New/Old saddle

SnoSeal is good for weatherproofing, but nothing I've used beats Neatsfoot Oil for softening up old, dry leather.

I gave up on leather saddles decades ago, but I remember using a toe strap around the middle of the saddle to help roll form the thigh flaps inwards as the seat was treated with oil.

FWIW. IMO, the last thing that you want to use is either Neatsfoot Oil or Mink Oil on a leather saddle ...

• EITHER treatment will ultimately destroy the leather's ability to maintain its shape ...
  
• THAT doesn't mean that there might not be a brief moment in time when the leather will lose the rock hard status that it is probably in & appear to achieve the condition you want it to be in ...
  
• HOWEVER, you will ultimately end up with a too-soft "hammock" since the "oil" will continue to "soften" ...
  

BTW. If you happened to read Sheldon Brown's recounting of his use of Neatsfoot Oil ...

THEN you need to fully process what HE failed to realize when he also recounted how his IDEALE (?) saddle ended up being too soft. He apparently never made the connection that it was due to his having treated his leather saddle(s) with Neatsfoot Oil.

FYI. Depending on the condition of the saddle's leather, it CAN be rejuvenated ...

But, it takes more time than simply soaking the saddle in Neatsfoot Oil or slathering it with Mink Oil.

pedaltheglobe.comhow to break in maintain or restore a leather bicycle saddleOpen ↗

rideyourbike.combrookssaddlerepair.shtmlOpen ↗

Brooks recommends: brooksengland.comProofide+40g+TinOpen ↗

It is almost impossible to break down a good leather saddle...aside from leaving it to rot. Even guys that tried blocking or re-blocking their leather saddles with water soaking and clamping have a very poor success rate in changing the shape.

Neatsfoot oil is the same stuff that is in animal hides prior to chrome tanning. It will soften a saddle, but to what degree? Not much, in my limited but painful experience with a couple of Brooks saddles. Mine NEVER became 'too soft'! And this is coming from a guy that spent a year on a Unicanitor nylon plastic track shell!

The 'old ways' said to apply any good leather oil or cream and strap and clamp the saddle as required. This process took weeks. Soaking, rubbing, sitting it in the sun, putting it over a heating duct, sitting it on the furnace in the basement, making burnt offerings to Raleigh take-offs and bike shop mechanics looking to get $5 for the unwanted things...

I like Lon Haldeman's advice:

"There are probably lots of other liquid oils that would work as well-RAAM pioneer Lon Haldeman uses SAE 30 motor oil, but his saddles tend to wear out after only 300,000 miles or so (according to Cyclist magazine)."

300,000 miles!!!!!

Sheldon's complete article on leather saddles:
sheldonbrown.comleather.htmlOpen ↗

And yes...I DO have the Campy special saddle tension nut adjustment wrench!

[IMG]cyclingforums.com700Open ↗[/IMG]