Brooks Saddle Maintenance Kit

A new saddle should be treated with Brooks Proofide leather dressing to help assist the ‘breaking-in’ process. Proofide keeps the leather supple as it is specially formulated from natural ingredients to condition, preserve and shower proof your saddle. Proofide is the only substance that should be used to care for your Brooks Leather Saddle.

Usage

Apply a little Proofide to the finished side of the leather. Allow the Proofide to permeate until dry and then polish off. Proofide should be used several times during the ‘breaking-in’ period and every 3-6 months thereafter.Just turn the main "nut" on the underside of the saddle to adjust the leather tension of the saddle until the desired amount of sag, comfort, is achieved.

About Brooks England

Brooks England is a bicycle saddle manufacturer in Smethwick, West Midlands, England. It has been making leather goods since 1866, when it was founded in Hockley, Birmingham. In the 1880s, the production of bicycle saddles began, the first saddle patent having been filed in 1882.[1] In a 2014 interview with Feel Desain, a Brooks spokesperson stated that according to family legend, the company began when founder John Boultbee Brooks, a horse saddle manufacturer, tried to use a bicycle after his horse died but found the wooden seat very uncomfortable. As a result, he vowed to set about solving this problem and Brooks was born.

Touring cyclists, especially those based in the UK, frequently choose Brooks saddles. Leather saddles are two or three times heavier than modern plastic or carbon-fibre designs (although the titanium versions of the Team Pro, Swift and Swallow race saddles are an exception to this heaviness) but, for some riders, the traditional appearance and long-distance comfort make this a worthwhile trade-off.

Leather saddles are not waterproof (although this does mean they are able to absorb and dissipate sweat by ""breathing""). Brooks produce a dressing, Proofide, sold in their Maintenance Kit which Planet Cyclery does carry and should be applied occasionally.