Leather Saddle Care

[fluidbike]

Hey all,

I recently picked up a Selle Italia saddle. Given that it's genuine leather, are there any sprays or treatments I should apply to protect it against the elements ? Especially since the weather will slowly be changing to the wet and the cold.

Thanks

[Oldfart]

Armour All is good for laughs. Slippery stuff.

[heckler]

armour all works great on steering wheels if you like running into other cars.

[connor]

ride a different saddle in the winter.

[boomforeal]

proofide?

i dunno, my leather saddles have all done pretty well taking care of themselves (with the exception of my brooks) - its resilience is one reason why leather is such a good material for shoes, saddles, etc.; so good it makes vegans mad!

[clarklewis]

quality leather will wear just fine on its own.
my swass seems to keep my leather saddles smooth and happy.

[hampstead_bandit]

Originally Posted by fluidbike

Hey all,

I recently picked up a Selle Italia saddle. Given that it's genuine leather, are there any sprays or treatments I should apply to protect it against the elements ? Especially since the weather will slowly be changing to the wet and the cold.

Thanks

avoid cleaning your leather saddle with aggressive solvents like Muc-Off or even milder detergents like dish washing liquid

just wipe any crud off with a dry rag. You can apply some walking boot dubbin or proofing if you need to.

saddle should last for years with care, just like a quality pair of leather walking boots

start using aggressive cleaning products and it strips the oils from the leather causing dehydration...

[Lorien]

saddle soap is cheap and easy to find. That's the best for cleaning anything leather.
after it dries, heat the saddle up a bit- not a lot, you don't wanna wreck the foam underneath- with a hair dryer.
Snoseal is the best when it comes to protecting leather. You're best off heating it until it liquifies- do this while you're heating your saddle up.
Then rub that snoseal in real good. You can tell if it's being absorbed, that's what you want.
Real important to do this when the saddle's brand new, but failing that, make sure all the dirt is cleaned out of the stitches and leather before sealing it.

This will add years of life to the cover of your saddle. But we all know that you're likely to bend the rails or otherwise destroy the thing anyway, so uh whatever. At any rate, same process for leather footwear that's gonna see a lot of icky conditions.

[Buster Bluth]

Hey does the ink in these leather saddles rub off on your taint area making you look like you had an exposive wet fart experience? I've had that experience with leather palm bike gloves when they get wet so that would be my fear with a saddle.

[Dean W]

Originally Posted by Buster Bluth

Hey does the ink in these leather saddles rub off on your taint area making you look like you had an exposive wet fart experience? I've had that experience with leather palm bike gloves when they get wet so that would be my fear with a saddle.

Only if it is a cheap saddle.

All my WTB leather saddles have been good. however if you ride in wet mud and grit and ride steep terrain where you get behind your seat, you will wear through the back edges of the saddle. 3 of my 4 leather saddles are worn through there. I just put a few layers of hockey tape on them and they are as good as new......sorta

[Mic]

Originally Posted by Buster Bluth

Hey does the ink in these leather saddles rub off on your taint area making you look like you had an exposive wet fart experience? I've had that experience with leather palm bike gloves when they get wet so that would be my fear with a saddle.

I agree with Dean - if the saddle is of a certain quality it should not rubb off...although if you sport a light brown saddle, do not ride in dark blue denim on it....at least if you sweat or if it is wet....your saddle color may change...darker-ish. Although I like it.

[switch]

Originally Posted by heckler

armour all works great on steering wheels if you like running into other cars.

Try it on bench vinyl seats.