Christopher, I ride (on one of my bikes anyway) a wide, sprung VO leather saddle that has been extremely comfortable. It's a sort of B66/67 pattern and has been on my cargo bike for about 2 years and had quite a lot of use. I'm very pleased with it. VO make 3 or 4 models in different widths. I can't recall the cost (direct from VO) but it seemed very reasonable and in the range you are harking back to. Some of the lower-end Lepper saddles are also quite reasonably priced although I've never seen one to hold or look at closely. I've seen Indian bikes with repro Brooks saddles (that can be bought very cheaply mailorder) but they don't look and feel too good to me.
So there is some choice of quality leather saddles from at least 3 manufacturers - maybe more. I personally have not found a more comfortable saddle than Brooks (or VO) as long as I get the width right. I used to ride an old Turbo but after switching to a more upright position the wider shape of the B-17 and Flyer became my ideal. I haven't yet found a plastic-based saddle to compare to these. Like visits to my dentist, I don't begrudge Brooks one cent of their price although I do agree that they can be expensive things. The trick might be to find a shop with low overheads (usually a single person operation) who can afford to order and sell them a little more cheaply... Savvas, On Friday, November 23, 2012 3:17:06 PM UTC+10:30, Christopher Murray wrote: > > I had not bought a new Brooks in a few years and was shocked at the > prices. I think they are great saddles but starting at $120 for a standard > B17 is insane. You could get them for a fraction of that just a few years > ago. WIth all the other saddles out there, do you think they are worth this > much money? Especially with some great new brands and re-intro of some > classics (Regal, Contour, Regal, etc). Has anyone tried any of these > re-intros or have a Brooks alternative they like? > > Cheers! > cm > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msg/rbw-owners-bunch/-/kAtAnxn2LoAJ. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en.
