velomateo

Brooks new Cambium line does not use leather, they are available in several colors and widths and have a traditional classic look...sorta

mech986 

I've used a mid 80's Vetta Gel saddle and its worked well for me. I never rode Brooks on my Italvega, but I have picked up a used pair of them to try, just don't think I can get them dialed in in time for Eroica. As mentioned, virtually any vintage shaped saddle out of any material is sufficient. Unlikely though to get a thin highly cut out modern or modern looking saddle to pass muster, although honestly, there isn't any specific bike inspection and qualification by Eroica staff. Riders are expected to reasonably comply with equipment requirements in the spirit of the event.

I have a friend in Portland who may have some spare saddles, I'll contact him and see if he'd be able to contact you. Gugie and AndyK are also in your area so plenty of BF members in Portland who may be able to help you. You might want to post a WTB (want to buy) saddle request in the Classic and Vintage Sales forum and see what pops up.

Regards,

Bart

davester

Dave Diamond aka davester
email or phone number only on PM request
Berkeley, CA
The Route Formerly Known As Coastal (aka La Via Dello Scalatore)
1981 Ron Cooper...my "new" bike. This photo taken two weeks ago while riding in rain and hail (making me a "badass" according to Rule #9 ). Note the highly customized saddle rain cover, courtesy of the hardware store.
We will be staying in an Airbnb house a few blocks south and west of the Gugie Palazzo (and we will be sure to drop by to check out the party).


Ron Cooper in the rain

Kabuki12

I have the plastic Cinelli Unicanitor on my ItalVega as well as my Windsor Pro which are great for us Vegans. I also have older Brooks Pro saddles that are on my other bikes that I love. I hear you about leather and I do feel a bit strange about leather saddles , however , these saddles are pretty old and still in service . I am not sure I would buy a new one , maybe a Cambium? Joe

merziac

Seems like you could get a used one and avoid your dilema well enough. I realize it would not be perfect but you would be recycling one that may not get used.

boomerbicyclist

True enough. thanks, mate.

merziac

You will be fine with any Brooks at Leroica, if you have others that are working for you I would just move one over, no break in, no muss, no fuss. You can also post in, In Search Of thread, you might even find one in town. I have a bunch, but they are all in play.

I see you are in PDX, did you ever make it to Velo Cult for any of the shows?

DiabloScott

I like mine, I like that it's weather-proof and not leather; I use it on my commute bike. But it's not exactly vintage looking.

gugie 

The solution is to sit on it. Everyone will note the vintage rider, and nod accordingly.

;-)

goldcoastjon

I will be back again this year on my 1970s Windsor Profesional for the 85-mile ride. (I completed 62 miles of the previous Coastal Route in 2018 before being swept off the course at 5:00 pm. I am bound and determined to finish it *once* before I die...)

My Windsor Pro is light blue. Will be staying in Paso Robles agaion with friends, so more driving this year than last year. I will also be selling at the swap with Gabriel Salcedo from Sacramento.


Top of Palomares Road, near Castro Valley, CA. SAT, 3/23/19.

Straightblock

This year I'll be riding a late 1980's Eisentraut Rainbow. 52-39 chainwheels and 13-26 cassette should be plenty for the short course. Heinz 57 group with Turbo saddle on a Campy seatpost, Dura-Ace single pivot calipers with 600 levers, 600 crankset, Dia-Compe ENE downtube shifters, and a SunTour Cyclone rear mech as a nod to my old Nishiki SunTour team. Electra Ticino wheelset with their sherrif star hubs. Look for the guy in the Nishiki/SunTour Montrose Cycle Club jersey.

mech986 

Here's a very helpful post from Classic Rendezvous from goldcoastjon, aka Jon Spangler regarding the rest stops on the 82 mile routes: I've Added the times stops will be open from various route maps and some comments in brackets and the chart for the 75 mile Santa Lucia route

Santa Lucia route stops:

1) Cayucos Pier (~MP 16.6) 5:30am-10:00am
2) Santa Rita Road summit (~MP 29.0) 6:00am-12:00pm)
3) Halter Ranch Winery (~MP 50.4) (9:30-2:30pm)
4) Cypress Mountain Road summit water stop (~MP 59.7) 10:00am-3:30pm) [[From here to finish (14.2 miles, its all downhill!! Yay!! Just be extra careful on the steep descents. I don't know why the end route is 1 mile longer than the Scalatore route? ]]

brockd15 

Here's my ride this year, a 1987 Davidson Challenge. Last year I was on a 1988 Davidson Challenge that I liked so much that I bought another.
The '87 has a slightly shorter seat tube and head tube and is built with the parts from the '88. The '88 is now sporting modern running gear.
​​​​​

I'm signed up to do the long route again but I'll make a game time decision about that. I have a 300k the weekend before and a 400k the weekend after, so I may opt to dial it back a little.

Lemond1985

Wow, now that's a real workhorse of a bike. No nonsense. "Just the facts ma'am".

Classtime 

Beautiful bike. I gather @brockd15 has had time to train this year:thumb.

mech986 

ooh boy, looking at Weather.com and long range forecast for Cambria and Templeton and by extension, the local region where Eroica will be;

10 Day forecast as follows:
Cambria, CA
FRI APR 5 Showers 65°52° 40% S 13 mph 76%
Cloudy with occasional rain showers. High around 65F. Winds S at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 40%.
FRI NIGHT APR 5 Showers --52° 40% SSE 9 mph 90%
Overcast with rain showers at times. Low 52F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%.

SAT APR 6 Showers 64°51° 50% SSW 13 mph 79%
Considerable cloudiness with occasional rain showers. High 64F. Winds SSW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 50%.
SAT NIGHT APR 6 Showers --51° 40% SSE 8 mph 88%
Cloudy with occasional rain showers. Low 51F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%.

SUN APR 7 AM Showers 67°50° 30% W 14 mph 70%
Chance of a shower or two during the morning, followed by partly cloudy skies in the afternoon. High 67F. Winds W at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 30%.
SUN NIGHT APR 7 Partly Cloudy --50° 10% N 10 mph 84%
A few clouds. Low near 50F. Winds N at 10 to 15 mph.


Templeton, CA
Friday Apr 5 PM Showers 67°/50° 40% rain Wind S 14 mph 72% Hum
Cloudy in the morning, then off and on rain showers during the afternoon hours. High 67F. Winds S at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 40%.
Friday night Considerable cloudiness with occasional rain showers. Low near 50F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 40%.

Saturday April 6 Showers 64°48° 50% SW 14 mph 79%
Showers early becoming less numerous later in the day. High 64F. Winds SW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 50%.
SAT NIGHT APR 6 Showers --48° 40% S 9 mph 88%
Considerable cloudiness with occasional rain showers. Low 48F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%. SUN

Sunday APR 7 AM Showers 68°/47°40% W 13 mph 66%
A shower or two possible early with partly cloudy skies in the afternoon. High 68F. Winds W at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 40%.
SUN NIGHT APR 7 Partly Cloudy--47° 10% NNW 10 mph 84% Partly cloudy. Low 47F. WNW winds shifting to NE at 10 to 15 mph.

So the routes could easily be wet or even muddy. Looks like a major challenge. Hope everyone come prepared for all eventualities and have stuff ready to clear much off the fork clearances.

Let's hope the rain is sporadic or blows through quickly.

Regards,

Bart

Lemond1985

Well, the ride is supposed to be "heroic". I do know that rain can come down extremely hard in that area, but the forecast makes the rain (if there is any) seem sporadic, which is good. These forecasts are always subject to change though, I have better luck just looking at the Doppler radar loops the day I'm riding than believing forecasts, which only give you an idea what's possible, not what's actually gonna happen rain-wise.

Here's to hoping for a minimum of "heroism" that day.

mech986 

Lemond, what do you think it would be like on Cypress mountain descent if it only had rained the day/night before? A few years ago, it had rained the Saturday before the event, and they altered the course to skirt by Kiler because they said it was muddy.

Lemond1985

Unfortunately, I don't know any of those climbs without actual road names. I was on the unpaved portion of Santa Rita Ranch Road last summer, and it was pretty dusty. Lots of people commute to work on that road during the week. Which leads me to believe there would be some mud if it rained. Still passable, but likely be more messy and inconvenient than anything. But arguably more "heroic".

The pavement is also pretty bad, a lot of those roads are not very well-maintained at all, but that's to be expected. Be careful on some of the shoulders that have gotten washed out by the heavy rains this year, they can be much more dangerous than you might expect. Takes forever for roads in CA to get fixed, much longer than you would expect in a place that's surrounded by such expensive houses.

davester

The year they avoided Kiler it was because it was completely impassable to even 4WD vehicles due to mud.

Based on my experience a few years ago at Eroica Gaiole, be sure to bring a plastic bag to cover both the top and bottom of your leather saddle. I didn't and my saddle was completely ruined by the spray coming up from the back wheel (not to mention that everybody on that ride got completely drenched and covered in brown mud). I had to periodically use sticks to clear the mud from around the stays and forks when the buildup became so great that the wheels stopped turning. Hopefully we won't get into conditions that bad in Cambria/Paso.

jcb3

rccardr 

Kabuki12

i'm on board with whatever! I wait all year to see some of my bike buddies and that's what plastic UnicaNitor saddles are for. Perfect weather for my Rusty Resurrection!!! We can all be assured of a great time , rain or shine. It is not like my ItalVega has never seen rain,

My Eroica ItalVega!
or sun for that matter, Joe joesvintageroadbikes.wordpress

HM70

That does it. I'm gonna attach the back rack and panniers to keep some rain gear and fresh clothes. Maybe strap on long piece of vintage cardboard to keep back clean. (No Amazon boxes please!)
Can't use fenders in that mud?

davester

Don't get too radical just yet. I just checked the Cambria 10-day forecast and currently no rain is forecast for Sunday (though it is forecast for Thursday, Friday and a tiny bit on Saturday: https://www.wunderground.com/forecas...=localwx_10day