Did Dale actually have a problem with this? The really expensive Brooks is the new limited edition Swallow, the reissue of a very classic model. I know, Ti rails, but I think a Brooks Swallow is at least KOF.
I personally have not bought a $500 Swallow, nor would I do so. Just paid my VISA account last night, and I am reminded that last month I paid approximately $450 and $550 respectively for a complete Colnago DUALL and a complete circa 1980 Zunow. So for the price of a limited edition Swallow, one can buy a very nice complete classic bike.
As to $843 for the Selle Turbo, it defies belief. I bought several NIP Selle Turbos, in assorted colors, including blue, for I think about $20 each a couple of years ago when Nashbar had them on sale. Now the one on eBay is an Hinault version, which I believe means it has alloy rails. I have a couple of those also, though not NIP and not in blue. But really. The buyer isn't even Japanese, and he has 121 feedbacks, so he he isn't exactly an eBay newbie either. One almost thinks he put the decimal point in the wrong place and meant to bid $84.30, which itself would have been more than I would have paid.
But maybe this is just an example of a person with way too much money, who wants exactly what he wants, wants it right now, and really doesn't give a damn what its costs. I'm convinced that with a little patience, he could have found that saddle for well under $100, but perhaps he just doesn't care.
As to Brooks, I remember someone making the statement in the early days of the CR List, that the day they announced that Brooks had gone out of business, the price of Brooks saddles would instantly double. It almost came to that a couple of times since, but instead they were bought by an Italian saddle maker, I keep forgettig which one, who realize the real value of the product, and have raised prices accordingly. Many here actually welcomed the new ownership and even the price increases, as the higher prices were seen as insuring Brooks' profitability and therefore survival. Now the price increases have perhaps been greater than we wanted to see, but that is in part due to the increase in the pound from I think as low as $1.40 a few years ago to $2.00 now. And the really big price increases were on the Ti railed models, and the only totally outrageous price limited to the limited edition Swallow. So if one is content with the traditional steel rails, it could be argued that Brooks prices are just about what they should be to assure the product's viability, at least when the weaker dollar is taken into account. I even note that Brooks have recently introduced the Swift, which had been availabile only with Ti rails, in a version with steel rails at a lower price, so they are apparently not completely insensitive to the affordability of their products. Now if we could only get the dollar back to $1.50 to the pound.
Regards,
Jerry Moos Big Spring, Texas, USA
Tony Colegrave <tony_colegrave@hotmail.com> wrote:
Regarding my previous.
In order to mollify Dale and also spare the blushes of any who may respo
nd, I should have suggested that any replies should be sent to me off-list,
perhaps?
Tony Colegrave, Northiam, East Sussex, United(?) Kingdom.> From: tony_co
legrave@hotmail.com> To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org> Subject: RE: [CR]B
lue Suede Shoes - Er Saddle> Date: Tue, 20 May 2008 12:16:32 +0000> > > C'm
on now, 'fess up. Anyone on the list who's actually bought one of the> 'new
Brooks' - the ones that Kurt's alluding to, that is?> Off-topic, I know, b
ut don't blame me - blame Kurt. I'm just doing resea> rch.> Tony Colegrave,
Northiam, East Sussex, U.K._________________________________> ____________
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