New Saddle Day!!!
 

It's not exactly *new* but I finally put it on today.

A week or so ago I got a Gilles Berthoud Aspin saddle- work and some other things got in the way- but I finally got around to Proofiding it and today I finally got around to mounting it to the bike! Went for a short ride, but it felt nice- looking forward to more rides!!!]

As I'm putting up these pix- it didn't even occur to me to get a close up of the saddle on the bike...

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...4f825b2e_h.jpgGilles Berthoud Aspin Saddle by Dave The Golden Boy, on Flickr


https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...33ae318b_h.jpg1985 Trek 720 w/ New Berthoud Saddle by Dave The Golden Boy, on Flickr

I really like the Berthoud saddle I have, but it’s got the cutout. I got it from a gentleman who thought it introduced too much slack in the system. I’m inclined to agree on other saddles with thinner leather like the Brooks Imperial, but I seem to be light enough not to cause it to sag... yet. I have only put 110 miles on it so far. It replaced my ‘74 Brooks Pro that had over 2000 miles on it under my butt since ‘17. I would get the solid saddle next time, they are that comfy.

Why would anyone replace a Brooks Pro with anything else?

This is replacing a Cambium. No real reason- the Cambium is doing great, especially compared to other Cambiums from around the same era, but I guess spreading the riding around between 4-5 bikes preserves things.

I realize that this is probably partly in jest, but my above comment was not very specific and requires a bit more qualification.

The Berthoud Aspin cutout was used and about the same price as a new Brooks Pro. I wanted to try it out. I have half a dozen leather saddles, all different styles. I’ve found that there is no one saddle to rule them all - each bike style is different and requires a different style saddle.

That being said, I find both the Pro and the Berthoud Aspin to be similar enough that my butt doesn’t notice: 160mm and 157mm widths respectively. I like the build quality of the Berthoud, it’s thicker leather, and its ability to be rebuilt by the end-user. The rivets (bolts actually) are well placed away from my tush (not so with a Rivet I bought) and the leather doesn’t dig into my thighs (unlike a Selle Anatomica I bought - but my wife and friends love theirs).

All our butts are different so that’s why I focus on build quality and style when recommending saddles. That and the fact that they should be leather. :thumb: (But a Cambium is a good all-weather option).

Is it just me or is that fork a tiny bit bent?

:crash:
Perspective in the photo. Gets people every time.

I've had my Brooks Pro for some years now, and can't get comfortable on it. It will be for sale when I come north in late summer. I could never ride a B17, it being too wide. I was sent a B17 Imperial to test for the year. The fact that the skirts are laced seems to be the ticket for making it comfortable. My fave Brooks is the B17 Narrow, but I also have a C15 that I like.

I have more Brooks saddles than pairs of socks, but that Berthoud is the cherry on top of that Trek ... Nice touch.

Thank you for paying attention and noticing and mentioning it. :thumb:

I've posted about 4,293 pix of this bike here on BF in the past 6 years or so- someone saw the fork as bent in one other pic once.

Or maybe all the regulars here have noticed it, and want me to crash it so I stop posting pix of it every couple days.

The preview pic in Flicr is smaller, and it really does look bent in that view.

Nice!! I’ve admired the Berthoud saddles since they were first introduced. Why? Because they look beautiful. It looks great on your Trek. I agree with the post above, it’s the cherry on top.