Rene Herse/Berthoud saddles

[CNY rider]

Anyone putting miles in on a Rene Herse/Berthoud saddle?

I ride Brooks Team Pro and Swift, with the Swift being my favorite. My riding position is not aggressive, but the bars are certainly below the saddle.

Open to trying new things.
Any recommendation on which model Berthoud to pick if I get one would be appreciated.

[echelon_john]

I have a Mente on my BMC monster cross and it's great. Break in takes a while.

Just picked up an Aravis for my Frank the Welder; it's the next narrower than the Mente but seems much skinnier. Will see how that goes.

I would say go one size wider than you think you might need if you're comparing it to a standard saddle because some of the width is taken up by the frame, so the break-in/shaping really happens inside that frame width.

JC

[Toddtwenty2]

I love the Aravis.

I used to ride a swift on 2 bikes and a B17 on my touring bike. The Aravis is like a happy medium between the two. It feels slightly wider on the sit bones than the swift and less wide under the sit bones than the B17. It's also much less saggy than either of them due to the much thicker leather.

I ride only 2-3cm below my saddle height, so I am likely not the best source of information if you have more drop.

[jtakeda]

Ive had a berthoud aspin for a few years. It was a little firm at the beginning but I find it to be one of the most comfortable saddles Ive ever ridden.

I only have 1 berthoud and to be honest I havent ridden the saddle in quite some time because the bike it was on has been sold and I'm waiting for a replacement but I always liked it before.

All my other bikes have the original flite saddle and 1 bike has a brooks c17 for comparison.

[CNY rider]

Originally Posted by Toddtwenty2

I love the Aravis.

I used to ride a swift on 2 bikes and a B17 on my touring bike. The Aravis is like a happy medium between the two. It feels slightly wider on the sit bones than the swift and less wide under the sit bones than the B17. It's also much less saggy than either of them due to the much thicker leather.

I ride only 2-3cm below my saddle height, so I am likely not the best source of information if you have more drop.

This is really helpful, that's my typical drop as well.
Thanks.

[Toddtwenty2]

Glad it is helpful.

If you'd like further encouragement - all 3 bikes now have an Aravis.

Note that Ben's Cycle had much better pricing than RH/Compass the last time I looked.

Originally Posted by CNY rider

This is really helpful, that's my typical drop as well.
Thanks.

[Germany_chris]

I ride Brooks saddles and as much as I like BQ and Compass tires I just can’t think of a good reason to buy one of Jan’s saddles

[sg8357]

I ride B17s mostly, I have 1 Pro and Berthoud Aspin,

Easy transition, the Aravis is between the B17 and Pro,
leaning Pro. 5cm drop on my bikes.

I have the Berthoud bag bracket, I had to get bag portion direct from
Berthoud. They are easy to deal with, sent them an email about
international rates, they took care of it. I like the bracket, it frees
up the bag loops for tying on jackets.

[fijichf]

I used to ride Brooks Swallow saddles and they required constant tensioning and I only weigh 165# and then I switched to a Berthoud Aspin and I have a Solour as well. I prefer the Aspin as it’s slightly wider and longer and the bag attachment is nice. They hold up very well in terms of needing adjustment and the quality of the leather is first rate.

Btw, they aren’t Jan’s saddles and you can by them directly from Berthoud, on their eBay store and through Ben’s Cycles among other places.

[Ken Robb]

I loved my B-17 and Champion saddles. Still do. My big surprise came when I bought a bike that had an Arione. One look and I knew it would be an ass-hatchet for me because it was so different from my Brooks. I took the new bike for a test/welcome to the herd ride before changing the Arione for a Brooks and I am so glad that I did. The saddle works great for me and it might also be good for you to try. Never judge a book by its cover, etc.

[AngryScientist]

I have one of the "open" models (forget which specifically...) installed on my JP Weigle, and i quite like it. This bike is set up as a sport tour type mode with a bit of drop to the bars. I would say these are built more robustly, with thicker, stiffer leather than the Brooks I have experience with. It sure is a beautiful saddle too, that's for sure.

[R3awak3n]

I had one on my elephant and it was very good. I much prefered it to my brooks, selle anatomic any other leather saddle I tried.

[bicipunk]

I bought an Aravis for my rando bike three years ago after trying 6 or so different saddles. That Aravis probably has around 25k on it and is the most comfortable thing I've ever ridden. I now have Aravis saddles on all three of my bikes. I've tried the cutout version as well and haven't found it to be any more comfortable. For reference my drop is usually around 4-5cm....

[Hilltopperny]

Originally Posted by CNY rider

Anyone putting miles in on a Rene Herse/Berthoud saddle?

I ride Brooks Team Pro and Swift, with the Swift being my favorite. My riding position is not aggressive, but the bars are certainly below the saddle.

Open to trying new things.
Any recommendation on which model Berthoud to pick if I get one would be appreciated.

I am riding the Soulor and Galibier on most of my bikes. I have an Aspin open on my Drifter. I have a black Soulor sitting here from another build that never received much use. You are welcome to try it out if you'd like.

[charliedid]

Anyone have an Aspin they want to unload? I regret selling the one I had...