Waterproofing new leathers?

[MedicalBiker]

So I'm still in my 1st year of riding, have recently moved from textiles to leathers purely for a safety point of view rather than aesthetics or anything. Purchased myself some RST Blade jacket & trousers, and some A* SP8 gloves (although I'm struggling to find inners that actually fit inside these!).

I commute about 7 miles to work, I'm just wondering if there is any way to add some waterproofing to the leathers. I don't mind getting a bit damp in a shower but am just wondering if I can improve it at all.

I currently wear some of my rugby skins under the trousers and a hiking base layer under the jacket with either a tshirt or long sleeved top.

I've got leather a cleaner and a conditioner but I don't think these waterproof do they?

[Hoggs]

Hello and welcome! weirdly I was thinking today about my oiled leather boots and what the best thing is to use on them for cleaning / re-oiling so I'll keep an eye on this

[Tango]

Welcome to TMBF mate. ......pop over to the Newbies section and introduce yourself to the guys when you can. ...

Some leathers have waterproof liners built in......otherwise you'll never make them waterproof. ......best bet is a waterproof over suit to go over them.......

[Stu]

welcome to the forum

as said you will struggle to make them waterproof!

there is products about to help water run off though and keep the worst at bay!

stretch panels are the worst parts

[TC1474]

Water can also rot the stitching in leathers and as a result become less safe than your textiles which are designed to get wet.

Even if you smothered your leathers in a good wax polish (whoch s the best water dispersant and food) your leathers would be OK if subjected to the occasional shower but they need to be allowed to dry naturally and agaon the stitching becomes the issue.

If you are tha worried about getting wet, stick to your textiles you are not compromising your safety to any significant degree

[JRH]

As Stu said but you could try this

http://www.nikwax.com/en-gb/products/pr ... ductid=499

[Chrissb6]

Forget about waterproing the leathers get youselft a good waterproof over suit. Best way i,ve found to clean and maintain your leathers is to use babywipes. You may laugh, but that tip came from the Dainese man in the race paddock.

[MedicalBiker]

Thanks all for the welcome and the replies

 

As Stu said but you could try this

http://www.nikwax.com/en-gb/products/pr ... ductid=499

 

I did buy some of this for my gloves but wasn't sure about how well it would spread over a 2 piece as the bottle is fairly small. I guess I'll still just wear it in light rain but for any of the heavy stuff I'll be sure to keep a set of waterproofs in the top box I guess.

 

Forget about waterproing the leathers get youselft a good waterproof over suit. Best way i,ve found to clean and maintain your leathers is to use babywipes. You may laugh, but that tip came from the Dainese man in the race paddock.

 

This is actually something I've read online but wasn't sure how true it is but if it comes from the bran themselves..! Is that literally it, doesn't add a conditioner or anything afterwards?

[TC1474]

What Chrissb6 says is absolutely spot on.

Baby wipes are a bikers best friend for both cleaning leathers and cleaning helmet visors.

It does not put anything into the leather such as food, but they dissolve dirt and bugs without damaging the material.

I never go out without a packet in my tank bag, and without wishing to brag, I work quite closely with the importers of Dainese, and it was me who told them about using baby wipes

Also remember that leathers wll not keep you arm at this time of year. If you start packing yourself out wth under garments, then you will stretch te leather beyond a point where they will offer protection come the summer as they will have stretched to a point where they could be up to 2 or 3 times too big for you.

But if you insist on leathers at this time of year, then a non breathable waterproof over the top will afford you a better solution and keep you warmer

[MedicalBiker]

What Chrissb6 says is absolutely spot on.

Baby wipes are a bikers best friend for both cleaning leathers and cleaning helmet visors.

It does not put anything into the leather such as food, but they dissolve dirt and bugs without damaging the material.

I never go out without a packet in my tank bag, and without wishing to brag, I work quite closely with the importers of Dainese, and it was me who told them about using baby wipes

Also remember that leathers wll not keep you arm at this time of year. If you start packing yourself out wth under garments, then you will stretch te leather beyond a point where they will offer protection come the summer as they will have stretched to a point where they could be up to 2 or 3 times too big for you.

But if you insist on leathers at this time of year, then a non breathable waterproof over the top will afford you a better solution and keep you warmer

 

In that case I'll make sure I buy a couple of packs to keep in the bathroom! Yeah, the leathers are overly tight at the moment due to them only having been worn twice but the guy in the shop did say they'll mould to me as I wear them. I literally only wear the sports 'skins' that I use for rugby and athletics under the trousers and skins and a tshirt or skins and a thin long sleeve top under the jacket. Even in this recent cold weather it's been alright and it's only a half hour ride each way to work. Although if it does get much colder I think I'll be bringing the Richa textiles back out

[Arwen]

I also ride around 7 miles to and from work. To be honest, unless it is a torrential downpour, leather will more than likely keep you dry for that sort of distance. The only gloves I have are leather summer gloves with vents in them (I put an outlast liner in during winter). I do ride in rain if it is not very heavy, and I've yet to get properly wet hands in my short commute.

Even the cheap kevlar jeans I've got do a good job of keeping the water at bay during summer showers going to and from work. I was very surprised at that!