I received today this Ideale Columbia, bought off French eBay a couple of week ago:
This is essentially an Ideale model 134, but stamped to honor the US Space Shuttle Columbia. The Columbia, of course, broke up on reentry in 2003, killing all aboard, but these saddles were made several years before that, so they were presumably made to celebrate the Columbia's successes, not to commemorate the subsequent tradgey. Anyone know more of the story of why a French saddle manufacturer should celebrate the American space shuttle? Many of the French, at least the French elite, were evidently great admirers of the American space program, and in fact those who used to watch the American TV series In The Day that followed the worldwide exploits of the great French explorer and scientist Jacques Cousteau, know that Cousteau often spoken with admiration of the American space program.
The other interesting aspect of this saddle is that it was evidently not made in France by the original firm Tron et Berthet (yes, THAT Berthet). The giveaway is that on one side it is stamped "French Design", implying it was not actually made in France. Evidently another manufacturer/ manufacturers obtained the rights to the name after the demise of Tron & Berthet, with Leppers of Holland being most often mentioned, but it is said a German firm made some late Ideales as well. I'm hearing that T&B produced the first Columbias, not long before their demise. Those who follow Ideale will know that the Ideale model 92 Diagonale was also produced both originally by T&B and later by Leppers and perhaps others. The late Diagonales also were marked "French Design".
I've kind of binged on Ideales the last month or two, as I bought a mod 44, this Columbia, and in the last couple of days a mod 92 Diagonale (the original French-made B&T version), and an alloy-railed Ideale 90. I've been looking for an alloy Ideale, but they have become very pricely of late, which I blame in large part on Jan Heine, as his book "The Golden Age of Handmade Bicycles" shows alloy-railed Ideales on probably at least half the bikes pictured, which seems to have greatly increased the interest in these saddles. But I have to confess it was largely this book and his discussion of these saddle in Bicycle Quarterly that raised my own interest in them. The alloy model 90 wasn't cheap, but IMHO a better deal than one that went for $222 a couple of weeks ago even though the leather top to me seemed totally trashed, meaning it would be useful only for total restoration.
Regards,
Jerry Moos Big Spring, Texas, USA, commuting the last month on a Ti railed Brooks Swift as fitting on the English-built Arthur Caygill