There seems to be an opportunity for the fans of Brooks saddles and white bike gear to buy the beautiful white Swallow saddle that was presented to top dealers at this year’s trade shows.

Stussy Japan has a special version of the Brooks white Swallow saddle available.

To show how rare these white Swallow Classic saddles are we quote from the Brooks Dealers of Excellence page:

We are honoured to present to you the first White Swallow. This is a limited edition of 50 pieces, which will not be for sale. This exclusive product is dedicated to our best partners; those dealers who not only sell Brooks Saddles, but who are deeply in love with them also.

The Stussy Swallow boasts design by The Wilson Brothers. In addition to the carton graphics there is a special Wilson Brothers white leather key fob in the same lettered bird design.

This is a limited edition of 150 copies. If you want one it is probably best not to linger. They are listed at 39,900 yen.

(I used to be fascinated by the psychedelic lettering style that the Wilson bros. use. I would spend hours making my own version of the Winterland and Family Dog posters. When the first Thirteenth Floor Elevator album came out I was inspired to paint the ceiling of my room in a similar mode. Maybe it is coming around again. I could re-do all the Wallingford graphics in lovely flowing type.)

Both the Wilson Bros. and the Stussy links have a good picture set from the Brooks factory.

Tags: collectors item, white swallow

I picked a new term today from the blog BYKYAK. ‘Era-crafting refers to “design that features artisinal craftsmanship, high-quaility materials, and a vision for the traditional.”

Bykyak is the musings of Mark Manson. Mark builds classy custom bikes and was one of the top bike guys at Bayou Bicycles, one of the top bike shops here in New Orleans. Katrina changed all that and now Mark and his family have made a place for themselves in the Dallas area. (Bayou Bicycles has just recently re-opened in a new space.)

Bykyak is another good coinage. Mark explains in his first post.

Tags: blogs, words

We are talking with the distributor for Dutch Basil bags with the idea of stocking them in the spring. We have ordered a couple of sets for evaluation. Would you take a second and give us your opinion? It could help a lot.

Lets assume adequate heel clearance and a price under $100.00

Basil Kavan II - canvas saddlebag-style panniers

Basil Blossom - vinyl saddlebag-style panniers

Basil website

Tags: Add new tag, basil, evaluation, pannier

I just heard from Carradice that they will send a shipment of BARLEYS and ZIP ROLLS on Monday, 12/8. If all goes well we should have them on the website a week from today, Friday 12/12. These two bags will be coming in both green and black cotton duck.

Tags: barley, Carradice, ziproll

I just heard from the Brooks importer that there are Brooks Imperial saddles on the water now. Their best guess is one to two weeks. It will take another week to get them here.

There are three models of Imperial: B.17, B.17N, and B.17S. They are black in standard trim. The price is $145.

We have ordered quite a few of these new saddles but I’m not sure how many we will get. If you want to pre-order please call us (888 731 3537) with your credit card and address. When we get the saddles we will fill them as they came in. We will not charge your account until we ship a saddle to you. We cannot promise delivery before Christmas.

Meanwhile. . . we have a B.17N Imperial and a B.17S Imperial that were used for display at Interbike. If you want one of these saddles give us a call (888 731 3537). B.17Ns are intended for racing-style riding. B.17Ss are best suited to shorter riders. The B.17(not N or S) is the best saddle for most riders. Please, please please – don’t order a N or an S just to get one of the saddles that everyone is talking about. If it is not the right shape for you then the cutout won’t matter. You wont be happy with it.

Tags: imperial