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Saddle Comparison: Gilles Berthoud Aravis vs. Selle Anatomica H2

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Saddle Comparison: Gilles Berthoud Aravis vs. Selle Anatomica H2

Old 10-13-20, 09:34 AM
  #26  
djb
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Originally Posted by HeyPapa
Does the leather on the Gilles Berthoud Aravis require treatment and conditioning? Is it as susceptible to damage from moisture such as the Brooks leather saddles?

Also, I enjoyed seeing the Surly Ogre. I hope you get an urge to give us a review and details on the build.
moisture will not "damage" a leather seat. Riding in very hot and humid weather will dampen a leather saddle from sweat, but to "damage" a leather saddle happens when its left out in the rain, or ridden in the rain, where it gets really wet and or soaked AND THEN ridden. In this case, the leather is too wet and your weight riding will stretch the leather, shortening its lifespan. This is why we put on rain covers while riding, and obviously when a bike it out overnight when rain can happen and the bike is in the rain sitting.

I have Brooks saddles that I've ridden for years and years, and they have minimal stretch and just slight sag, and Ive hardly ever had to tighten the tensioning bolt--but I've always been careful of not letting them get wet from rain and riding on them when wet.

I am sure that this applies to all leather saddles where the leather is suspended on a frame.
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Old 10-13-20, 07:20 PM
  #27  
Cyclist0100
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Originally Posted by HeyPapa
Does the leather on the Gilles Berthoud Aravis require treatment and conditioning? Is it as susceptible to damage from moisture such as the Brooks leather saddles?

Also, I enjoyed seeing the Surly Ogre. I hope you get an urge to give us a review and details on the build.
Gilles Berthoud recommends applying their in-house leather saddle wax to the underside of the saddle and around the edges where there is exposed leather. The top of the saddle is waterproofed during production and requires no treatment. I live in Florida, and the Aravis has been exposed to rain multiple times during rides. The underside of the saddle barely gets wet (even in heavy downpours) because my saddlebag catches all the water from my back wheel. As for the saddle top, I dry it off at the end of the ride and it seems to be fine. I've noticed no ill effects from rain or general moisture. When I'm not out riding the bike is stored in the garage.

Regarding the Ogre, I totally love it! Will be happy to write up a brief review in the near future.
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Old 10-13-20, 07:50 PM
  #28  
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Originally Posted by Cycletography
Gilles Berthoud recommends applying their in-house leather saddle wax to the underside of the saddle and around the edges where there is exposed leather. The top of the saddle is waterproofed during production and requires no treatment. I live in Florida, and the Aravis has been exposed to rain multiple times during rides. The underside of the saddle barely gets wet (even in heavy downpours) because my saddlebag catches all the water from my back wheel. As for the saddle top, I dry it off at the end of the ride and it seems to be fine. I've noticed no ill effects from rain or general moisture. When I'm not out riding the bike is stored in the garage.

Regarding the Ogre, I totally love it! Will be happy to write up a brief review in the near future.
is this their official stance? Interesting and I'm curious what they use on it, if they divulge this info. Will be interesting to see how this seat holds up over the kms.
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Old 10-14-20, 05:44 AM
  #29  
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Originally Posted by djb
is this their official stance? Interesting and I'm curious what they use on it, if they divulge this info. Will be interesting to see how this seat holds up over the kms.
See the other thread on the same topic
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Old 10-14-20, 06:30 AM
  #30  
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Originally Posted by kingston
thanks.
other than mentioning vegetable tanning, which as someone who knows nothing of tanning didn't mean much to me, it is mentioned that the leather is presoftened. I know Brooks makes or made those presoftened models for the casual rider, the ones with a kind of dimpled top.
The general consensus is that they won't "last" as long as a regular, just as the "pro" models use thicker and or higher quality leather so as to last longer than regular models.
My experience with numerous Brooks models is that some of mine are stiffer than others, which is probably because some of them with the brass rivets probably had thicker leather. My first regular b17 , bought new, is used by my wife, and is softer--it may be due to putting too much proofide on it, or the leather isn't as thick as others i have.
Two others I have with reasonable mileage on them are harder, so I'm convinced that one doesn't want to over soften a leather seat, as while one wants the dimples to form, you don't want the rest of the leather to sag.
I personally don't find the dimples to be restricting me moving around, in fact I've always found the frictionless moving around ability on my Brooks to be one major reason for long term comfort.

I'm a light guy so I'm easy on stuff, my seats included, but my experience shows that presoftened leather is something that I would shy against. My break in periods weren't too bad, even though I bought some of my seats used, they were nearly new.

so personal though, with all the other factors coming into play of course, like specific bike shorts, bike and bars positioning, everybody's bodies being different.......
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Old 11-23-20, 04:07 PM
  #31  
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6,000 Miles... and the Aravis is Still the Comfort King!

Quick Update: Since putting the Gilles Berthoud Aravis on my Surly Ogre it has stayed put and now has 6,000 miles on it. Yesterday I did my first double century and the Aravis was comfortable for the entire ride. No saddle issues whatsoever. 210 miles and 14 hours later my butt was still happy on the saddle . (For me) Gilles Berthoud makes the best saddles I've ever ridden.

Last edited by Cyclist0100; 11-23-20 at 07:42 PM.
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Old 11-23-20, 05:13 PM
  #32  
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10000kms and over 300 k in a day.....ooooooof.
it certainly sounds like it's a clear winner.
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Old 11-23-20, 11:53 PM
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Originally Posted by Cycletography
Quick Update: Since putting the Gilles Berthoud Aravis on my Surly Ogre it has stayed put and now has 6,000 miles on it. Yesterday I did my first double century and the Aravis was comfortable for the entire ride. No saddle issues whatsoever. 210 miles and 14 hours later my butt was still happy on the saddle . (For me) Gilles Berthoud makes the best saddles I've ever ridden.
My Ogre when "winterised" sports a pair of 60mm Gilles Berthoud polished stainless fenders, so I'm keeping a very open mind with regards complementing them with an Aravis next I'm in the market for a saddle.
My Flyer Special whilst not the worst saddle I've ever owned (that was a Swift Ti), is nowhere near nirvana.
Never approached your 210 miles in a day in my life and content not to at my age but kudos to you for managing it.
Thanks for the saddle review
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Old 05-15-21, 04:43 PM
  #34  
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Thank you for the excellent review / comparison of these saddles. This is my first post here and also potentially my first leather saddle. Trying to decide between the Galibier and the Aravis. Would the Aravis be appropriate for a gravel bike where drop from seat to bars is ~ 3"??? It seems like on your Surly bars are nearly level to seat and I'm sure the Aravis is great for that. But what about a moderately sporting position? I've been riding for 25 years but I'm really getting the bug for longer rides, credit card touring, and perhaps a double century but I can imagine doing any of that on the any of foam / "traditional" saddles I've tried.
Thanks,
Matt
Madison, WI
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Old 05-19-21, 01:41 PM
  #35  
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My basically new, ridden 3-4 times Selle Anatomica H2 is not hammock-shaped as in your photo. Much flatter.

eric/fresno, ca.
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Old 06-02-21, 09:44 PM
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I received my Gilles Berthoud Aravis about 3 weeks ago. Typically I put in about 5 rides a week, from 1 to 3 hours each. The Aravis was extremely comfortable right out of the box. While it feels hard to the touch, it does not ride that way. It's immediately more comfortable than any non-leather saddle I've owned. I once had a perfectly broken-in leather Ideale saddle (back in the '80s) which was spectacularly comfortable but tragically the bike was stolen. I'm looking forward to the day when the Aravis has equally conformed to my posterior. The quality of this saddle is unmatched in my opinion, and the comfort makes the extra weight more than a fair trade-off.
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Old 06-14-21, 05:27 PM
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Posting here bc OP seems very knowledgeable. I got a Selle Anatomica X2 last fall and have loved it ever since. BUT with summer now here where I live, I'm starting to sweat a whole lot more. SA doesn't have a recommended product for the tops of their saddles, and even has contradictory statements on their website about whether to condition the top or not to prevent the leather from drying out. They specifically say not to use Proofide or other treatments with "solvents intended to 'condition' the leather,' then on another page they recommend conditioning the leather to keep it in good shape. Riding with a saddle cover is annoying, so I'd rather not do that. I don't ride in rain, but I do sweat my fair share during the summer months. How do I care for the top leather of an SA saddle after it gets sweaty and salty? Thanks!
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