4 years old now and still looking fine.

It gets cleaned with water when the bike gets cleaned. I figure since cows don’t need protecting, neither does my saddle…

I figure since cows don’t need protecting, neither does my saddle…

Cow’s skin secretes various oils to keep their skin conditioned and waterproof….once the skin comes off the cow this stops.

I regularly oil/wax/condition my motorcycle leathers but cant say i’ve ever bothered with my saddle.

Don’t use neetsfoot, it is designed to keep flexible leather items flexible.

Go to a tack shop or a proper shoe shop and get some leather conditioner, you only need a tiny amount, so if you know somebody who rides horses, you may be able to blag some. Just work a very small amount of it into the saddle with a sponge or with your fingers, wait for it to soak in and buff the saddle with a dry cloth.

My son knackered a b17 in a year on a road bike with no guards .So get a small guard would be my answer

Marmalade

Cow’s skin secretes various oils to keep their skin conditioned and waterproof….once the skin comes off the cow this stops.

Every day is a school day.

Still won’t be treating my saddle 😉

I treated the underside of my B17 3 years ago before its first outing and not since.

Shoe polish on leather covered saddles. For Brooks, I used copious proofhide after letting the B17 dry out. I’d now just use the cambium rubber version instead.

I ride on it, rinse off and put back in garage. Does that make me a bad man?

I ride on it, rinse off and put back in garage. Does that make me a bad man?

And your saddle?

Too little is better than too much care. You want to avoid making the leather soft. The nose of my Swallow is no longer shiny but instead a rather matte sticky texture from sweat and chamois cream. Can’t seem to dry it but it’s still hard enough not to stretch.

I’ve always Proofhided both sides before use – the bottom more than the top.
Re Proofide when needed, placcy bag over it if left anywhere when it’s chucking it down.
Every few years they get a clean with saddle soap, which gets rid of the accumulated dirt and sweat.
I’ve used Nikwax before without causing any damage.

They’re all different:
One Brooks B17 was very soft from new, whereas the Spa Nidd I’ve had for 18 months is still solid as a rock.
Very comfy though, lined underneath as well. 🙂

Normally it’s a carrier bag stuffed between the rails which is then used to keep saddle dry whilst in caff.

🙂