Composites, microfibers, synthetics. They amaze in their qualities; light, strong, durable – unyieldingly stiff or unimaginably suple, depending on our whim. When modern components arrive on my doorstep, upon lifting the unremarkable cardboard box I often wonder whether there is anything at all inside or if perhaps the person on the other end of the postal system had allowed their mind to wander beyond the task at hand and neglected to place the product in the box before sealing it and handing it off to a worker whose uniform invokes the wrath of dogs the world over.
This was not the case when my vintage 80’s-era Selle San Marco Rolls was delivered from deep within the bowels of eBay. The box had a heft to it that hinted at something substantial within its confines. Freed from its cardboard prison, the saddle lay heavy in my hand, its heft signaling an inherent quality about it that only heavy products seem to convey. But the saddle showed its age; the leather was dry and worn, the brass trim and emblems tarnished black.
This saddle isn’t made of synthetics, it was no lost cause. This saddle is made of organic materials that require care and maintenance in order to maintain their beauty. And, when let fall into disrepair, they can often be restored to their original glory. Out came my polishes and waxes, and within a few minutes the leather covering the saddle which had only moments before been worn and gray was now gleaming with a deep, black finish. The brass, touched up with polish and the tarnish wiped instantly from its surface. Within a quarter hour, the saddle was once again a beacon of a bygone era.
These old leather saddles took a few hundred kilometers to ride in; not as long as their all-leather predecessors, but much longer than our carbon-shell, microfiber modern saddles. With time, the rubbing of chamois-clad tooshie polished the leather into a gleaming beauty which whispered of the long journey over which it had carried its rider as they forged their path together along La Vie Velominatus.
Heavy and big as they were, these saddles had character; one would somehow be more comfortable than another which was supposed to be identical. Each would develop its own unique finish as the characteristics of the leather cover and the shape of it’s rider’s backside would reveal its unique beauty over time. The saddles owned by the Pros in the 80’s and 90’s became impossibly shiny; I remember being enraptured by the sight of the gleaming saddle swaying back and forth as Gert-Jan Theunisse moved en danseuse up the Galibier in the 1989 Tour enroute to a solo win atop l’Alpe d’Huez.
If today’s saddles are marvels of lightweight and comfort, these old saddles were a looking glass into the history that rider and machine had forged together.
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@Deakus
The pros are already riding with weights in their saddles and aside from Boonen who rides an unbadged Regal and Pharmstrong who rode a Concor Light, I'm not aware of any Pros opting for classic saddles over the new ones. Part of it is that it really matters where the weight is on the bike - putting it up on the saddle means that you'll feel it when climbing out of the saddle and the bike is swaying back and forth. This is why they generally put the weights in the BB or in the seat tube down near the BB.
And, aside from those racing under UCI regulations, enthusiasts and amateurs aren't beholden to those weight regulations, so the weight weenies will still opt to go under the limits.
@Unica
All I see is tumor and two big bidons.
@snoov
Just waiting to work out the details on the packaging...Should be any day. The plugs - or, as we call them, the handlebar cufflinks - themselves are actually finished...
@Oli
Correct, I've never seen him on anything but the Cinelli Unicantor.
Merkcx's unicantor came complete with DeVries's greased finger prints.
@frank
Strange, I am only quoting what I have read and it is quite hard to find a photo of him out of the saddle to check....but.....could this possibly be a Brooks....it looks quite similar.
@Deakus Well bless my soul, you're right! You learn something new every day. Thanks, Deakus.
@Oli I was feeling a bit out on a limb there because I had read in several places that they both used them but a fairly extensive search of google images on just about every interation of Merckx Coppi Brooks and Saddle was giving me very little pictorial evidence....one photo does not make a career but it does seem to get mentioned with a lot of confidence in text in a few places.....I might look at some youtube footage tomorrow and see if I can't dig up something a little more concrete than one small fuzzy black and white photo!
@Deakus
Wow, awesome!!! And check out how much pain the chain is in!
Just succeeded in securing a Brooks swallow for £57 including postage off ebay....not too bad considering they are £155 brand new! It is a bit weathered in parts but nothing that won't polish up over a few days....not the titanium version but it is going on the rain bike so i don't really care about the weight...might have to do a before and after photo.
er i mean £115 brand new...
@frank Can't argue with that, so I won't!