Hi Kai,
I position my saddle so my sit bones are centered about where the
widest part of the saddle is. I do shift back and forth a tiny bit when I
stretch out or sit up straight and ride hands free. I am riding with larger
pedals, with my arches centered over the spindles of the pedals, so
Thanks John,
Do you find yourself sitting farther forward on the Berthouds?
-Kai
--
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
Kai,
I have a Berthoud Aspin on my AHH with Noodle bars, and a Vars on my
Hunqapillar with Albatross bars. I know the numbers point to the wider
Berthoud saddles being similiar to the B17, but to my sit bones and butt,
the Aspin/Aravis saddles feel like a B17 select but more comfortable,
Re saddle covers i have a few and use them interchangeably on my brooks b17
and berthoud aspins have never let my leather saddles get soaked
Sent from my iPhone
> On Apr 17, 2019, at 6:40 PM, Collin A wrote:
>
> Tom, over the thousand-or-so miles did you ever have to use a saddle cover to
The Aspin is more like the Team Pro than the B.17. And it feels much
narrower between the thighs than a B.17 does.
On 4/17/19 10:23 PM, Kainalu V. -Brooklyn NY wrote:
Thanks for the links Steve, found this-
"The answer is that the Berthoud has less suspended leather than the
B-17.
The
Sounds like the 180mm Aubisque might be the closest Berthoud to the 175mm
B17. According to Steve's bikeforums link, it would have a slightly
narrower sweet sit spot than the b17, with the Aspin having a much skinnier
feel indeed. Thanks John
-Kai
On Wednesday, April 17, 2019 at 5:30:09 PM
Thanks for the links Steve, found this-
"The answer is that the Berthoud has less suspended leather than the B-17.
The Brooks B-17 is 170mm from the outside of the leather to the outside of
the leather at the widest part of the saddle. The frame support at that
point is about 155mm
https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-vintage/789460-brooks-select-champion-special-berthoud-aspin-leather-saddles-compared.html
http://oceanaircycles.com/2011/06/23/saddle-comparison-brooks-b17-swift-and-berthoud-touring/
https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/rbw-owners-bunch/DarMZOShnMw
On
Tom, over the thousand-or-so miles did you ever have to use a saddle cover
to deal with poor weather?
Everyone else, would you say a saddle cover made for a B17 would work fine
on a GB saddle?
On Tuesday, April 16, 2019 at 9:21:28 AM UTC-7, Tom Horton wrote:
>
> this is about berthoud saddles.
https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-vintage/789460-brooks-select-champion-special-berthoud-aspin-leather-saddles-compared.html
http://oceanaircycles.com/2011/06/23/saddle-comparison-brooks-b17-swift-and-berthoud-touring/
https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/rbw-owners-bunch/DarMZOShnMw
On
Kai,
I have a B17 Select on my Roadeo and a Berthoud Aspin on my Dream, which
have similar reach and saddle-to-bar drop. The B17 Select has far more
miles on it, and is more broken in. The Aspin feels noticeably narrower.
Not a bad thing--the overall fit and feel of the two saddles is very
How does sizing compare between Berthoud and Brooks? The widest Berthoud is
around 180mm, but their sides are much closer to vertical than Brooks', so
I'm wondering if their widest models have similar sit bone
comfort/measurements to Brooks with 20 or so more millimeters. I love my
Brooks B68,
Dear Matt,
The short version is "never," and "as little as possible," respectively.
As long as the saddle remains comfortable, isn't bottoming out on the rails,
seatpost, etc, and isn't splaying unacceptably, don't think twice and keep on
riding.
Best Regards,
Will
William M deRosset
Fort
Anyone have advice on how much and when to adjust the tension of a Berthoud
saddle? I have probably around 5,000 miles on an Aspin and it has been
great thus far.
Mat Grewe
Driftless Wisconsin
--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW
Owners Bunch"
Just to add my experience, I have two berthoud aspins that I really like.
One is almost a year old and one is only about 3 months in. The year old
one is very very comfortable. I had a brooks b17 for about 8 years before
that and it was fine. Plenty comfortable but eventually i couldn't get the
this is about berthoud saddles. for what it's worth, I got one from James a
couple years back (hi James) and have ridden it maybe a thousand miles, and
no problems, great comfortable saddle. I weigh about 190 pounds. I have
used only Obenaufs on it, have tensioned it slightly. maybe there is
On Monday, April 15, 2019 at 8:25:00 PM UTC-7, Drw wrote:
>
> I got the h2 purchased 4 days ago direct from sell anatomica. The “2”
> versions were supposed to be the fixed versions. I can’t speak to previous
> iterations, since I never owned one, but I’m definitely gonna complain
> about this
On 4/15/19 11:03 PM, Drw wrote:
This is not about berthound saddles, but I’m a little frustrated, so excuse the
venting.
You're right, it's not. And adding it to this discussion does a
disservice to everyone. You should start a new discussion about Selle
an Atomica saddles. That way,
I got the h2 purchased 4 days ago direct from sell anatomica. The “2” versions
were supposed to be the fixed versions. I can’t speak to previous iterations,
since I never owned one, but I’m definitely gonna complain about this thing.
Beyond it being super droopy (butt on seatpost during 1st 5
This is not about berthound saddles, but I’m a little frustrated, so excuse the
venting. I’ve ridden brooks for years. They were all vaguely comfortable and
exceedingly durable. After reading the bikepacking.com reviews of the new
improved selle anatomica, I bit the bullet , hoping for better
My experience with leather saddles is so different than this discussion.
For years I was using Brooks B-17 Ti models and every one developed a hump
that made them uncomfortable for even a short ride. I sold them all. I have
two Berthoud saddles and have not experienced any of these problems
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
James,
Thank you for the additional information.
I believe Proofide contains neatsfoot oil, which breaks down the leather
fibers. We don't recommend it, because it tends to do what you describe:
Suddenly softens the leather and then has it break down completely. I
haven't used Proofide, so I
My experience as a retailer has been that asking manufacturers why their
stuff is falling apart is rarely fruitful. You mainly get denials, and
statements like 'that's the first I've heard of it.' I've seen this across
frames, lights, saddles, rims, the list goes on. I won't name names, but
The saddles were all treated with proofide, which seems to work pretty well
on brooks saddles. My understanding it's a leather preservative, not a
leather conditioner. Pencil eraser sized glob on the bottom, one time,
then small treatments on the top as needed.
Regarding a bad batch, I
I've got 7, some a year old, some around 10 years old. I had one that
went from brand-new-hard to very soft in a matter of 100 miles / 2
weeks. They replaced it under warranty -- with the Ti rail model!
Other than that, I think I've had one that's needed serious tensioning.
On 4/14/19
James,
Is it possible that the failing Berthoud saddles were waterproofed with
the same material, and this had a hand in breaking down the leather?
Not throwing stones here, just really curious.
John
--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW
Owners
James,
I am surprised by your experience that Berthoud saddles wore out
prematurely. How many saddles were affected? If it's a small number, it
could have been one hide of leather that wasn't as good as the others...
We've sold hundreds of these saddles, and amongst our team, we've got about
That’s very frustrating and sad to hear. I wonder whether this is something
new-ish. I have 3 of their saddles and haven’t had this experience. But mine
were all purchased around 2015. May I ask if your experiences were more recent
than this? Maybe it’s some sort of new treatment of the
Och, James! How frustrating for you and all involved! May I ask what Berthoud's
response and support as been?
My experience with my saddle, which I've had over a year, in extensive use, is
it is by far my preferred saddle, though I've only a data point of one saddle.
Prior to reading this, I'd
Re: all the follow up questions about premature wear. The leather gets
stretched and broken in way to fast. They go from being hard as a rock to
super broken in within a half a year, and then instead of just staying
broken in, they start to break down. In other words, the saddle becomes to
I am also curious about the premature wear! Was this recent or a while ago?
On Saturday, April 13, 2019 at 4:54:38 PM UTC-7, James / Analog Cycles
wrote:
>
> For whatever it's worth, as a retailer, I sold Berthoud saddles for about
> a year. I rode them, and really liked them. For about 6
James,
Which parts of your customers' saddles were wearing out? The leather,
titanium or steel rails, or the plastic component, or...? This is the first
I've ever heard of premature wear on Berthoud saddles.
I wonder if Rene Herse Cycles sees the same problems?
I have two and haven't
That’s interesting, James. Would you mind going into greater detail about your
experiences? What do you mean exactly by them not lasting? Did they fall apart
or brake or did the leather deteriorate? Just curious. I’m appreciative of your
warning, and would love to hear more before buying one.
For whatever it's worth, as a retailer, I sold Berthoud saddles for about a
year. I rode them, and really liked them. For about 6 months. Then I
started to see customer saddles, and my saddles wear out prematurely. Like,
in 6 months. Or after one long tour. Not because of rain, or rider
You can order direct from GB, and with the current exchange rate it's
actually cheaper to order through them than through a distributor. It will
probably take longer to get the saddle, though.
On Thursday, April 11, 2019 at 9:48:25 AM UTC-7, Chris Birkenmaier wrote:
>
> Thanks for the info on
Thanks for the info on the Aubisque! I wasn't aware of that model. My
research shows its the same proportions as the Mente and the leather
attachments seem to be like the upscale Vars. Kind of a middle price
between the two. Trying to find a US seller is not easy.
On Tuesday, April 9, 2019
Doing a little digging (because I am looking to replace my brooks that has
eaten 3 pants now), it looks like the Aubisque saddle is the replacement to
the mente and brings the model more in-line with their other models. Still
just as wide it seems.
Just have to chime in since there isn't normally a lot of chatter around
Berthoud saddles. As much as I adore Brooks, the Mente is one of my all
time favorites. I have alt bars on all my bikes except for the Roadini
which has Albaastache and the Mente works very well for me. I like the
long
I've been riding a Galibier for about two years on my randonneur bike. It
took me (170lbs) quite a while to break it in. I almost gave up and swapped
it back for the Aspin, but a combo of rainy and sweaty rides finally did
the trick.
For me the S/G works best with bars below saddle, while the
Don,
Why don't you take my custom-carved B17 out for a spin? Cutting out the
middle makes a huge difference, there's no material there to create a hump.
In any case, I'll have it out of service for now ( I'll be trying
something quite different on my Rawland, an SMP Hybrid is due to arrive
The leather used for B17s is not as thick as it was 30 years ago. I have a
1985 B17 narrow which I bought used. I would say the leather is as thick as
a modern Professional model, comparing to new ones at the shop. It was a
little dry when I got it about 9 years ago, but a few treatments cured
I have heard different things from different "experts". Some say the leather
is not the same as in the olden days. Some say the leather quality is different
on different models. Some say the leather does not differ between models. So
there is different info going around. Hard to get to the
Thanks for the link regarding the saddle repair services!
But in reference to the Imperial (which are nice) but it still begs the
question if current standard B17's are made as well as they used to be.
I for one think they're not simply because of how quickly & unevenly they
break in along
I've never used them but these guys will re-form your saddle with a "love
channel":
http://rideyourbike.com/brookssaddlerepair.shtml
On Sunday, October 16, 2016 at 3:42:55 PM UTC-4, Don Compton wrote:
>
> I've been a Rivendell fan for years having owned 4 different bikes. I used
> B-17
On 10/17/2016 08:58 AM, jeffrey kane wrote:
So faced with the decision to buy a new Team Pro -- or try yet another
saddle -- I went with the Aspin (Arivis, actually -- but same shape)
because that saddle also looked to fit my needs based on the numbers.
And it did -- but here's the odd part
I'll chime in with a quick six year synopsis of my leather saddle
experience:
I like B-17's with upright bars but they don't work in drop bar mode for me
(too wide at the rear and in-between my legs). I tried a Brooks Swift in
drop bar mode for a while, which, wasn't too bad but did sag so
On 10/17/2016 12:36 AM, Lungimsam wrote:
Is tge name pronounced:
"Ber-toad", or
"Bear-tood"
According to google translate, bear-too, with a rolling r
--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW
Owners Bunch" group.
To unsubscribe from this group
Is tge name pronounced:
"Ber-toad", or
"Bear-tood"
Or some other way?
--
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
On Sunday, October 16, 2016 at 2:42:55 PM UTC-5, Don Compton wrote:
>
> Has anyone with issues similar to mine switched over to a Berthoud saddle
> and felt some improvement?
>
I had a bunch of B17's over the years, most of which developed pretty large
twists, and all of which tended to
Perhaps a brooks imperial would eliminate the hump?
--
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
Just made the switch & could not be more happy!
The "hump" on the B17 just seemed to develop way to fast in more recent
B17's I've purchased, both the standard & copper rivet B17 models. The
"hump" made the ride just awful!
It begs the question, are they as well made as they used to be?!
On 10/16/2016 05:53 PM, John Bokman wrote:
I switched several years ago from Brooks B-17 which I had ridden on
for years on several bikes. i had issues with decomposition of B-17s
over time to where they became uncomfortable - even with the "Select"
version. Also, I found as I began to ride
I switched several years ago from Brooks B-17 which I had ridden on for
years on several bikes. i had issues with decomposition of B-17s over time
to where they became uncomfortable - even with the "Select" version. Also,
I found as I began to ride in a more forward leaning manner (lowered my
I have a Berthoud touring saddle and several Brooks Pros. I have come to
prefer the Berthoud, but still ride other bikes with Brooks and don't
really have complaints.
The Berthoud leather is thicker, harder (I like a firm saddle), and flatter
than the leather on a Brooks Pro. The Berthoud
I'm loving my berthoud saddle (Aspin, which is their touring model I
believe.) It's 155mm wide, which is narrower than the brooks b-17 it
replaced. The leather is definitely thick and the plastic, while
off-putting to some, is rock solid great stuff. I'm a light guy (150 pounds
at 6' tall). I
My buddy loves them, but when he outfitted their tandem with matching
Bertoud saddles, his wife balked, and he had to go back and change his
color scheme.
They generally run narrower, and are definitely flatter across the top -
they don't have that characteristic Brooks sag. Before you spring
I used Berthoud saddles from when first available before switching to
Brooks Cambium last Fall.
The design of the saddle is different from the B-17. Not only thicker, but
as others note somewhat more narrow. The top is flatter as well.
For me the best Berthoud set up was horizontal to the
the main reason you angle up a Brooks saddle is because of the sag that is
designed into it. That is how gravity puts your sit bones on target. With
a Brooks saddle flat, you're falling forward the whole time.
On Wednesday, April 2, 2014 7:42:14 AM UTC-5, Matthew J wrote:
I used Berthoud
i have a berthoud on my QB, and overall i'm happy with it. as others
mention it is narrower, they are rock hard (you think brooks are hard? HA!)
and even after 2 years of riding mine is still really hard. personally i
have one because i wanted something different from brooks (i've ridden a
I've tried to make this point on a couple of threads and a couple of
forums. Many people try to attribute others' choices to taste, but in the
end (pun intended) the choices are based on function - what works for some
is not going to work for others.
On Wednesday, April 2, 2014 8:44:31 AM
Neglected to point out that I am somewhat below average weight for my
height - 6' 160#s and have a fairly slender frame. Larger bodied people
may have different reaction to the Berthoud (which presumably is designed
with French people in mind).
On Wednesday, April 2, 2014 7:42:14 AM UTC-5,
I have one on my Atlantis and find it very comfortable. I have ridden B-17s
for a long time and find this one well worth recommending.
On Wednesday, April 2, 2014 1:07:09 AM UTC-4, Deacon Patrick wrote:
Anyone here have experience with Berthoud Saddles? From what I can tell
they are thicker,
As far as thickness and materials, there do seem to be variations between
Brooks models. (And obviously, since it uses organic material, between
various runs of the same model...)
For my position and shape, I find the B17's to be a bit wrong. They are a
little too wide (though I can deal with
I spoke with Mike and Boulder Bicycle, who said there aren't saddle sack
loops on the saddles except one model, and when he was concerned the
plastic might break on the one model when he heard it is a large SaddleSack
I'm using.
I'm thinking I'll focus on the Brooks b17 select or Swift.
With
one of my riding partners has a Berthoud, and he is still trying to show it who
is in charge :-) Probably has over 1000 miles on it now. I bought myself a
Brooks Super Champion Flyer S many years ago, and it went from new to not bad
to uncomfortable. The leather gave it up too quickly. Had
Mike Kone is a bright guy, but not sure there is a problem here.
I attached a mid size Acorn with a Bordo Granite no problem. On shorter
tours I used a loaded Carradice Super C with hoop. Packed that bag with
clothes, shoes, tools and Minox binoculars (like to star gaze). No
problems.
On
Also, the Berthoud Aspin touring model, Marie Blanc Touring model and the
Mente city saddle have bag loops. The sport riding model does not. Not
sure why Mike said only one model has loops.
On Wednesday, April 2, 2014 12:58:48 PM UTC-5, Matthew J wrote:
Mike Kone is a bright guy, but not
I just talked with Debra at Rivet Saddles. She has what she calls a
Netflixs for Saddles where for $25 she'll send you a saddle to try
(whatever she has available from the exchanges/returns she gets in her
1-year guarantee). You ride the saddle for a few months, whatever, then
contact her to
I have a rivet independence and I like it a lot. It works better for me
than Brooks and Berthoud. Debra is also great to deal with. I do think the
Berthoud is probably the best constructed of the saddles but mine stayed
hard as a rock and I just couldn't get comfortable.
Dan Abelson
On Apr 2,
I messaged this to just Patrick, but am sharing with all now. The Berthoud
does break in and get much much better. Patience!
I am a B17 guy since 1995, but have grown frustrated with inconsistencies
and relatively short saddle life. I tried the *Berthoud
71 matches
Mail list logo
