Originally Posted by
non-fixie
BTW, what's the deal with this Avocet saddle? Any reason not to replace it with a nicely-worn Brooks?
No, there isn't. I'd put one on straightaway.
Many people do not realize that by 1980 or so, you literally could not give away a leather saddle. They were seen as archaic by nearly everyone. It's a little funny to see them on bikes from that era, rebuilt as 'classic'.
Avocet were the dominant saddle in the American market from the late 70s until the early 90s. For the most part, they are simply rebranded Selle Italia models, at least for the first few years. I suspect some may have been sourced from San Marco. Towards the end, who knows where they came from...