Go Back  Bike Forums > Bike Forums > Classic & Vintage
Reload this Page >

Show Me Your Saddle

Search
Notices
Classic & Vintage This forum is to discuss the many aspects of classic and vintage bicycles, including musclebikes, lightweights, middleweights, hi-wheelers, bone-shakers, safety bikes and much more.

Show Me Your Saddle

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old 11-08-22, 05:43 PM
  #26  
nlerner
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2005
Posts: 17,146
Mentioned: 481 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3803 Post(s)
Liked 6,639 Times in 2,602 Posts
I did a fair amount of (expensive) experimentation a couple of years ago with modern lightweight saddles on bikes I ride the most, including multi-day tours. The conclusion for my arse is that the Brooks Cambian C15 works best, and the one with the slot is now my go to. Here it is under my left hand:


Last edited by nlerner; 11-09-22 at 07:20 AM.
nlerner is offline  
Old 11-08-22, 06:20 PM
  #27  
VRJAKE 
Full Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2020
Location: Portland, Oregon
Posts: 240

Bikes: Bakers dozen is the limit!

Mentioned: 31 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 87 Post(s)
Liked 445 Times in 140 Posts
Originally Posted by nlerner
I did a fair amount of (expensive) experimentation a couple of years ago with modern lightweight saddles on bikes I ride the most, including multi-day tours. The conclusion for my arse is that the Brooks Cambian C15 works best, and the one with the slot is now my go to. Here it us under my left hand:

Don't let that saddle touch that wall dude!
VRJAKE is offline  
Likes For VRJAKE:
Old 11-08-22, 06:36 PM
  #28  
Dfrost 
Senior Member
 
Dfrost's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2013
Location: Pacific Northwest
Posts: 1,989

Bikes: ‘87 Marinoni SLX Sports Tourer, ‘79 Miyata 912 by Gugificazione

Mentioned: 166 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 500 Post(s)
Liked 466 Times in 256 Posts
Here’s my first Berthoud Aravis when it was new:



Same one after five years and thousands of miles. It’s about the same, and still perfect for my asymmetric ***t going into its tenth year with 16,000 miles and counting.



Used this Rivet Independence (also Ti rails, no slot needed for me) for several thousand miles on the other bike, but it never got comfy despite similar shape to the GB:



So it’s been replaced with another GB thanks to my cycling buddy/wife’s generosity. The black ones don’t seem to break in like “natural”.

Dfrost is offline  
Old 11-08-22, 07:10 PM
  #29  
smd4
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2020
Location: Wake Forest, NC
Posts: 5,754

Bikes: 1989 Cinelli Supercorsa

Mentioned: 11 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3490 Post(s)
Liked 2,910 Times in 1,766 Posts

Selle San Marco Regal with silver rivets and titanium rails.
smd4 is offline  
Likes For smd4:
Old 11-08-22, 07:41 PM
  #30  
steelbikeguy
Senior Member
 
steelbikeguy's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Peoria, IL
Posts: 4,467
Mentioned: 86 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1826 Post(s)
Liked 3,367 Times in 1,573 Posts
On my C&V bikes, I've got two Brooks B.17s, two Brooks Pro's (one with the older, smaller rivets, and one with the large, hammered rivets), one with a Brooks Swift with titanium rails (a really nice saddle for go-fast bikes), and one with a Lepper Voyager. This Lepper saddle is fairly novel, so let's take a look at it.




The side view shows it as a leather saddle with very short skirts, not unlike the Brooks Swift. The most unusual detail of the Voyager is that the rails and cantle piece are made of tubular steel, instead of the more common solid steel rods or plates.




This shot shows that the cantle piece has a round cross section, and has a couple of holes that show that it is a tube. I'll admit that I'm just trusting that the rails are tubes too.
The decal on one rail says "531 Reynolds", and that is what Lepper says that the rails and cantle piece are made of. Who else can say that they have 531 tubing on their saddle, much less a tubing decal on the saddle??

This is probably a good time to mention that I got this from Joe Russell's shop, from the "take-off" bin for $25.50, probably around the year 2000. These Leppers used to be standard equipment on some Cannondale touring bikes, but a lot of folks didn't get along with them, so they ended up in the take-off bin at a discount.
I should also mention that these Voyagers had a bit of reputation for breaks in the tubular rails, especially where they were welded to the cantle piece. It appears that I'm scrawny enough to not have caused this sort of failure... yet?

The last novel detail about the Voyager is that is uses a strap of woven nylon (I've read) running from front to rear. This is reputed to handle some of the tension inherent to this sort of saddle design, reducing the amount of stretch commonly seen in leather saddles. There is a lighter color piece of material glued over the strap.. not sure why. It is visible at the very rear of the saddle when closely inspected. This photo provides a better view of the additional thickness of this strap...




Other than the distinct tendency for the welds to fail, this is a very nice saddle! I'd rate it up there with the Brooks Swift, honestly. .. especially if you can pick it up for just $25.50!

Steve in Peoria
steelbikeguy is offline  
Likes For steelbikeguy:
Old 11-08-22, 08:32 PM
  #31  
cocoabeachcrab 
Myrtle Beach Crab
 
cocoabeachcrab's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: Newport RI
Posts: 824

Bikes: enough one would think, but thinking isn't my strong point

Mentioned: 11 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 271 Post(s)
Liked 541 Times in 214 Posts
rudy special italia stamped reproduction with insanely large rivets

on a brooks pro frame.. can't decide where to use it... either a torpado luxe that's in the build pattern, or TBD...
cocoabeachcrab is offline  
Likes For cocoabeachcrab:
Old 11-08-22, 09:03 PM
  #32  
djkashuba 
Senior Member
 
djkashuba's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Monte Rio CA
Posts: 1,009

Bikes: Motobecane Le Champion, Raleigh International, Bertin, Raleigh DL-1 1980, Colnago Super,Follis, Bianchi Competizione, Brompton M6L, Black Mountain Monstercros

Mentioned: 48 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 125 Post(s)
Liked 839 Times in 151 Posts

Ideale Diagonale No.92
by djk762, on Flickr


St. Christopher
by djk762, on Flickr


Brooks Imperial
by djk762, on Flickr


1968 Raleigh Sports
by djk762, on Flickr
djkashuba is offline  
Likes For djkashuba:
Old 11-08-22, 10:48 PM
  #33  
darkmoon
Japan Tourism Bureau
 
darkmoon's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2022
Location: Yokohama, Japan
Posts: 303

Bikes: Eddy Merckx Corsa Extra Molteni 2005, Colnago Master X-light Mapei 2020

Mentioned: 4 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 86 Post(s)
Liked 713 Times in 206 Posts
Very interesting thread.

The most comfy saddle is leather saddle, Brooks, Ideale, Fujita, etc.
The leather changes its form along the cyclist's pelvis and riding characteristic, just like 3D scanning!

2003, Tour de France celebrated the centenary.
Britain's Cycle Sport or Procycling, I'm not sure, reported pro road cyclists riding classic road bikes.
When they rode a bike with a leather saddle, they were surprised how comfy the leather saddle was.

People can't make perfect things and leather saddles are no exception too.
It takes time to break in and soften.
It takes regular care and maintenance.
When the saddle gets wet after raining ride, wash down dirt and wipe off water and add oil like Brooks Proofide.
After long miles, the leather stretches and the top goes down without doubt.
To keep the saddle height, tightening the tension bolt is needed too.

I'd been using an Ideale 88, tan, Daniel-Rebour stamped, on a road bike in 1980 or so.
It was treated and softened to ride at once.
Yeah, it was comfy and no bad feel.

Before Ideale 88, I used the following:
Fujita seamless
Fujita seamless pro king
Cinelli No. 2
San Marco Concor

Ideal 88 was very good, but aesthetically...
First, the color tan, hmmm, not good on road bikes.
Second, its shape, hmmm, it isn't cool and smart enough for road bikes.
It didn't look fast, ha, ha, ha.
I knew Eddy Merckx, my cycling god, was using Brooks pro in Tour de France 1975, but...

So I changed it to Selle Italia Turbo, the latest saddle, used by the rising star Bernard Hinault winning Tour de France and Giro d'Italia in 1982.
Yeah, it was 1982, I suppose.

Turbo wasn't superior to Ideal 88, but better than other plastics I used.
Since then, Turbo and its brothers have been my choice.


Turbo 1980, remake
lighter than original




Turbo Special





I couldn't find a white Turbo 1980,
so second choice, Rolls
I've never used it.
This isn't bad, as good as Turbo 1980, ha, ha, ha,


Last edited by darkmoon; 11-09-22 at 02:20 AM.
darkmoon is offline  
Likes For darkmoon:
Old 11-09-22, 01:57 AM
  #34  
1simplexnut
Senior Member
 
1simplexnut's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: New Zealand
Posts: 1,035

Bikes: 1963? Anquetil , 1973 PX10,1979 PX10,1984 PX10, VITUS 979 PX10DU,1970S ALAN,1985 PSV10,1980s PY10FC,1978 bERTIN,ALAN carbon

Mentioned: 10 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 283 Post(s)
Liked 636 Times in 283 Posts

A bunch of turbos , with brooks and an Ideale in there too .
1simplexnut is offline  
Likes For 1simplexnut:
Old 11-09-22, 02:24 AM
  #35  
Robvolz 
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2022
Location: Pac NW
Posts: 1,928

Bikes: several Eddy Merz (ride like Eddy, braze like Jim!)

Mentioned: 40 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1079 Post(s)
Liked 1,801 Times in 655 Posts
Cinelli on the Molteni

colnago on the “guess”

3ttt for upcoming project




3ttt on a rare 3ttt post



__________________
"Leave the gun. Take the Colnagos."
Robvolz is offline  
Likes For Robvolz:
Old 11-09-22, 02:30 AM
  #36  
vp1337
Junior Member
 
vp1337's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2016
Location: Rotterdam
Posts: 135
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 47 Post(s)
Liked 112 Times in 33 Posts
My all-time favourite. Sadly I only have one. Put it on at least 10 bikes so far.


vp1337 is offline  
Likes For vp1337:
Old 11-09-22, 04:16 AM
  #37  
Bianchigirll 
Bianchi Goddess
 
Bianchigirll's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Shady Pines Retirement Fort Wayne, In
Posts: 27,845

Bikes: Too many to list here check my signature.

Mentioned: 192 Post(s)
Tagged: 2 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2925 Post(s)
Liked 2,921 Times in 1,489 Posts
I’ll take some pics tonight if I get early enough, but I seem to have mostly leather saddles like the venerable Brooks, but my Colt is probably a unique, as is the V.O. saddle and of course this OCD Special from Middlemore.



__________________
One morning you wake up, the girl is gone, the bikes are gone, all that's left behind is a pair of old tires and a tube of tubular glue, all squeezed out"

Sugar "Kane" Kowalczyk
Bianchigirll is online now  
Likes For Bianchigirll:
Old 11-09-22, 09:46 AM
  #38  
stardognine
Partially Sane.
 
stardognine's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2016
Location: Sunny Sacramento.
Posts: 3,559

Bikes: Soma Saga, pre-disc

Mentioned: 22 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 972 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 643 Times in 468 Posts
Being a perpetual tourist, people will steal your saddle, and anything else. My current saddle is far more comfortable than it looks. I got this one and 4 others for free, at an E-bike dealership, and slowly tested each one. It beat 2 sprung saddles. 👍

stardognine is offline  
Old 11-09-22, 10:59 AM
  #39  
mississippimud
Full Member
 
mississippimud's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2011
Posts: 209
Mentioned: 5 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 20 Post(s)
Liked 41 Times in 19 Posts
mississippimud is offline  
Likes For mississippimud:
Old 11-09-22, 11:41 AM
  #40  
SJX426 
Senior Member
 
SJX426's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Fredericksburg, Va
Posts: 9,579

Bikes: '65 Frejus TDF, '73 Bottecchia Giro d'Italia, '83 Colnago Superissimo, '84 Trek 610, '84 Trek 760, '88 Pinarello Veneto, '88 De Rosa Pro, '89 Pinarello Montello, '94 Burley Duet, 97 Specialized RockHopper, 2010 Langster, Tern Link D8

Mentioned: 73 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1607 Post(s)
Liked 2,213 Times in 1,103 Posts
My selection is here - Saddles | Flickr
But(t) my current usage and preference are Brooks Swallows, then the Pro.
P1040763 on Flickr
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA on Flickr

For shorter rides the ever light Flite Ti is a good choice.
B_Y_Saddle_tire on Flickr

Also available in white.
P1020208 on Flickr

Lately I have been trying the even lighter Brooks C13 with carbon oval rails
P1050758 on Flickr
__________________
Bikes don't stand alone. They are two tired.

Last edited by SJX426; 11-09-22 at 11:45 AM.
SJX426 is offline  
Old 11-09-22, 03:03 PM
  #41  
1989Pre 
Standard Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Brunswick, Maine
Posts: 4,255

Bikes: 1948 P. Barnard & Son, 1962 Rudge Sports, 1963 Freddie Grubb Routier, 1980 Manufrance Hirondelle, 1983 F. Moser Sprint, 1989 Raleigh Technium Pre, 2001 Raleigh M80

Mentioned: 25 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1294 Post(s)
Liked 934 Times in 486 Posts
Trimmed and beveled B15N with 1991 Professional S.

Competition (from Hilary Stone) with year-and-a-half old Flyer S

1989Pre is offline  
Old 11-09-22, 04:53 PM
  #42  
markwesti
Senior Member
 
markwesti's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: Seal Beach Ca. On the right , next to Long Beach
Posts: 1,815

Bikes: 86' Centurion Ironman

Mentioned: 72 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 628 Post(s)
Liked 315 Times in 175 Posts
The saddle is a Kashimax BMX it had no padding , I liked it . mswesti would laugh at me for buying it , a seat with no padding , riiiight .
DSCF2566 by mark westi, on Flickr

Last edited by markwesti; 11-09-22 at 04:58 PM.
markwesti is offline  
Old 11-09-22, 05:01 PM
  #43  
drpaddle
Rolling Vintage Only
 
drpaddle's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2012
Location: San Diego, California
Posts: 61

Bikes: About two dozen road, mountain, and tandem from 1940s to 1981.

Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 26 Post(s)
Liked 55 Times in 29 Posts
It's not frequent that bike saddles address international politics, revolutions, and such. But, here is a Persons Majestic special issue from 1979.
drpaddle is offline  
Likes For drpaddle:
Old 11-09-22, 05:19 PM
  #44  
droppedandlost 
small ring
 
droppedandlost's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: PNW
Posts: 1,024
Mentioned: 24 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 437 Post(s)
Liked 925 Times in 370 Posts
Brooks on the BJ
Ideale on the Moto
Selle Italia on the Tommy
cheap Asian something on the Nishiki

__________________
72 Bob Jackson -- 74 Motobecane Grand Jubile -- 74 Sekine SHS 271 -- 80 Nishiki International
85 Shogun 800 -- 86 Tommasini Super Prestige -- 92 Specialized Rockhopper -- 17 Colnago Arabesque
droppedandlost is offline  
Likes For droppedandlost:
Old 11-10-22, 04:05 AM
  #45  
Bianchigirll 
Bianchi Goddess
 
Bianchigirll's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Shady Pines Retirement Fort Wayne, In
Posts: 27,845

Bikes: Too many to list here check my signature.

Mentioned: 192 Post(s)
Tagged: 2 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2925 Post(s)
Liked 2,921 Times in 1,489 Posts
I got home at bedtime again! I can’t believe how busy we are for November but the weather is with us it been beautiful for late fall.

Anyway let’s start off with the fabulous Colt topping of my colorful Cornelo


Then we have a VO saddle, sorry I haven’t any idea what the model was. Or uh is.



One of three basic Brooks B-17s.


A great looking white Turbo I managed to pickup for my Bertoni Speckled Trout.


And a basic black Turbo that think I’ve had since new in the early ‘90s rest atop my Ugly Betty.
__________________
One morning you wake up, the girl is gone, the bikes are gone, all that's left behind is a pair of old tires and a tube of tubular glue, all squeezed out"

Sugar "Kane" Kowalczyk
Bianchigirll is online now  
Old 11-10-22, 10:13 AM
  #46  
pastorbobnlnh 
Freewheel Medic
 
pastorbobnlnh's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: An Island on the Coast of GA!
Posts: 12,881

Bikes: Snazzy* Schwinns, Classy Cannondales & a Super Pro Aero Lotus (* Ed.)

Mentioned: 140 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1452 Post(s)
Liked 2,186 Times in 961 Posts
How about some Brooks in Color?

Blue Brooks Professional

Violet Brooks Colt

Green Brooks B17
__________________
Bob
Enjoying the GA coast all year long!

Thanks for visiting my website: www.freewheelspa.com





pastorbobnlnh is offline  
Likes For pastorbobnlnh:
Old 11-10-22, 10:17 AM
  #47  
curbtender
Senior Member
 
curbtender's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: SF Bay Area, East bay
Posts: 7,644

Bikes: Miyata 618 GT, Marinoni, Kestral 200 2002 Trek 5200, KHS Flite, Koga Miyata, Schwinn Spitfire 5, Mondia Special, Univega Alpina, Miyata team Ti, Santa Cruz Highball

Mentioned: 52 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1604 Post(s)
Liked 2,569 Times in 1,217 Posts
Originally Posted by nlerner
I did a fair amount of (expensive) experimentation a couple of years ago with modern lightweight saddles on bikes I ride the most, including multi-day tours. The conclusion for my arse is that the Brooks Cambian C15 works best, and the one with the slot is now my go to. Here it is under my left hand:

You riding "gum wall" tires?
curbtender is offline  
Likes For curbtender:
Old 11-10-22, 10:26 AM
  #48  
Mr. 66
Senior Member
 
Mr. 66's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2015
Posts: 3,283
Mentioned: 39 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1135 Post(s)
Liked 1,727 Times in 951 Posts
For the life in me, I can figure how to make this work.


How do I get the tail lights to work?
Mr. 66 is offline  
Old 11-10-22, 12:41 PM
  #49  
non-fixie 
Shifting is fun!
 
non-fixie's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: South Holland, NL
Posts: 11,000

Bikes: Yes, please.

Mentioned: 279 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2193 Post(s)
Liked 4,586 Times in 1,764 Posts
One of the few deviations from my use of classic leather saddles is this Cinelli Volare SLX I mounted on my Faggin. Not entirely period correct, but I thought a cromovelato Italian bike deserved the snazziest Italian saddle I had.

__________________
Are we having fun, or what ...



non-fixie is offline  
Likes For non-fixie:
Old 11-10-22, 12:47 PM
  #50  
The Golden Boy 
Extraordinary Magnitude
 
The Golden Boy's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Waukesha WI
Posts: 13,642

Bikes: 1978 Trek TX700; 1978/79 Trek 736; 1984 Specialized Stumpjumper Sport; 1984 Schwinn Voyageur SP; 1985 Trek 620; 1985 Trek 720; 1986 Trek 400 Elance; 1987 Schwinn High Sierra; 1990 Miyata 1000LT

Mentioned: 84 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2607 Post(s)
Liked 1,694 Times in 933 Posts
The Cambium and the pile of Cambiums..

IMG_1744 by Dave The Golden Boy, on Flickr

Brooks Saddles by Dave The Golden Boy, on Flickr

The B17:
M1000LT Seat n Cluster by Dave The Golden Boy, on Flickr

And the Berthoud...

Berthoud Saddle on Trek 720 by Dave The Golden Boy, on Flickr


That Berthoud is hardcore- it's gone off and on the bike several times over the past few years, it's on there right now.
__________________
*Recipient of the 2006 Time Magazine "Person Of The Year" Award*

Commence to jigglin’ huh?!?!

"But hey, always love to hear from opinionated amateurs." -says some guy to Mr. Marshall.
The Golden Boy is offline  


Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.