Sprung Leather Bicycle Saddles (Part 1)

次回この記事の日本語版を投稿します。

I admit it.  I am old-fashioned. I make a conscious effort to appreciate the simple things and not allow myself to be carried away by mass marketing and conspicuous consumption.  I like simple things that are made well from genuine materials, work well and with care will last a long, long time.  Preferably a lifetime.  I like the fact that, if you take care of "something", that "something" will take care of you.  Sprung leather saddles are a good example.  Leather is great, much like a fine pair of leather shoes, boots,  or a high-quality leather baseball glove, through repeated use they literally mold or conform to one's individual physique for a truly perfect fit.  If one takes care of the leather, the saddle will provide long lasting comfort.

In the 1950's the majority of the saddles varied mainly based more on how the saddle was sprung, i.e. the suspension, rather than the top profile.  In the next few posts I shall introduce some of the main models.

Let's begin with the "Hammock" saddle.  This is a classic design.  Although individual manufacturers had their own model numbers in general the Hammock saddle was referred to as the 800 series.

The profile even resembles a hammock.


Front loops.

Back loops.


Top profile.

In the 800 series, there were other variations, mainly based on additional number of coils or loops in the front and back.
Compare the following models.

800

880


890

The 800 series or Hammock saddle was indeed a simple design.
As will become self-evident over the next few posts it was the 800 series or Hammock saddle which had the fewest number of parts.

In the next English post we shall continue to take a look at another main saddle model from the 1950s.