Normal wear on the seat and flaps of a leather saddle just comes with regular use. But stains – from sweat or whatever else – is another story. It’s not that uncommon for some discoloration to appear on the seat of a saddle overtime. But there are some things riders can do to help prevent this from happening.
Step one:
Wipe down your saddle after every sweaty ride with a wet cloth. It might feel unnatural to get your saddle wet like this, but the point is to try to absorb the salt leftover from your sweat before it sinks into the leather.
Step two:
Clean and condition as usual. Once you’ve wiped your saddle down with just water, clean it as you usually would. Use a good balsam-based conditioner on the leather which will help create a good barrier to outer conditions and wear.
Step three:
When dealing with discoloration issues, routine oiling can help even coloration over time. Introduce a oiling routine every so often, in between your more regular clean and conditioning practices. This can help even out coloration in the leather.
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