Welcome
Thanks for checking out my Vintage Italian Saddle Museum. My name is Steve. I'm an avid cyclist, a USCF Cat 2 racer, a shop mechanic, and a bicycle saddle fetishist. Pretty weird stuff. This site, I hope, will serve as an exhibit of the world's finest high-performance race saddles. I use the word "exhibit" because a fine leather saddle is like a work of art. Functional art, though, because anyone who's spent 6+ hours in the saddle knows that comfort, design, weight, and style serve as criteria that separate the wheat form the chaff. It's those few world-class saddles I wish to showcase and discuss here.
And I do hope discussion will ensue. I'd love to hear what people think of each saddle. If pro riders that you respect use a particular saddle, let everyone know. Feel free to pontificate on the nature and essence of fine bicycle saddles.
posted by Saddle Museum @ 2:40 PM
4 Comments:
You have created a very welcome webpage. Valuable and useful info for anyone wishing to trace the evolution of "modern" saddles. I began riding in the late 1960s on Brooks Pro saddles, later changing to a (basically painful) Cinelli Unicanitor, and have now, many saddle styles later, have come full circle back to Brooks on most of my bikes - which are mainly 1950s through 70s.
In my opinion, the Selle Italia Turbo was the first truly comfortable plastic based saddle. It was one which I could happily ride for many hours and for many consecutive days. I was sad to see it discontinued.
With Selle San Marco's purchase of Brooks, and their limited edition reissue of some famous and long vanished Brooks models (like the Swallow & Sprinter), perhaps there is hope for their own Rolls as well. Easy availabillity of the gaudy old Rolls would be another great asset for bike restorations.
Then, if the Rolls were to see a successful return for what appears to be a growing retro market, I would not be surprised to also see a commemorative return of the Turbo Special with it's flashy gold badges.
I have a vintage Italian leather saddle. It has what looks like Tris, Fris, or Iris on the nameplate in cursive a la Brooks. I'm having a tough time finding any info on it.
Anon, I also have one of these on a Atala frame. I have found no information either.
I was was wondering if you had any info on the Iscaselle-Middlemores saddles? Thanks.
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