Caring for your Brooks

Hello,

My Brooks gets ridden in all weathers, try to protect it with lots of proofide, but there is a bit that has gone all dull , no matter how much stuff I slap on it!

Was thinking that dubbin or shoe polish might restore its shine?

Any advice?

ride it like you stolen it.

i give mine some proofide love periodically, and occasionally use some good quality gloss black shoe polish. works a treat.

I've a black brooks. It gets wet quite often, so although I've used proofide the same has happened.

Just think of it as added character.

does it look like this?

after a prolonged period of usage, it gonna be a little hard to keep it shiny thought.

fuckin' hell that looks horrid!

fuckin' hell that looks horrid!

that how it look after 80,000 miles! (it's a team pro).

i hate getting caught in the rain with my brooks those holes in the middle are a bastard

I dread to think what the riders arse looks like.

(the 80,000 miler's, not TheCrane's!)

ha.

You don't really want to keep putting proofide on the saddle after a wet ride, or else the leather will turn into a sloppy mess.

My thighs and arse seem to do a pretty good job of the polishing the saddle, so don't tend to use much on it. My Honey B17 has got a bit discolored, but then it adds to the character. My ancient Black Team Pro, is black, so no worries there

I don't think anyone said they put proofide on after riding in the wet.

agree it adds character, just looks a bit odd when it is patchy!

like the idea of the gloss black shoe polish.

The best way to look after a brooks is to sell it. Then it becomes someone else's problem, leaving you free to buy a proper saddle.

(The above post is dedicated to Hippy, 1967-2???)

you should not ride a brooks when it is wet, the leather stretches, a plastic carrier bag over it fastened with a lacky will keep weather off it when raining or parked. neatsfoot oil, generously applied at regular intervals will provide the required 'lube' ,tighten only as a last resort.
if you want it shiny and polished i suggest you get a plastic saddle, idiot !

Brooks reccomend a little every now and then, but not when its wet

A liberal rubbing of man-fat ftw.

proofide on the bottom - thick - leave on
proofide on the top - thinner - polish off
plastic bag under rails for rainy weather/locking up.

proofide maybe 2x a year or so.
dont mess with the tension bolt.
I wouldnt use oils or anything but proofide.

brooks care in a nutshell.

I never Proofide mine, and slowly but surely the shine is wearing off. On Thursday night we went out for a ride and it chucked it down. The combination of rain water, grit and dirt from the road and the massaging action from my thighs has worn it in with the perfect level of patina.

Mmmmmm patina.

*

anyone have any ideas for trying to patch up the colour when you scuff it? came off yesterday and have sort of grazed the outside honey coloured part down to the underneath wihc is lighter.

proofide over it for sake of waterproofing or leave it?

Adam livesagain. If you really really want to try and repair a scuff (why bother?) I would suggest you take it to your cobbler and ask them to buff it with beeswax. They should apply the wax to a cloth buffer, then apply the wax from the buffer to the leather. This means it gets warm and will bring the shine back to the hide.

If they try and charge you more than a couple of quid, find another cobbler. Should take oooh abotu two minutes.

Adam livesagain. If you really really want to try and repair a scuff (why bother?) I would suggest you take it to your cobbler and ask them to buff it with beeswax. They should apply the wax to a cloth buffer, then apply the wax from the buffer to the leather. This means it gets warm and will bring the shine back to the hide.

If they try and charge you more than a couple of quid, find another cobbler. Should take oooh abotu two minutes.

That's awesome Skully, nice tip.

brooks use a whalebone (!!!) to rub out small scuffs in the leather. im sure theres a leather place in london that can do that for you.

cool, cheers skully. I'm not worried about aesthetics, it makes i look more used and abused, but was worried about waterproofing?