What do you think of this?

Home:Ballyhoura

Hi, I have a Trek 1.5 as seen below and I just want your opinion on the following before I go and do it! I was thinking of white, a white saddle (Selle Italia C2 Gel Flow on CRC & PBK for €40) and tapes. Can you reccomend any other reasonably priced white saddles, maybe with red accents? What are Selle Italia like (and what about this model? 265g vs my current 330g Bontrager which doesn't suit me), are the any good? Also, can you reccomend a good white bar tape (I know this is sad, it really does't matter I hear you say!) I was thinking of Deda or Cinelli!

My Bike:


Selle Italia C2 Pictures:

short circuit

The charge spoon saddle comes highly recommended and is cheaper and lighter than the Selle .. and comes in white.

If you go on wiggle .. there are a couple of other options on charge spoon as well.

The charge spoon knife available for around 40 euro gets excellent review here

Home:Ballyhoura

Anyone tried BeOne Gel bar tape? http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=33555

The other 2 I was looking at were:

• Ambrosio for €1.88 http://www.probikekit.com/display.php?code=A1554
• Deda for €5.57 http://www.probikekit.com/display.php?code=A1216

I'd say I'll go with the C2 Gel Flow for €36.75 unless someone says otherwise!
http://www.probikekit.com/display.php?code=S0037

All ProBikeKit prices shown here are inclusive of 15% VAT incase you were wondering!

sean_d

Specialized do a white saddle with red ascents, which would look quite well....but a Spec saddle on a Trek might be a bit anti-Euro?

Chips Lovell

I had that saddle until very recently. It was grand, but once the winter months arrived it got trashed. The wet weather used to soften the leather and the seams on my shorts wore off the surface in big patches.

Cinelli Cork is a very nice bartape, but the white is very hard to clean. You're better off getting something with a shiny, synthetic finish. I've used Cinelli Carbon and Fizik Microtex in white and both are pretty easy to clean.

Home:Ballyhoura

el tonto wrote: »

I had that saddle until very recently

What saddle were you talking about here?

Chips Lovell

Home:Ballyhoura wrote: »

What saddle were you talking about here?

Selle Italia C2 Gel Flow

Raam has one too. Same thing happened.

Home:Ballyhoura

el tonto wrote: »

Selle Italia C2 Gel Flow

Raam has one too. Same thing happened.

Are they any good though? Like what do they look like after this happens, any pictures? At €36.75 weighing 260g, I might just give it a go!

I fell in love with the Specialized Toupe just there, only 150g - €75 http://www.cyclestore.co.uk/images/products/Xtra/7906.jpg

The Alias is €56 weighing 250g http://www.specialized.com/bc/SBCEquipPopup.jsp?equipimage=/OA_MEDIA/equip/07SaddleAlias_All_l.jpg&equipmodel=Alias%20Saddle

Chips Lovell

Home:Ballyhoura wrote: »

Are they any good though?

Well, it was nice and comfortable. But the surface wearing off in its first winter meant I thought it was poor value for money.

Home:Ballyhoura wrote: »

Like what do they look like after this happens, any pictures?

There were big grey/brown patches on the side. No photos. I'm in Spain at the moment, so won't be able to photograph it until I get back in January. Raam oblige if you ask him nicely.

Andy-Pandy

short circuit wrote: »

The charge spoon saddle comes highly recommended and is cheaper and lighter than the Selle .. and comes in white.

If you go on wiggle .. there are a couple of other options on charge spoon as well.

The charge spoon knife available for around 40 euro gets excellent review here

I have this saddle on my bike. I sit on it for nine hours a day and its excellent.

Raam

el tonto wrote: »

Well, it was nice and comfortable. But the surface wearing off in its first winter meant I thought it was poor value for money.



There were big grey/brown patches on the side. No photos. I'm in Spain at the moment, so won't be able to photograph it until I get back in January. Raam oblige if you ask him nicely.

Found a pic...



It's the white saddle at the back on the right. You can see where the white has worn away. It's the same on the other side, and also some smaller patches along the nose of the saddle.

gaffmaster

Cheapest Option

Home:Ballyhoura

Raam wrote: »

Found a pic...



It's the white saddle at the back on the right. You can see where the white has worn away. It's the same on the other side, and also some smaller patches along the nose of the saddle.

Thats not the C2 Gel Flow is it? Where did those marks come from, and is it worth €36 or would you reccomend any other white saddles? Thanks

blorg

Raam wrote: »

That pic cracks me up, it's like some sort of bicycle orgy.

OP- white bars and saddle would look very good on your Trek I think, of course as long as you can keep them clean. You have the white in the frame already and white goes very nicely with red. I have never gone white myself but I do have Fizik tape on one of my bikes. It looks very nice indeed and is sort of wipeable clean in a way that cork is not. Seems more durable and resistant to scratches than cork too. One drawback though is that the tape is VERY thin and not as comfortable as good cork tape. You could counter this with those Specialized gel inserts that go under the tape (I think niceonetom did this.)

Chips Lovell

blorg wrote: »

One drawback though is that the tape is VERY thin and not as comfortable as good cork tape. You could counter this with those Specialized gel inserts that go under the tape (I think niceonetom did this.)

Or just double wrap your bars.

Raam

Home:Ballyhoura wrote: »

Thats not the C2 Gel Flow is it? Where did those marks come from, and is it worth €36 or would you reccomend any other white saddles? Thanks

I can't remember the exact model, but I paid a lot more than 36 blips, more like 120. The marks are the white part of the saddle wearing away. Presumably similar to el tonto's. I think my next saddle will be a Specialized Body Geometry.

niceonetom

i have a specialized toupe and am very happy with it. have specialized BG saddles on all my bikes actually - they seem to fit me very well. the plastic tip on the toupe seems to lose its colour fairly quickly though (i don't care, but others would).

i also like Fizik's tape, though it is a bit thin as blorg mentioned. i used these with it. nice. and they last more or less indefinitely.

Home:Ballyhoura

niceonetom wrote: »

i have a specialized toupe

Do you mind if I ask how much you paid for it and where you got it? Also, what colour and size did you get? Is it lasting well, like worth the money

TinyExplosions

+1 on the fizik bar gel -reuseable (wet slightly if it loses its stickiness) and you can just keep on using it

niceonetom

ebay. i paid $99 for it on a buy-it-now bid from a guy in the US. new, and in its box. it's the plain white and silver one, with the gel. i think you could get it cheaper though - it was a bit of an impulse purchase.

i got the 143mm size which i knew would be right for me because i was upgrading from a spec alias which i got in cycleways (//shudder). i got my arse sit-bones measured there - if your near town i'd recommend doing this. then guffaw extravagantly at their prices and leave. that's what i do anyway.

i've only had it a few months so i can't really say how durable it will be in the long term - it certainly seems fairly robust for something so light. the 'leather' surface is tough (i haven't had the issues el_tonto seems to have had with that italian junk (!)) but the silver paint on the tip has started to wear away showing the black underneath. this has also happened with caroline_ie's 'jett' saddle (the female version of the toupe) so it seems to be a problem across the range. could be sorted out now, and may not be an issue at all with the red painted version, can't say for sure.

bottom (heh) line though, it's very comfortable, and pretty light. i'd give it 9.5 thumbs up.

copacetic

niceonetom wrote: »

i have a specialized toupe and am very happy with it. have specialized BG saddles on all my bikes actually - they seem to fit me very well. the plastic tip on the toupe seems to lose its colour fairly quickly though (i don't care, but others would).

I have a specialized toupe also, and I have a specialized alias saddle in white on my bike!

something like this one:



'cept mine has black accents

Home:Ballyhoura

Is it just me, or do the Specialized ones not get worn (black marks) like the ones seen on the Selle Italia above? Where is the best place to get these Specialized (price wise) and is there anywhere near Limerick where I can get measured for one?

Toupe or Alias in your opinion?

What do you think of this: http://www.evanscycles.com/products/specialized/toupe-team-saddle-ec008408

Freddy687

If you want you can put Bontrager parts on the bike.
Bar tape:
http://www.bontrager.com/model/00075/en

Saddles:
http://www.bontrager.com/model/07134/en#details

The 2008 range of Trek road bikes came with White saddles, there may be some lying around on Ebay.

Home:Ballyhoura

For €57 on Evans, I'll probably go with the Specialized Toupe Team (Black & Red - 130mm) Good deal on it at the moment, but I'm not sure wether it is a bit over the top (pro-race orientated) for me, even though I do race myself, just at a junior level. The other thing was the size, 130 is the only one left, anyone used Body Geometry saddles? Whats the sizing like, and can I get measured up for one anywhere near Limerick
P.S. Its not white, but should stay looking nice for longer! Still looks good though?!?!

copacetic

130 sounds narrow, is that the smallest one? My bike came with the 143, couldn't get fitted as got bike online, but they said that 8/10 people went for the standard saddle. (They would say that though). It seems ok to me.

I wouldn't got for anything outside the medium/standard if not fitted. I think there may have been cut-outs online somewhere than you could print out to check your ass against but that may be something else kinky!

short circuit

Specialized have a seat size calculator somewhere on their website ... I will see if can find it .. you will probably still need someone to measure your sit bones .... ... 130 would be fairly narrow

Home:Ballyhoura

I want this saddle, its just the size available is holding me off! Just to let ye know, I'm only 5'6 and a half, racing junior so the 130 might be ok! What you think? Thats a good offer from Evans also, and I'd love to get the good deal, especially with the exchange rate at it's lowest EVER!