I just recently bought from a Belgian seller an Ideale mod 40, yet another model I had never seen before. Ideale made an absolutely astounding number of models. A while back CR member Jay Dubiel posted a link to a list of Ideale models, and I think he is working on an updated list. For those who missed it, here is the link:
It appears that there were Ideale models with almost every number from 38 through 92 (Diagonale) and many of these models has several variations, designated Record, Speciale, Sport, Competition, etc. Several women's or junior models had numbers lower than 30 and after the mod 92, more recent models jumped to mod 134 and its Columbia variation and of course the plastic 2000, 2001, 2003 and 2004.
There are a few gaps in this list in the 38-92 range, but in three cases, mods 40, 70 and 87 I have such a model, even though it isn't on the list or appears with no information. Does anyone know the method, if any, in Ideale model numbers? It seems that newer model tend to have higher numbers, but also more expensive models tend to have higher numbers than less expensive ones from the same era. Perhaps this got confused by the practice of many French component manufacturers of continuing to make olders models for decades, but pushing them down to lower price points as newer models were introduced.
Don't think I've ever ridden an Ideale saddle of any model that I didn't like.
Regards,
Jerry Moos
Big Spring, Texas, USA