Passes & Canyons Blog

I went to Steele’s Salvage and replaced my saddle some years ago when it was getting totally ripped up. To my dismay, I recently noticed that this newer saddle was starting to tear. Bummer.

Then I saw an ad for a product that I figured would be worth a try. It’s called Liquid Leather. With shipping, it cost me $8 from Amazon. I tried it out this weekend and this is my report.

For starters, as you can see in the photo, it was a very small tear. That may mean this is not as good a test as it could be, but I didn’t want to wait for it to get bigger just for the sake of doing a better test.

The package comes with eight different colors of repair goop, an applicator, and several texture sheets that help the repair blend in better. So following instructions, I cleaned the area really well, made sure it was completely dry, and then smeared the goop on the spot. Obviously, you want to apply it fairly evenly. Then I slapped on the texture sheet and that was it. Wait 24 hours, peel off the texture sheet, and you’re done. Couldn’t be simpler.

So how did it work? First let me make a couple points. These may not have been optimal conditions. For one thing, the tear was right at the ridge where the passenger portion dips down to the rider portion. For another, it’s winter, so even sitting for 24 hours out in the cold may not be enough. Still, if that is an issue, they really ought to tell you so. Third, if you use it several times you may get better at doing the job.

So here’s a shot of the finished product.

As you can see, it doesn’t look perfect. And depending on the light it can be pretty noticeable. But that’s why I think with a little practice I could do better. This being my very first time I do think I have the ability to learn from experience.

While it’s not perfect, it’s definitely better than just leaving the tear to get bigger. What I really think is the most important thing here is how well this holds up. Only time will tell on that count and for that reason I don’t consider this a final. I’ll touch back in on this in about 6 months to tell you how it’s holding up. Or sooner if it just all falls off a week from now. Likewise, even if it comes off and the repair fails two years from now I’ll let you know. But at the very least, I’ll check back in at some point with an update.

Biker Quote for Today

Maintenance is as much art as it is science.