Champion C9 Tights + White saddle = Grey saddle

So, it was cool today, so I wore my thin black Champion tights over my Shebeest bike shorts for my double metric. My saddle is a white leather Fizik Arione. Sorry, it was a white leather Fizik Arione. Now it is various shades of grey. I first noticed at the first food stop, 15 miles into the ride.

I have tried Simple Green, saddle soap, an oxy stain cleaning kit of some kind, chain degreaser (seemed worth a shot), and a Chlorox bleach pen. I found a reference online to the bleach pen, or I would not have tried that. So far, it looks like the only thing that might phase it, if I use enormous amounts of elbow grease. I did find mention of Goo Gone removing stains from leather, so I'll have to get some. Magic Eraser? This stain has been ground in over the course of 120 miles.

I searched here, but didn't come up with anything (I may be too googley-brained from 10 hours of biking to have done it right), so sorry if white leather saddle stains have been addressed.

Mainly, I'm warning anyone with a white/light colored leather saddle to avoid these tights! No - they are not new. I got them 2 years ago, and they've been washed many times. I am really upset, because I've had this bike just shy of 2 months, and the saddle is the best I've ever ridden.

That really sucks. My Castelli gloves are staining my white bar tape blue. Much less of a big deal, since bar tape is much cheaper than a saddle, but still frustrating.

Most Fizik saddles are actually made of a synthetic leather, which is probably good in terms of the likelihood of finding a way to remove the stains. You might try contacting Fizik? Unfortunately dye is probably much harder to remove than any other kind of stain, since it's made to be fast...

I actually wanted a white saddle on my bike but opted for the Saunier/Scott team edition, which is black with a white center stripe, because I was worried about how white white would stay...

I wish I had more practical solutions to offer, because I can really empathize with how disheartening that must be... I hope someone here can offer you a brilliant trick...

Good luck!

ps baby wipes are amazing for removing grease stains on anything, so that might be worth a try... also, the kind of laundry stain stick that has enzymes and is basically gel that comes with a spiky plastic applicator might be worth a try...

Thanks, Liza. I'll see what I can find. Hmmm - like Shout? (Skierchickie runs out to the garage and scrubs some on one area). I have noticed that, until now, the thing stayed really really clean, unlike the silver leather Terry I tried last year. Makes sense that it would be synthetic. Maybe it won't be as easy to ruin while trying to get the stain out! I worried about white, but after 900 miles it was still as clean as when it was new.

Grrr. Guess I'll be buying some PI Quest tights that my DH likes so well, and throwing these things out. He suggested just not wearing them for biking, but how likely is it that I will ALWAYS remember not to wear those biking. Right now, I don't want to have anything to do with Champion products, but I'm sure I'll cool off if I can actually clean this up.

That is a bummer. I have used rubbing alcohol and Soft Scrub, separately not mixed, to clean various stains on my saddle, grips and bar tape. Maybe one of these will work. Good Luck, Jones

What about the stain "eraser" for kitchens & bathrooms - is it by Mr. Clean? I haven't bought one or I'd know but someone brought one to the office. It looks like a white sponge or markerboard eraser, and it's done wonders around here on white doors, trim, things like that. Maybe it'd do the saddle, too.

For white bar tape, my shop recommends Armour-All Cleaning wipes. I don't know how that translates to saddles...

If you know of a leathersmith or shoe repairman, ask if they have anything for that white saddle.

Thanks, everyone. Yup - tried the MR Clean thing yesterday - nothing. Goo Gone (read a recommendation somewhere for cleaning leather purses) - nothing (although I didn't give it a huge try).

So far (fingers crossed) the Shout gel stuff seems to be slowly lifting it (thanks Liza!). I put some on then clean it off the next day. At first it seemed to be moving the stain into splotches in some places - first hint of success. Now I'm cleaning it off, applying more, letting it sit for a day, cleaning it off, ..... I think - maybe just hoping - that it is starting to look more like it did at 60 miles into the ride, rather than 120. Lighter, smudgier. The nose, which was the lightest area, looks fairly white now. It almost turns to a sludge after a day, and then I use water to try to wipe it all off. The Shout gel is the only thing that has produced any dark residue on the shop towel when I wipe the saddle.

I just hope I'm not wrecking the saddle - the grain seems slightly raised today. I'm thinking now it may be real leather - the Jamis website calls it a leather Arione, the Fizik site mentions Microtex, but there are several versions of that saddle. Looks like leather, kinda feels more like leather than my Vitesse Hp.

I should have taken before & after pictures.

We don't have much for leather places - very small community. We did have a shoe repair place, years ago - maybe it's still there. I didn't have time to think about it today.

Thanks for the suggestions everyone - it is nice to have a pool of helpful people to bounce things off of. I'll keep you posted, in case it ever happens to anyone else.

Good luck!

Is it possible that the shorts did not stain the saddle, but friction had worn the white off? I'm also wondering what white shoe polish would do? Anyone tried it?

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Originally Posted by redrhodie

Is it possible that the shorts did not stain the saddle, but friction had worn the white off? I'm also wondering what white shoe polish would do? Anyone tried it?

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funny that's what i thought of too. that's how we kept our white and blue saddle shoes looking white and blue. :D

Well, it went from completely white, with 900 miles on it, to smudged grey where my thighs rub, 15 miles later. At first I thought it was some sort of residue from a 5-mile stretch of new pavement, but it kept getting worse over the next 105. I'm pretty sure it's the dye - and I had never worn those tights on any non-black saddle before. And it does seem to be lifting a little.

I thought about covering it with shoe polish or something, but wouldn't that transfer to my shorts? Hmmm - some sort of skunk butt effect? :eek:

I'm going to keep working on it.

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Originally Posted by Skierchickie

I thought about covering it with shoe polish or something, but wouldn't that transfer to my shorts? Hmmm - some sort of skunk butt effect? :eek:

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Now that sounds lovely! You definitely don't want skunk butt.

Maybe Martha has a trick.

ETA, Even Martha doesn't seem to have the perfect solution!

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Originally Posted by redrhodie

Even Martha doesn't seem to have the perfect solution!

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No, but just the mental image of Martha on a bicycle is worth a grimy saddle :p Lessee... no helmet or gloves of course... perfect pastel skinny-leg capris... understated jewelry... definitely riding slow enough to not sweat or muss her hair...