We had a thread on this back before the 2009 Cirque. I was relating how I had resurrected Brooks (and Ideale) saddles by soaking it water. This was a technique suggested to me by Tony Colegrave in UK and also Mike Barry in Toronto. The idea horrifies many Americans, but evidently was once fairly common in UK when leather saddles were the norm. If a saddle is badly dried out, soaking over night in a bucket of water will often work wonders. One usually wants to reduce tension before soaking and only retension after the saddle has dried. if the saddle had lost shape, tying or clamping it while it dries can sometimes help restore the original shape. Application of saddle soap to clean the underside can be useful, but Tony convinced me one should never use Proofide on the underside of a saddle, although it can be used liberally on the topside to recondition an old saddle. If a saddle is only a bit dry and hasn't lost shape badly, I sometimes just hold the underside under running water once a day for a few days to moisturize.
Regards,
Jerry Moos
50 km on the 1978 Mondia today in
Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA
> From: Al Knoll <anasasi@gmail.com>
\r?\n> Subject: [CR] Brooks Pro Refurbishment
\r?\n> To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
\r?\n> Date: Sunday, January 31, 2010, 4:56 PM
\r?\n> So diving into the fray with both
\r?\n> feet, I have been given a rarely used but
\r?\n> now 25yr old Brooks Pro. The trick is to make it
\r?\n> rideable once more with
\r?\n> out risk to undue damage to my delicate
\r?\n> sensibilities. I have some proofide
\r?\n> (vintage) and various other emollients, so what does the
\r?\n> collective
\r?\n> rendezvous knowledge offer in bringing the hide back to
\r?\n> reasonable
\r?\n> usefulness. The piece in question is not 'imprinted'
\r?\n> with the
\r?\n> characteristic bum signature, making me believe that
\r?\n> suitable cajoling with
\r?\n> the proper materials may restore it's intended glory.
\r?\n> Hjertberg once had a
\r?\n> handout there in Paly concerning doing new leather saddles
\r?\n> right. Lost in
\r?\n> the mists of time and moves, unfortunately. I promise
\r?\n> to review Sheldon's
\r?\n> missives on the matter before proceeding.
\r?\n>
\r?\n> So commentary is solicited, especially from those who have
\r?\n> successfully
\r?\n> resurrected dead cows like this one.
\r?\n>
\r?\n> Al Knoll
\r?\n> (from my sunny rock in Sacramento, CA)