Harvey,
The very short horizontal section of straight alloy rail on the Ideale alloy 90s makes adjusting the fore-aft saddle position difficult for some of us. (That's why I am not riding my alloy-rail Ideale now. On my Eisentraut with an American Classic post, I end up riding on the saddle's copper rivets trying to get the right position, and that is not the much-sought-after "sweet spot," I guarantee you... similarly Perhaps you never achieved a proper position with your Ideale and were thus disappointed. As we all know, positioning is critical on those pressure points.. :-)
But the leather on my alloy-railed 90 is the softest and most comfort of any leather saddle I have ever owned. That's why I still have the saddle and hope to find either an adequately-set-back post or a new (Ti? Steel? I do not care) set of rails for it with a longer adjustment range.
In fact, one of my top priorities for products to "bring back" would be a new/old set of replacement saddle rails for the alloy-framed Ideales.....
Regards,
Jon
On Jan 29, 2010, at 8:41 AM, <classicrendezvous-request@bikelist.org>
<classicrendezvous-request@bikelist.org> wrote:
> Message: 12
> Date: Fri, 29 Jan 2010 06:55:35 -0500
> From: Harvey Sachs <hmsachs@verizon.net>
> Subject: [CR] our Ideale 90 (alloy rails) on eBay #380201595154
> To: Classic Rendezvous <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>,
> <daviabraham@yahoo.com>
> Message-ID: <4B62CCB7.5040501@verizon.net>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed
>
> Dave Abraham wrote that he's selling his Ideale 90 (alloy rails)
> on eBay
> #380201595154.
>
> http://ebay.com/
> ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
> I had one of these for a a couple of decades.
> It sure is elegant, particularly with the bespoke micro-adjust clamp.
> but, I never got comfortable with it.
>
> I finally concluded that either it was designed for a very different
> contact area, or was a triumph of engineering over focus group
> consumer
> testing. I gave mine to a friend, and it resides happily on his shelf
> instead of mine.
>
> Honestly, now, is there anyone out there who joyfully uses one of
> these
> on a bike that is ridden serious distance with reasonable frequency?
>
> Or is it just me? A person of such poor morals that I ride some old
> bikes with newer saddles and off-topic clipless pedals. Until it
> is time
> for Cirque, when they revert to vintage.
>
> But they sure are elegant. Oh, I said that.
>
> harvey sachs
> mcLean va
>
>
Jon Spangler Writer/editor Linda Hudson Writing
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