rhm#202, restored Ideale 41, $165
01-30-19, 09:41 AM
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rhm#202, restored Ideale 41, $165
rhm#202, restored Ideale 41, $165 plus shipping
I bought this saddle on eBay and restored it. The stamps say FT Ideale, rather than TB Ideale, so it could be from the 30's or 40's (this model appears in a catalog thought to date to 1937), but based on the way the word Ideale is stamped on the rivets (in a fancy font) I believe this one was from around 1950. That is only a guess, but by the mid 50's they had completely changed the stamp design.
More photos, before and after, here: https://flic.kr/s/aHskzMZHtK
I bought this saddle on eBay and restored it. The stamps say FT Ideale, rather than TB Ideale, so it could be from the 30's or 40's (this model appears in a catalog thought to date to 1937), but based on the way the word Ideale is stamped on the rivets (in a fancy font) I believe this one was from around 1950. That is only a guess, but by the mid 50's they had completely changed the stamp design.
More photos, before and after, here: https://flic.kr/s/aHskzMZHtK
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01-30-19, 10:43 AM
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How does this compare to a Brooks B17 dimension wise ?
thanks
thanks
01-30-19, 11:09 AM
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It is definitely not as wide as a Champion Standard B17 (17.5 cm), but I think it's wider than a Champion Narrow B17.
But I will have to check. According to the 1937(?) catalog, it's 29 x 15.5 cm which is... well, I'd rather give you measurements taken from this one.
But I will have to check. According to the 1937(?) catalog, it's 29 x 15.5 cm which is... well, I'd rather give you measurements taken from this one.
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01-30-19, 12:10 PM
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Thank you very much !
01-30-19, 08:40 PM
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Actual dimensions, saddle and ruler in hand... Width is 15.5 or maybe 15.7 cm, length is 28.5 or maybe 28.3. when it comes down to millimeters, the thickness of the leather comes into play and I think becomes a distraction. All in all, this saddle measures a hair larger than a Brooks Narrow, which is a bit narrower than a Brooks Pro (and two bits narrower than a Standard). I don't say B17, because the B17 comes in both Narrow and Standard versions.
02-01-19, 10:02 AM
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If I weren't swimming in leather saddles right now, I'd be sorely tempted to grab this for a 1977 Motobecane grand record I am restoring. I have an ideale 80 that may need to be restored like this though, 
02-02-19, 01:03 AM
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That's a nice resto. You should post a thread on how you did it.
I've done a few that came out only "ok."
I've done a few that came out only "ok."
02-02-19, 01:10 AM
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02-02-19, 04:25 PM
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@Darth Lefty has a point, though... I have posted my method a few times already. Not 202 times, but enough times that this isn't the place to repeat myself.
Here, take a look at this album of photos:
https://flic.kr/s/aHsmiVbVh7
Does that explain anything?
02-03-19, 03:01 PM
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That's really wonderful work. From what I saw as a bike mechanic in the '70s, there are probably some of the highly desirable aluminum railed Ideales rotting away out there. That would be a neat project.
02-04-19, 02:42 PM
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i have a few of those, and will post them up when I have them ready. The shape of the aluminum rails makes them a challenge for modern riders, though. The clamp they came with, for a 7/8” round seat post, was heavy and is often missing anyway. To use an aluminum-rail saddle with a modern seat post one would probably want to have a couple seat post parts 3D printed.
02-04-19, 07:17 PM
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I went and looked on ebay, people are trying to sell rails from those saddles for a lot. Not sure how I would put one on a bike, maybe I'll have to get my milling machine working
