Hi Paul,
I have a 1970-ish Gitane catalogue. Oddly, it does not specify saddles for any of the models. But, squinting at the photos reveals what was perhaps a mid-priced, un-sprung, rivitted, leather saddle - something along the lines of a Brooks B-17. ~ So, maybe an Ideale mod. 39 or mod. 42 or something similar would have been correct... for that particular year, at least.
I also recall that San Marco made similar "simulated" leather saddles around 1970... some were complete with rivits and chromed rails, but with less expensive (ie: plastic) tops. So, perhaps, as Al Feng mentioned, San Marco was actually the true OEM saddle source for your bike.
Nice bikes! Congratulations!
Bob Hanson Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA
------------------------------- Paul Woloshansky wrote:
A mint Gitane Hosteler has come into my shop's possession and it's absolutely stock except for the saddle; can anyone give me a clue as to what the OEM saddle was? - I'd like to rebuild it as accurately as possible, since it looks like it went straight from some shop's sales floor right into someone's attic - there isn't a chip in the paint and though the tires are dried out, it looks like they never saw pavement. To stave off any queries; it's not for sale.
Cheers,
Paul Woloshansky
Calgary, Alberta
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