Originally Posted by
bobn
Correct me if I am wrong. It seems most of the Raleigh 3 speeds and perhaps other makers at the time used the B72 if they were offering an off the rack bike with a leather saddle.
It is probably a "middle of the road" type of saddle that most people could use and be comfortable on. Generic so to speak.
People at the time didn't have the selection, variety or knowledge of product like they do now.
Think back when you were a kid, did you have much of a choice with your bikes?
The B72, in my opinion, was a manufacturers "one size fits all". At the time it probably did.
Sheldon Brown's site does say that the B72 is the replacement on the Raleigh if you are doing a restorartion. However, for others not needing to restore go with the B66. My issue there is that the B66 shape looks to be the same as the B68 - both hitting the back of my legs.