I like beef and broccoli

+ The Lorax.

I'm vegan and I use Specialized BG saddles. Most of them (if not all of them) are non-leather. Plus they are the most comfortable saddles that I've used.

i didn't know that saddles could be eaten

I'm a vegan and I still ride my Brooks under the concept that I didn't support the industry by buying the saddle (traded for it second hand), and that it's really damn comfortable compared to my Nitrox.

Veganism is a lifestyle, not a diet.

+stupid comment

I could give two sh*ts about saddle material.

I said you should get off the OP's dick because the OP came in with a question and you took it upon yourself to go on some tirade about something only tangentially related to the question.

It's just like all the other threads that go something like, "What size stem does a stock Flaming Fleeburflur come with?" and one of the first responses is, "Dude, the Flaming Fleeburflurbur is a sh*tty bike, you should have bought the Plastic Pusher instead 'cuz it's so much better." Doesn't really answer the OPs question, does it, and it's not really on-topic for the thread, is it?

And neither does your rant. However, his post did address the OP's concerns about vegan saddles.

Microtex (just another name for Lorica which Sidi and other companies use on their shoes) looks enough like leather than kids who thought they were riding the leather verisons of the Fizik Arione were probably riding the Microtex ones. It is a great saddle and what I have been riding for several months.

Here is a review of the saddle: http://www.bikesportmichigan.com/reviews/arione.shtml The Aliante is a slightly different shape and may be a more traditional shape so it may be more comfortable for some people but the Arione is one very popular saddle.

And unlike leather, quality synthetics are meant to breathe and not absorb as much sweat and moisture. A cheap ass leather saddle may not last as long as a leather saddle but ones made out of microtex won't have the cracking/drying out/flaking apart problems that Brooks and other leather saddle have.

EDIT: bonechilling beat me to it. I dont care about the moral ramifications of killing a cow, but people need to understand the environmental impacts of the beef industry and reconsider their love of cow products.

You might want to go back and reread the thread. I was the one you were agreeing with, or at least I thought that's what was going on.

Ooops.

You're right. My bad. I got you confused with Bushman. It must have been the leading "B"s in your IDs.

Sorry! :)

Assuming the morons in this thread are finished with ******** derailment attempt # 782:
Selle Italia's Rever is made of lorica (synthetic), super light at 190 grams, and pretty comfy.
If you regularly ride +60 miles, opt for the Rever K, also made of lorica-- slightly heavier at 240 grams, but noticeably more comfortable on longer rides.
I've ridden both extensively, and recommend them highly.

ED:
Sorry, you asked for links...
Rever
Rever K

If you can find one, there's always the old plastic Cinelli Unicanitor.

well, i've been a vegan for, uh, [does some math]... 21 years. currently i ride the leather saddle that came with my (37 year old) bike when i bought it (used). the way i see it, you have two options and which one you choose depends on the situation you are in.

if you are surrounded by people who are always playing 'vegan cop' and trying to catch you out on something, no matter how trivial it is, you should probably get a non-leather saddle that looks non-leather. you know what's a bigger pain in the ass than a poorly-fitting saddle? explaining to every third person that, no, it's not leather.

if you aren't surrounded by the abovementioned type folks, then i'd say get a used saddle that you like and is comfy. period. my observation over the years is that when you see a bike that is totally wrecked beyond repair, the one thing that's probably still good on it is the saddle. the world is probably *full* of awesome saddles sitting on top of crappy bikes. go find one!

this, of course, brings up the 'used leather question'. ie. is it vegan to buy leather used. there are two schools of thought on this. first is 'freegan school' which states that since used leather doesn't create demand for cows, it's okay. the other school, the 'doctrinaire' school, says that by buying used leather you are depriving a non-vegan the ability to buy that used leather article and they may, as a result, buy a new leather article instead, thus creating a demand for dead cows.

both arguments have their points but, of course, it's not really such a simple dichotomy. i would submit that, in the case of bike saddles, the freegan model is probably appropriate. first, if buying a used saddle makes a non-vegan buy a new one, that new saddle will almost assuredly be non-leather. second: who the heck actually buys used saddles anyway?

not to start a side argument, but newer synthetic saddles are lighter and more comfortable than leather saddles.
when i started riding the aforementioned Rever saddles, one thing i noticed is how comfortable they are from the immediate start-- never needed to be conditioned, and it took me about one week to break it (rever, not k-- k was comfy as **** out of the box) in--assuming it was even broken in; it's more likely that it was all in my head. flexy, light, smooth... there's no reason to use leather, especially if you're vegan.
honestly, the idea of spending a ride sweating on the tanned skin of a dead mammal is sorta grody to begin with.

brooks ftw

My Selle Italia SLR took some breaking in, but it is very comfortable now. However, after riding nearly every day for 4 or so months, it is beginning to show wear. My brooks is pretty comfortable so far, but I have only ridden 10-15 miles, so it is hard to say.

Ok, apparently my blunt and to the point posting style comes across as ass-holish. fair enough, not aiming to tread on toes here. Everyone go grab a beer or ride their bike or sumtin.

if i HAD to buy a non leather saddle, i would go for the WTB Pure race saddle:

http://www.westbrookcycles.co.uk/aca...-RACE-CAMO.jpg

As a side note, while using animal leathers doesn't use petrochemicals for the form of the saddle, the chemicals involved in modern-day leather-making like chromium and others are toxic and not good for the earth, either.

I already pointed that out. But then said that leather last longer, and so...

SELLE ITALIA NITROX FTW. yes.

Yeah, pre-Industrial farming age, meat was very expensive and not very affordable to the middle class. Of course, it was also organic and grass-fed, which both jack up the price of meat today pretty high to the point where you either have to be a foodie, rich, or have very little other expenses to afford regularly.

Vegan? Fixed Gear? hipster Gold!!!

it took you 4 months to ride 10-15 miles!? is that like twenty feet a day?

edits---oops.....two-different-saddles totally sabotages snarky comment. d'oh. ;)
heeheehee