Meyer Lenore wrote:
>
> I have a few Wright's Saddles that seem to be carbon copies of Brooks. All
> of them seem as well made as Brooks but somehow they have the reputation of
> being inferior.
>
> Are Wright's saddles a second tier brand? And does Mansfield have a greater
> or lesser reputation than Brooks?
>
> For that matter is there a company that made leather seats with a reputation
> for the finest craftsmanship (Ideale, etc.)
>
> Perhaps Hilary Stone has some insights.
>
> M
I don't know if there is any connection between Wrights and Brooks (Brooks owned Lycett), but they used the same frames and nose hardware. The Wrights were not "inferior," just built to a price. A more economical saddle.
The Mansfield saddles I have seen don't seem to have quite the same quality that the late-30s to mid-50s Brooks saddles had. But then again, I don't think that the mid-60s and later Brooks had the same quality as the early Brooks either!
I would rate the Idéale saddles slightly higher than the Brooks, 1955 and later.
I have heard that most pros rode "butchered" B.17 irregardless of the country they were from.
Chuck Schmidt
South Pasadena, Southern California