Thanks for all your advice guys, especially from Ken, which translates into 'it won't work' ! Mine really sounds like wood, when you tap it with a knuckle! Anyway, maybe I'm a hard-ass kind of guy, because the saddle I like the bes t so far (after almost 30 years of racing bikes) is a Selle Italia SLR. Ai, ai, what did I say there? OK, it's modern, but surprisingly comfy for it's 135 grams (the Ideale weighs over 700?). The Ideale is a beauty to see, so it's going on the Zieleman when it's restored. That's when reason why the Ideale has to look better than it does right now. I put some Bickmore Bick 4 on the underside, and it disappeared in an hour. Maybe soaking will have more effect. Freek Faro Rotterdam Netherlands
2005/10/17, Ken Freeeman <freesound@comcast.net>:
>
> I've owned a Rebour Ideale 92 since it was new in 1984, and put perhaps
> 500
> miles on it, and it has never changed a bit. I Proofide it perhaps once a
> year or whenever the whim hits, and it has always been thick and hard.
> What
> I like is its shape. It fits right in for me.
>
> I would not expect your 90 to soften. It should get prettier due to
> treatment, but softer would surprise me. I can't imagine a non-Rebour
> being
> any harder.
>
> I like it much more that my (newer and softer) Team Pros. I get some pain
> from both saddle designs, but less so on the Ideale.
>
> Ken Freeman
> Ann Arbor, MI
>
> -----Original Message-----
> Wrom:
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> the olive oil
> treatment never did any of mine harm. But I have a few bikes and do switc
h
> off. I do hammer the rivets on their edge and round them over a bit other
> wise they can dig in. OUCH!
> I learned this method around 1977 from one of the old timers in Prospect
> Park when I asked what I should do for the carbuncle problem afore
> mentioned. I had started out using a Brooks Pro on my Raleigh Pro; good
> and
> HARD she was. Read: nasty! Well, I gave it a try ( while I was off the
> bike
> for 4 days and couldn't sit down). I'm still convinced now after alot of
> sitting.
>
> John T.Pergolizzi
> Brooklyn, New York
> whatever you do, ride more
>
> David Snyder wrote:
>
>
> > For permeating a saddle with Brooks Proofhide, it speeds thing up if
> the
> > saddle is somehow warmed. I've put many a Proof'd saddle in a
> pre-heated
> > 140F oven, wrapped in foil to reflect radiant assault, for 15 minutes.
> The
> > Proofhide soaks right in!
> > I wouldn't use any heat on a wet saddle, but dry ones can take well
> over
> 140
> > without any ill effect or shrinking.
> >
> > Olive oil and other mono-unsaturated and polyunsaturated fats will
> oxidize
> > within weeks, leading to a rancid odor that can be pretty strong.
> These
> > oils aren't good for bikes, as they essentially turn to plastic
> eventually.
> > Tallows used in leather treatments are fully saturated, purified fats
> that
> > resist oxidation and are selected for this quality, I believe.
> >
> > Even an oiled or Proof'd saddle will readily soak up water, unless it
> is
> > really saturated. I've put a small wet sponge atop a new (and
> well -oiled)
> > saddle five minutes before a ride and the leather takes up the water
> > visibly.
> > I keep water away from the rivet areas since these can stretch, and
> > sometimes apply the water briefly (and sparingly) to the top only to
> improve
> > grip before I begin sweating. Absorbing sweat is just part of a
> saddle's
> job
> > description, not that the leather really gets saturated just from
> sweat
> > migrating from one side to the other.
> > I use a hammer "lightly" on a new, oiled saddle, but never near the
> metal
> > nose support that extends fully 2" back from the tip. That would make
> the
> > edge appear atop the cover and could cause discomfort or maybe even
> lead
> to
> > injury for rivet riders.
> >
> >
>
>
> Again, all just my humble opinion,
>
> John T.Pergolizzi
> Brooklyn, New York