Tough one this - as googling "how to break in a Brooks saddle" reveals all manner of methods... One of the more extreme, and rather frequently occurring suggestions, would have you submerging the saddle overnight in "neatsfoot oil" - and whereas I am unclear as to what an equivalent oil would be here, I would be very cautious in this approach... Simple rule of thumb - very little, very seldom, and use your common sense! Depending on your climate - we're generally much drier down here than in many other regions where people normally use Brooks saddles - so I reckon we could get away with being a bit more liberal in applying oils/dubbin than other areas... With this being said, use too much too regularly, and you're likely to make the saddle too soft too quickly... Once it's gone that way, it's very difficult to get things back to where they were and should be... I was very liberal in use of plain old Dubbin on my first saddle... And it's lost some of its shape much quicker (check earlier in this thread for some pics)... I was fortunate in having stopped my over-zealous use early - so that saddle is super-comfortable, and still shaped as it should be where it needs to be... I've been far more careful with it, and the newer saddle since then. I bought some Brooks Proofide through CRC, it's not particularly expensive - and I reckon it's worth getting some. You don't use much of it, so it will last, and it's completely different to dubbin and most other creams etc. you will find in shoes stores etc. The closest local product to it, I found in a Agrimark co-op, at the leather/saddles section... a tiny little see-through tub with a white lid, for about R40.00. The proofide was about R70 (excluding postage), so if you ever make up a order at CRC, you may as well order it too. When you get the saddle, apply some to the top and bottom, and be a little bit more liberal in application to the bottom side, as it can do with protection against mud etc. that will be thrown up by the rear-wheel. You don't have to rub the bottom application in too much, leave a thickish layer on it, to serve as protection. The top layer might sink in quite quickly, and you might consider applying another, thin application the next day... And that's it. Ride. Ride as much as you can. My saddles were comfortable from day one - but many have spoken about uncomfortable periods in the beginning, until the leather starts shaping... Keep an eye on the saddle, you will quickly realise when it might need another application - some only do it twice a year - but again, depending on your climate, you might need to do it a bit more regularly.... I guess it's a case of resisting the urge to make it looking shiny and new too often, particularly in the beginning - when you're bound to be fascinated by it. It needs less care than you might initially suspect - but then again, don't go the other extreme and neglect it. Check out the Brooks website for pics of saddles still in use 40/50 years later... Hope this helps! Would be awesome if others would share what they did - this was simply the way I went about it...
