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02-04-12, 07:46 PM
I received and mounted my new Berthoud Touring Saddle (Aspin) today.
Overall, the construction is very good. The leather is quite thick (thicker than my B17).
The seat rails adjustment range are even shorter than the B17. I set mine at the farthest position on my Velo Orange seatpost that I had purchased specifically for use with the B17 and I could barely get it to give me the desired seat to handlebar center position. I don't know how anyone can fit this on a bike with a reasonable handlebar drop.
Despite the "hand softening", the leather is quite hard and I can see it taking me a good time to break this saddle in. I did take it out for a short ride and it felt OK with my cycling shorts. Riding with just a pair of normal shorts, it feels rock hard.
The natural finish looks cool and I think over time it will be unique. I do have the change the handlebar tape to match the color since I switched from a black saddle to the natural/tan color. More than likely, I am going to go with Cinelli Cork gel tape again even though it is a dirt magnet.
One last word. The seating range on the backside of the saddle is limited due to the fairly significant width of the composite support piece. If you sit too far back, you can definitely feel the support piece and the rails coming through. I did not have this issue with the B17.
Based on the reviews, I have to say, I am a bit disheartened by the lack of seat rail adjustment length and the composite piece coming through and getting felt reducing the "sittable" range by about 10mm. I figure I may (yet again) need to get a seatpost with more setback than the velo orange which already has a significant setback (in the 30-35mm range if I recall).
Overall, the construction is very good. The leather is quite thick (thicker than my B17).
The seat rails adjustment range are even shorter than the B17. I set mine at the farthest position on my Velo Orange seatpost that I had purchased specifically for use with the B17 and I could barely get it to give me the desired seat to handlebar center position. I don't know how anyone can fit this on a bike with a reasonable handlebar drop.
Despite the "hand softening", the leather is quite hard and I can see it taking me a good time to break this saddle in. I did take it out for a short ride and it felt OK with my cycling shorts. Riding with just a pair of normal shorts, it feels rock hard.
The natural finish looks cool and I think over time it will be unique. I do have the change the handlebar tape to match the color since I switched from a black saddle to the natural/tan color. More than likely, I am going to go with Cinelli Cork gel tape again even though it is a dirt magnet.
One last word. The seating range on the backside of the saddle is limited due to the fairly significant width of the composite support piece. If you sit too far back, you can definitely feel the support piece and the rails coming through. I did not have this issue with the B17.
Based on the reviews, I have to say, I am a bit disheartened by the lack of seat rail adjustment length and the composite piece coming through and getting felt reducing the "sittable" range by about 10mm. I figure I may (yet again) need to get a seatpost with more setback than the velo orange which already has a significant setback (in the 30-35mm range if I recall).