Saddles Thread?

[Danneaux]

I don't think it matters what you use to weatherproof your saddle, or even whether you use anything at all

So...Marmite 'stead of Proofide, Andre?

Ducking and running,

Dan. (...bringing threads together, one reference at a time)

[il padrone]

Vegemite is useful for things other than buttering toast.

Painted VW, Silverton, NSW

[sdg_77]

I have learned my lesson and will never again mention any yeast derived edible paste products 

sdg.

[Danneaux]

I have learned my lesson and will never again mention any yeast derived edible paste products

No worries! It provided a pleasant diversion with a lot of fun and we got back to the saddle question in-between. Dunno how I'd ever split it into a half-muppet thread with any remaining integrity to the original , so best to let it stand intact. As R.A. Lafferty said, "The law of levity is allowed to supersede the law of gravity".

Best,

Dan.

[JWestland]

Maybe we need Marmite saddle covers? I know they got all kinds of merchandise 

Still snow/ice here, will do saddle swap once I can get out on the fixie again (compare specialised avatar 143 vs charge ladle 158)

Fixed is great for traction but I don't have 700c winter tires...

[jags]

are you getting much snow up there jawine.
i'm hoping to get a spin in tomorrow.

[Andre Jute]

As R.A. Lafferty said, "The law of levity is allowed to supersede the law of gravity".

Bit difficult trying for gravitas on a bicycle. -- Andre Jute

[il padrone]

are you getting much snow up there jawine.
i'm hoping to get a spin in tomorrow.

In more ways than one??  

[Andre Jute]

Here in glorious West Cork it is currently not too unpleasant outside at nearly 10pm, above freezing anyway, all the way up to 2 degrees C, not slippery underfoot. Same tomorrow. Not exactly inviting but better than frost and black ice on the roads. People who live in places with really miserable weather will probably think they died and went to heaven.

Andre Jute

[revelo]

Looks like this thread has gone off-topic, but I posted before so I want to follow-up. Below is my saddle after 5000 miles and about 675 hours in the saddle (at about 8 miles/hour average) in mostly warm weather (hence lots of perspiration against the saddle). Slight indentation in front of the flange (primarily on the left side which is the side shown in the photo) but certainly not a complete collapse like those "hammock" saddles. I ride in mostly dry weather. I think it highly inadvisable to let a saddle get soaking wet, such as by leaving it uncovered at night when there is rain. If it does get soaking wet, then it should be allowed to dry slowly. Wet leather is soft and will tear and stretch if subjected to stress.

I've walked through 7 pairs of my current model leather boots. When kept dry, these boots will last over 3000 miles and it is the soles and stitching which fails at this point rather than the leather. Whereas when allowed to get wet, the leather will start to tear and crack at the side, near where the sole flexes, after about 1000 miles. Water softens leather the same way it softens your skin (which is simply living leather). If you want leather to last, especially leather that is put under severe stress, don't allow it to get soaked. Small amounts of moisture are not a problem.

[JWestland]

Now that's a well worn in saddle

If the snow/ice stays away, will do big saddle swap next week, swap XTC one over on the Fixie and see how they feel.

[sdg_77]

My B17 is looking remakably like Revelo's, although after not quite that distance.  Sit bone dents appearing, one a little more obvious than the other. I used proofhide on the top and underside when it was new and a couple of follow ups just on the top since then.

I'm following the same regime of keeping the saddle out of the rain and using a cover when the bike is parked in the open.

sdg.

[John Saxby]

Some good jeux de mot here ... who was it said that levity is the soul of wit?

On saddles and waterproofing:  My local shop didn't have proofide in stock when I bought my B17 a year ago, so I used a product I had bought from a supplier in your neighbourhood, Dan (Idaho):  Obenauf's leathercare. (Their HD paste and leather oil both have a high percentage of beeswax.) There are different products of differing viscosities, and for my B17, I used the "Leather Oil" variant, about a 30-weight grade.  It's worked very well. I use it on my leather jackets, etc., and the HD paste on my hiking boots. No hesitation in recommending Obenauf's products.  (HD = heavy-duty, not Harley-Davidson, just to put your minds at ease.)

I guess I could have used Marmite, thinned out with varsol or something similar, but...

Cheers,

John

[jags]

i was just about to ask do you ride a harley.

[John Saxby]

No...but I have an ex-competition 1957 AJS scrambler, and my longer-distance m/c, with lights & a horn and Other Modern Things is a mid-80's BMW airhead.  It's taken me Ottawa-to-Halifax and back a couple of times, and to the Carolinas and back.  Lovely bike. (But I fear we're off-topic, only tenuously linked to Brooks saddles by Obenaufs' products, which I use on my m/c gear.)

J.