Author Topic: Saddle sore  (Read 2034 times)

Matt2matt2002

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Saddle sore
« on: March 06, 2014, 03:00:06 PM »
Parked up last week and a gust of wind blew the bike over.
Totally my fault - should have paid more attention to the way the wind was blowing.

Here's the damage.



An old saddle for sure but i had kept it polished. Guess the leather wasn't as supple as it could have been?

Any thoughts on the best TLC?

Thanks folks

Matt
Never drink and drive. You may hit a bump  and spill your drink

Danneaux

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Re: Saddle sore
« Reply #1 on: March 06, 2014, 04:18:55 PM »
Hi Matt!

My, that's a shame; my condolences.

An old remedy for scuffed leather is to wet a chicken bone and use that to rub the surface and thereby smooth it. That said, it sure didn't restore the leather to like-new appearance when I tried it on one that came with a used bike, though shoe polish helped a bit.

Might be worth a try, I suppose.

The smooth outer hide/top surface has been removed. I would suggest sealing the open leather soon to prevent further damage. I think I'd start with some shoe polish, then some wax or SnowSeal or similar. I a little Proofide probably wouldn't hurt, but I think I'd go a bit easy on it.

Best,

Dan.

Andre Jute

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Re: Saddle sore
« Reply #2 on: March 06, 2014, 07:44:01 PM »
My Brooks B73 was visibly scarred in a fall. I dabbed on enough neatsfoot oil on a cloth to soak in but not through the leather, waited for it to dry to polishing stage, then applied a thin layer of Proofide, just a bit thicker than the very thin layer I apply to the seat twice a year. The scar is now much less visible, but it will always be there. It doesn't bother me. I buy my bike to use, and don't expect it to be pristine forever, though that doesn't mean I'm careless with it.

I should add that my saddle is protected to a thin layer top and bottom by being totally covered in neatsfoot oil for 20 minutes when new, so small scars, for instance made by my keychain dragging across it in the same incident, hardly show, because the color of the leather is consistent to deeper than the scratch. I know this upsets some posters but on my side I have Sheldon Brown, and people who were using Brooks saddles still when I was a boy that before WW1 they soaked in motor oil.

Because of the neatsfoot, the scar is now the same color as the rest of the leather, and thus easy to overlook, not so visible. In time it will become part of the saddle's life story.