WyvernRH wrote:
Also I am a big fan of the touring <sic> type plastic/leather combo saddles that came out around the 80's like the Turbo, the Royale and the Madison. I can just jump on any bike fitted with one of these and be comfortable.
Just looking through my old stash, and there's a couple of this type that I'm thinking about re-covering.
One is an '80s era that's just marked "G.E.S. Made in Spain". This was a moderately light weight saddle for it's day (about 300g) and I always found it surprisingly comfortable.
The other one I have even less idea about, other than it's '80s at the very latest, but possibly a lot earlier. The only marking on it is "Made in Italy", and unusually (for a plastic shell saddle) it has the tensioning bolt system in the nose to adjust the body flex. Also, and this may just be because of it's age, the shell looks a bit different to modern plastic shells, with a kind of fibrous appearance in places where it's been a bit scuffed up. This one is a very substantial saddle, a little bit heavy but an exceptionally comfortable touring saddle.
I'll post some pictures later if anyone is interested. I'd definitely be curious to know a bit more about the "Made in Italy" one with the tension bolt.