lotek
If something made of leather is given to me becuase the owner no longer has a use for it, or I find it laying around and I have a use for it, I'll use it.

it's called Freegan. if it's free and not vegan I'll still eat/use it (with restriction. I still wouldn't eat meat and I won't go looking for free handouts of non-vegan stuff)

I would not pay for a used brooks b/c that would be supporting the system (even second-hand, it would provide the origional owner with resources to purchase another one). My consumption habbits are ethically based. I don't think there's anything wrong with leather or meat other than how it is obtained (i.e. killing things or exploiting animals)

I guess that answers the question

tim

Tim,

Thanks for the response. It sort of helps me to get my head
around how different people think. I'm not sure I get the purchase
of the used saddle (why buy a new one if the old one is still good)
but thats just me.
and no, I don't think we should debate consumerism, I'm all for recycle
reuse, not replace coz a newer model came out, hell I'm still using nuovo
record on one of my bikes .
yes, that answers the question.

Marty

Excellent post. Anyone that lives a particular lifestyle because of their principles or beliefs ultimately ends up supporting a multitude of things that they would never if they could help it. There should be a way to tell the government what you want your income and sales (or equivalent in your country) to go towards.

Leather's hard to avoid with better saddles, that's final. I'm vegan and my saddle's pleather and it's worn out already. I think my next seat might be leather... it's natural anyway.

I would not buy a Brooks both because it is leather, but also because I need a hornless seat. I have a Spongy Wonder on order and I hold out high hopes for it, I can't wait to try it out. I am 21 and I already have ED and sexual anhedonia, and I really think cycling has been a contributor. Would a Brooks have prevented it? Possibly, but really its the same design as other conventional saddles, and still puts pressure on the perineum.

Textile toe straps are as available as leather ones by now, too.

sorry. i couldnt get past the title without bursting out laughing.

but if a vegan said something to me, id prolly lick my seat.

It was fairly common 100+ years ago for bicycle saddles to be made out of woven wicker/rattan. I looked around on the Copake auction site could not find any pics, but many old catalogs show them.
There were also some made of springs, basically.
(I don't know anyplace online that has more pics of ancient bicycles than the Copake site)

Eeeeww!!! ;P

~

thats how i feel abotu vegans lol