Saddles Thread?

[Andre Jute]

Have some slight misgivings as I don't normally buy knock-offs...  Then again, I also bought a set of Spa's XD2 cranks for my Raven's drive train, and am very pleased by how pretty they look, all the more so 'cos of the very good price -- sans VAT, several steps south of £20.

Whoa! The XD2 cranks Spa sells aren't the knockoffs, they're the real thing straight from Sugino. It's the poncey, polished, house-branded ones out of China that are the knockoffs. And Sugino is so easy to work with, many of the housebrand XD2 aren't Chinese knock-offs either, but real Sugino made by Sugino with somebody else's brand on them. My Stronglight Impact Compact cranks are really Sugino Cospea forged by Sugino and labelled for Stronglight; other Stronglight Impact models, including their Rohloff-specific models, are Sugino XD2, ditto. At four times the price of Spa's XD2...

Well done, John.

[John Saxby]

Thank gawd for that Andre, for setting me straight -- I done a good thing without fully knowing it...  Seeing no brand name, I thought perhaps they were no-name, despite the XD2 tag. And you're right, they really do look the business. I ordered from Spa in part on your recommendation in an earlier thread, and their advice, service and prices were all first-rate.  Any soothing words about the saddle, now that we're on the subject?

[Andre Jute]

Thank gawd for that Andre, for setting me straight....  Any soothing words about the saddle, now that we're on the subject?

Man, it will do my image no good to be seen speaking to a softie like you. Real men ride Real MAN Saddles.

Checked it out at the Spa site; saw in the review about the Derwent tool bag, which I'll check when I have a moment (at the moment I'm shopping for paintbrushes and all the fibers I want now belong to protected animals); probably time to cruise the Spa site again and see what they have, especially since it was reported here that they had sorted their problems with posting to Ireland, which was what stopped me buying from them in years gone by.

[peter jenkins]

I thought it worth mentioning that I have taken the advice offered earlier in this thread and laced my Brooks B17N.

It's only a few months old and was very (too?) easy to break in compared to two earlier versions on other bikes. Anyway, the sides began to flare outwards and the top to sag, but lacing it has made a huge difference.

I'm hoping the effect is long term. Theoretically, it should be as it would be  a matter of tightening the lacing if the problem resurfaced.

Cheers,

pj

[JWestland]

Talking saddles...quite a few shops doing Christmas sales.

So good time to change one perchance if you're not sure what to get?

[Chris M]

I've been looking for one of these since buying the Club Tour frame, currently on Amazon for around £160, I managed to get it for £90 from Cyclestore...happy days!

[leftpoole]

Whoa! The XD2 cranks Spa sells aren't the knockoffs, they're the real thing straight from Sugino. It's the poncey, polished, house-branded ones out of China that are the knockoffs. And Sugino is so easy to work with, many of the housebrand XD2 aren't Chinese knock-offs either, but real Sugino made by Sugino with somebody else's brand on them. My Stronglight Impact Compact cranks are really Sugino Cospea forged by Sugino and labelled for Stronglight; other Stronglight Impact models, including their Rohloff-specific models, are Sugino XD2, ditto. At four times the price of Spa's XD2...

Well done, John.

Hello,
Another big thank you to Spa Cycles for these cranks. I run three of my Thorn bikes using Spa cranks (triples) at £35 a pop! Deal or what? Very good they are too. Lightweight (which is what one needs on a quality but pretty heavy bike) plus they look good and work very well indeed.
Thorn quality with Spa quality with value!
John

[Danneaux]

I've been looking for one of these since buying the Club Tour frame...

Oh, that's a beautiful saddle, Chris, and at a fantastic price! All congratulations your way on what is sure to be a long and happy relationship!

Can't wait to see photos of it on the bike.

Best,

Dan.

[Chris M]

Thanks Dan, the saddle was delivered this morning just in time as I'm starting to build the Club tour up tomorrow. Will post some pictures once it's finished.

[jags]

i had that same saddle on my sherpa super comfy straight out of the box.

[Andre Jute]

Definitely, photos. Looking forward to them.

[JWestland]

Has anybody ever used Concors?

Shape looks like it may suit me.

(I know...not a Man Saddle...Sheldow's Ghost should do a female version for that lol)

Sheldow is a bit like Brian O'Blivion for those that have seen Videodrome...his words live on.

[JWestland]

So my Concor, while lovely is a tad TOO hard for the lovely Belfast roads. It also turns out that I really need a cutout.

I just bought a Selle SMP TRK. The male's version is 160 mm wide, the female version is 170. I went with the male one.

Went for a 24 mile test ride. No issues at all with perineum/sitbones/bits of pleasure(tm)

So if you find a real road orientated saddle too hard and want a bit more padding this may be a good one to try. CRC has them for £35.

There's a little chafing on the inner thighs, so if you are very susceptible to chafing there it may not work for you. Supposedly a T-shaped saddle is better if you get chafing, so Specialized Ronin/Avatar etc. are then options.

[Danneaux]

Yay, Jawine!

Sounds as if the Saddle Search may be over for you...at least for now. It makes such a difference to the overall Riding Experience™ if one isn't thinking about how terribly this or that hurts. I've been through the saddle wars myself...I think we all have at one time or another.

So glad to hear you've found a winner!

All the best,

Dan.

[onebikeoneworld]

Got myself a new saddle - the bizarre looking, but rather comfortable Manta from www.mantasaddle.co.uk