Wiggles_dad

Are there any fake leather saddles that look anything like a Brooks with rivets and stuff?

bigvegan

https://www.amazon.com/Action-Saddle-.../dp/B001IZ6X9I

https://www.universalcycles.com/shopp...s.php?id=29062

They've got the aesthetic down, but no idea as to their comfort.

I wish Brooks would figure out how to do a synthetic saddle, but that gets to be a touchy subject awfully quickly, so I'll stick with my Specialized BG Sonoma 175 for now, as it's pretty darn comfortable.

Fidelista

If I can get a genuine Brooks sadle for $100, delivered, to the other side of the world...why would I (or anyone else) bother with a plastic imitation?

mike047

I bought one of these;

https://www.nashbar.com/bikes/Product...6_10000_201629

It rides good.

Chombi

Not sure, but I think they are now re-making Selle Italia Regal saddles with Lorica.
I would vote for the Regals for best looking out there if they do have synthetic coverings on them them these days.

Chombi

Monkey Face

I'm sure Brooks have figured out exactly why they should NOT produce a synthetic saddle, in the same way that Bentley don't do a diesel city car.

randyjawa 

Actually, Brooks has already manufactured a couple of synthetic saddles that have come into my possession - a mattress and a plastic covered one. Neither impressed me one bit. I should add that I have a hard plastic San Marco tucked away in The Old Shed and I will never use it. To me, plastic, even the infamous Dupont Delrin used in Simplex derailleur, has no place on any of my vintage road bicycles. But that is just me.

mike

Saddles that "Look" like leather, but are made of synthetic have been around at least since the 1960's. Frankly, the cover material has not improved much, which is surprising. Listen to this description from Nashbar's offering "Our synthetic leather cover paired with high density foam and steel". How many of these do I have sitting in my box of old ratty saddles?

There really is nothing like real leather. It really does ride better and feels better than synthetic.

If I was going to choose a synthetic material saddle for a specific reason like weather-resistance or lower-cost, I think I would pick one that was designed to overcome the discomfort of sythetics rather than buy one with a traditional look but an uncomfortable feel.

Business810

The other elephant in the room as to why some would choose synthetic is to avoid animal products. I'm not meaning to start a debate on that topic by any means, but it is another reason.

I agree whole-heartedly, though, that if you want a synthetic saddle you might not be able to find a true substitute to a tensioned-leather (e.g., Brooks) saddle. It is easier to find synthetic equivalents to other traditionally leather saddles (such as Lorica covered Regals and Flites, as Chombi mentioned.)

T-Mar

To go with a fake Reynolds 531 frame?

BigPolishJimmy

and real pleather bar wraps

RoboIsGod

The Nashbar GR2 saddle looks great and feels great - its kind of a Fizik rip-off.

akcapbikeforums

Also not bad looking:



https://www.amazon.com/Origin-8-PRO-R...d=YOYKRZZIBDPH

Bikedued

I think that is the Saddle I need for my LeTour. The B.17 is beautiful, but The nose is either too high and hurting me, and too low and I'm sliding forward. I can't find that happy medium.,,,BD

The color is a spot on match for my Shellaced wrap too.......

steppinthefunk 

I have seen a couple of plastic saddles on Ebay that looked almost exactly like B-17s. Made with rigid, formed plastic sheets and complete with rivets. I can't imagine they were comfortable though. I should have bought one. I think they sold for around $20.00 each at different times.

Bikedued

When I first got my 84 Trek 830, it had one of those thinly padded saddles, missing the covering and foam. It was pretty ugly to look at ,but almost felt like a leather Brooks saddle when ridden on.,,,,BD

roccobike

Sorry, I don't have a close up. Here is a synthetic Brooks. This one is a little beat up, I also have a nicer one, same saddle. I'm told they were available in the 70's and 80's.

mike

Wow, that is a good looking saddle! Hard to resist. I guess if I was flipping a bike and needed a good looking saddle at a cheap price, that might be the one.

Of course, picking a saddle simply because of looks is like picking a girlfriend by the shade of lipstick she wears (I've done both and recommend neither)...

luker

wow! you have a girlfriend that wears lipstick? gee...

Origin8 stuff that I have tried seems to be of fairly high quality. The saddle looks well made. If the saddle fits...

bigbossman 

Even cheaper, a $16.99 Regal knockoff:

Bikedued

I agree, everything Origin8 I have bought is not bad at all. I think I've ridden that saddle(with no stitching), and the comfort level approached
Terry Fly territory. I like Origin8 stems too.,,,,BD


https://www.origin-8.com/product_deta...uill&cl1=STEMS

Mos6502

I'm not sure if this image will work correctly. But the Chinese "OK" saddle is apparently not leather (look like it is though? don't it?) - I'm not sure what it is actually made of. Who knows? Good lucking finding one in the U.S. though.

Wiggles_dad

Exactly

raverson

I just picked up 3 of these on ebay for $13 each, shipped.

My experience with cheap Velo saddles has been good. The narrow, lightly padded style seems to fit me well.

And if it turns out I don't like them, well you can never have enough new saddles for flipper bikes.

Here's the only picture the listing had. Seller is sailing2453.

rhm

A year or two ago, when Brooks offered to let us try out the B17 Imperial, I posted a wish that Brooks would make a synthetic version of the B17; that is something that looks like a new B17, feels like a new B17, and never gets "broken in." The Brooks rep who was on BF at the time sent me a PM asking if I'd like to product test exactly such a saddle, which they were in the process of developing.

I accepted his kind offer, but the saddle never came. I understand they had to shelf that project. Bummer.