Cycling UK Forum

Opinions please team.
I recently splashed out and bought a far too expensive Gilles Berthoud saddle.
After one ride of 37miles it looks like this.
Does that look right to you?

No. Remove the spirit level. It will be a lot more comfortable. If you need to know how steep the hills are you have the wrong pastime.

Did it look like this before the ride?

Thanks

Jonathan

wouldn't be flat enough for me.

in other news your stabilizer looks far too big and the wheel is not pointing in the direction of travel.

You guys are hilarious, but have stopped laughing now.
To be honest I didn't take that much notice of it out of the box but think I would have noticed it if it look like it does now, and am pretty sure it was flat.
I spent a lot of time today shifting backwards and forward on it and thought I must have fitted it too far back. Just couldn't purchase my backside on the back of it.

No. My own Gilles Berthoud (although a different model) was flat when bought and remains flatter than the saddle pictured. Back to the retailer, methinks... I know it's not strictly a guide to go by, as the pictures don't show the very one you bought, but the vast majority of marketing images of GB saddles show an item that is ruler-flat.

That model is a Mente I believe. I ride the Aspin, indeed I have 5 of them having bought my first in 2012. My first one of them went a little bow shaped after only about 1500 miles but was perfectly comfortable so did nothing about it. My others are all still fairly flat after many thousands of miles.. I eventually replaced the leather on this one several thousands of miles later.

So the answer is, it is not right but if you are comfortable on it then persevere. Alternatively you could talk to the supplier and get it replaced.

Sagging Old but still very good

My own Aspin has a lot of miles in it and is still nearly flat. So that amount of sag looks wrong to me. I'd contact the supplier, and I'd want a new top through the post.

Vetus Ossa wrote: ↑26 May 2022, 2:20pm Does that look right to you?

No, it's sagged in the middle. It looks more like a hammock.

My Brooks Professionals on my bikes have done many tens of thousands of miles and haven't sagged at all.

Thanks the above posters.
It doesn't look right to me either and it wasn't comfortable.
This saddle is supposed to be for commuting riding in an upright position as I do and is very broad on the back. If I could actually sit on the back of it I think it would be fine but obviously I end up sitting on the saggy part (not my saggy part petee.)

You're absolutely sure you're not riding a Pedersen?

Being serious, the leather at the nose looks like it's cracking/crazing already. Something wrong with that hide, I think.

Bonefishblues wrote: ↑26 May 2022, 3:43pm You're absolutely sure you're not riding a Pedersen?

Being serious, the leather at the nose looks like it's cracking/crazing already. Something wrong with that hide, I think.

Yes, I agree, will speak to the guy I bought it from tomorrow.

Shouldn't sag like that until many more miles I think. Does it have a tension adjuster underneath like a Brooks?

bgnukem wrote: ↑26 May 2022, 4:13pm Shouldn't sag like that until many more miles I think. Does it have a tension adjuster underneath like a Brooks?

Yes it does but I don’t think I should need to use that yet do you.

Below is a GB saddle that must have done well over 10000 miles. It isn’t perfectly flat, but is comfortable and it hasn’t sagged much in 10 years. I haven’t touched the tension adjuster and also don’t regularly douse it in the GB beeswax-smelling equivalent of Proofide. Maybe gets a quick wipe over once a year.

Is yours new or pre-owned? If new, it looks like an exception to the rule which should be exchanged. If secondhand, maybe it has been lathered in excess leather dressing which has softened it.

I know people who have recent Brooks “hammocks” as well. It usually turns out they regularly use masses of Proofide, and are enthusiastic turners of the tension bolt.

“If it ain’t broke, there’s no need to try to fix it” seems to be good general advice for leather saddles of all makes.