I picked up an old logo Cinelli Unicanitor that has what appear to be stitching holes in the leather.



As you can see, the stitching is long gone.

Has anyone seen one of these babies in original condition before?

Pure vanity here, but would it be possible to get someone to restitch this pattern without removing the leather from the saddle?

Also, the leather has become separated from the plastic on parts of the edge. What kind of glue would you use to stick it down?

Thanks

Never seen a genuine Unicantor with topstitching before, I wonder if this is an aftermarket modification...or if it was even filled with thread or just holes made with a "pounce wheel", and if so why, for ventilation? You'd expect stitching to secure some padding (is any there?) or to provide a little more friction on a slippery saddle, but little holes would have to line up with holes in the plastic shell to do any ventilating. As for the glue: Barge cement is what the cobblers use, or if that's not available use a good quality contact cement like Pliobond...be sure to let both surface coatings dry *completely* before you press together.

I recall some gridded, quilted top ones, but not in that pattern.

Its original, pretty rare, I forgot what the number was even.

what number?

There might be a small round stciker under the center of the saddle, with the model number printed on it.
If its gone, well, its gone. Is there evidence of Cinelli stamped on the back of the saddle? That would date it a bit, earlier ones did not have this.

Try gorilla glue to re-attach. It worked incredibly well to re-attach the sole of a 1980's pair of cycling shoes that came off. I imagine your saddle takes far less stress than the sole of the shoe does when I unclip.

no sticker, no stamp on the back ( though it's pretty worn).

I'll maybe take this in to a shoe repair shop, and see if they'll stitch it for me. I heard green thread makes you go faster.

I think the cobbler would laugh. Or, you would faint at the price, especially to do it well. Two choices, leave it as is, or call Cyclart and have them do it, but big dollars for that, what would be done is a new cover fashioned, new stitching, and foil stamping. Chances of removing the cover and stitching over on a machine as original are very slim, and would reduce the value considerably.

Lack of an impression of Cinelli on the back of the saddle place it earlier, my guess, 1974. But only a guess. The saddle looks like a #3 or #4 otherwise, both used "buffalo" leather, and were satin, not suede when new, which polished up with use.

Sorry to resurrect a dead thread but I just traded a turbo and a concor for a unicanitor 2 in black suede, it was in better shape than the unicanitor in brown suede... anyway I see you say the ones without cinelli on the back are older? Well this black one obviously never had cinelli on the back but the brown one did. Classic Rendezvous informs me that the ones with the cinelli on them are ultra desirable (i might still get the other one and try and glue it where it needs to be).... I would assume older is more desirable... So I have to ask, why would the newer ones be more desirable as CR states?

Edit: Rereading this I see that it says "also ultra desirable" implying that the ones without the cinelli on the back are ultra desirable as well. I will count this as my lucky day, having traded 2 saddles I never cared for, for this baby, the final piece of the puzzle, on the grail quest for a period correct, restored 1971 racing bike.

from CR:
Market overview:
"The oldest/rarest Unicanitors (other than the uncovered ones that don't say "Cinelli') are covered in plain
leather and have labels in aluminum foil on the underside of the saddle. I have such a saddle and it came
stock on a 1970 Cinelli Super Corsa.
Next come the saddles with no name on the back but with the logo on the side like all the others.
Also ultra desirable are the Unicanitors which have the legend "Cinelli" on the rear end in block
letters. More recent (80's) have the legend with the flying C logo in the spelling and have a Flying C at the nose
of the saddle. These ride just as well but sell for less as they aren't as "vintage" and aren't the saddle from the
1970s peloton. Most (but not all) saddles are covered in smooth leather, Pakistani buffalo hide or suede..
Some sellers erroneously describe suede as buffalo hide.There is nothing wrong with buffalo hide or suede
but most prefer the smooth leather. I own all three types and vintages and they all work fine. Prices on
Ebay have ranged from seven dollars to $525 for the foil label ones. ...... Also the old foil label models
are just a tad wider." Roland Porter

does anyone have a picture of the foil sticker? I have all of the above variants in my pile, except that none of them have the foil sticker. I bought a NOS one for the Masi, and it has the block letter "Cinelli" in the back (and the yellow oval impression on the sides). It wasn't $525, fortunately. I think it is a 1? (no padding, or so little that there may as well be none...). I also a 2 (paper label) that has much more padding and a pretty good oval impression on the sides (looks white, but may have been yellow), and this saddle has no impression on the rear. A couple of newer ones with flying c's, one with a foil "2" and the other with a plain paper "2". Finally a saddle that is covered with flying c's, sort of like a Louis Vuitton hand bag. This saddle has more padding than the mattress on my bed. I used it just long enough to make my skin crawl, and traded it out for a Saba (on the Somec). This must be the fabled "3", huh?

currently for sale on ebay: