Regarding the different Berthoud models, their less-expensive saddles are not rebuildable. They are intended for OEM bikes in Europe, and they use rivets instead of their custom bolts. At Rene Herse Cycles, we only sell the fully rebuildable top-of-the-line models, which also seem to have the best leather.
What I love about Berthoud is how carefully they select the parts of the hide to make the tops, whereas most makers simply cut as many tops out of a hide as possible. Leather is a natural product, and the knowledge of how to orient the saddle tops on the hide so that they don't stretch or become lopsided is a well-guarded secret. It has been handed down by generations of leatherworkers from the old Idéale factory, who then helped Berthoud set up their saddle production more than a decade ago after the original Idéale production ceased. Jan Heine Rene Herse Cycles Reborn in the Cascade Mountains www.renehersecycles.com -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
