I came across these leather saddles in a Google image search.

On the left is a bunch of the ‘Gyes’ saddle from the Imperial company, of Taiwan. The Imperial Company has many bicycle items that look like products we are familiar with.

The lower picture is a sporty ‘Tops’ saddle from the Fu Jih Co., LTD, also of Taiwan. The pattern is interesting.

Tags: taiwan

Mr. Fink has created a nice bag-mount setup with this standoff and an extra dowel. The bag looks good. More on his blog: The New Practicality.

The Mansfield Saddle Factory

Originally uploaded by recycletimber1

Before the revolutionary Unicanitor plastic saddle came along leather was the standard material for bike saddles. Most of the top brands came from Britain. Photographer recycletimber1 has sought out the homes of some of the many UK leather saddle manufacturers and posted pictures on his Flickr photostream. recycletimber also has a good collecton of vintage saddles on the same photostream.

Are you a snake, a chameleon, or a bull?

Saddlemaker Fi’zi:k illustrates a theory of saddle fit they call  “spine concept. They have neat flash graphics of see-theu riders on bikes. If you are prone to analyzing your interface with the saddle it might be good food for thought. Maybe you can “Find the animal within you.”  Just don’t ask me how it all relates to the Brooks models.

(Fi’zi:k is Brooks’ sister brand)

Enough tire spray on wet roads and your leather saddle can become saturated and vulnerable. Usually we have fenders, or at least a bag under the saddle, for protection. Brooks used to offer these undersaddle shields, probably around the middle of the 20th century. (They’re made out of celluloid if that’s any help with dating them.)

Tags: water damage protection

We have received a small shipment of the colorful Brooks Team Pros and Swifts.

The models are:

• Blue Team Pro – Berlin
• Red Team Pro – Boston
• Blue Swift – London
• Mustard Swift – Seattle
• Red Swift – Philadelphia
• Mandarin Swift – LSP Bike Polo

The price is $205 ( + $9 shipping) each. The saddles are numbered and come in a special carton.

Please call 888 731 3537 (Int’l. 504 314 8500) to order. We only have two each of most colors. More on the way but I’m not sure when they will get here.