leather | Ocean Air Cycles

Maker Mark

This was one of those slow-moving long in the making sort of projects that came to a head all of a sudden. There was a bit of web searching, then some asking around, with no good solution on how to get a quality Maker Stamp for a decent price from a contractor here in the US. Then, in the last two weeks, I made the time to meet a fantastic local leather wholesaler, who directed me to Jeff at Grey Ghost Graphics. Within a week and a half I went from concept to tool in my hand.

Fantastic is the best word I can come up with, service, quality, speed of delivery, etc. all exceeded my expectations. Thank you Jeff.

I now have a more professional way to mark the bags, wallets and other upcoming soft goods. Making things with your hands is satisfying, other people wanting one of their own is rewarding, but completing the process with a brand takes it to the next level.

Designer Builder Maker ?

While signing up for the Philly Bike Expo earlier this week the question came up if I was a “Builder”? My first answer was no, “Designer” with an OEM contractor. Then I filled in the description a bit more with “Bag Maker”. The thing is, it is hard to describe this in one simple phrase. Would I make the upcoming bikes if I had the means? I am pretty sure the answer is yes, but the tooling and equipment are out of reach and not feasible in our current space. For now I am a Designer with respect to the bikes.

On the bags I am designer, and maker at the moment. Maybe that makes me a bag and wallet builder? That is an issue of semantics. For now I wear all three hats.

The bottom line is that I know what I like, the way I want particular things to be and perform. This may sound selfish, but I love to make things. I get an idea in my head, work it out on paper, and often take it into the workshop to bring it into reality. Today’s example is a couple of revisions to the Makr style touring wallet. Based on feedback from the first round, the design was revised into a wallet with more pockets and a version that can hold a boat load of cards for a trade show (NAHBS is this weekend). Two completely different wallets, and what was an item is becoming a line.

The wallet is going to a friend who will run it through the paces. The card holder is for me. The exercise helped fuel my creative energy to complete more complex designs, like the handlebar bag I have in the works. Likewise it is a release so that I can better focus on the business side of things the rest of the day without the distraction of pent up designs floating around in my head.

I know how to design things so that they can be made over and over, in the hopes that more people than myself agree with my line of thinking and want one of my designs for themselves. My qualifications stem from a 35 or so years of making things the way I want them, an engineering education, another 15 years of working in the post college world and a deep understanding of what I want things to be. It is my hope that as Ocean Air Cycles grows, you will have faith in the ability of my designs, and through use transform the faith into understanding and appreciation.

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Enough lofty thoughts, it is Leap Day, get out and ride. I can not imagine missing the unique opportunity, and having to admit that one did not ride a bike on Leap Day.

If you like the wallets, let me know. I can get you a custom soon, or in a bit will be producing them in small batches.

As mentioned above, NAHBS (Hand Built Bike Show), is this weekend in Sacramento. I am planning on being up there to walk the floor on Saturday. If you see me and feel inclined, it is always nice to meet readers in the wild, stop me and say Hi.

Brooks B17 Select – Out of the box Impression and Review

While helping friends with their bikes, I have had the opportunity to work with a lot of really nice gear I would not have usually had come through the garage on my own budget. This time it is one of the new Brooks Select saddles.

First thought in my mind as I slid open the box was, WOW, everything a Brooks saddle should be is right in front of me.

The leather is thick and firm, not the thin flexy stuff of recent regular production. Shiny Copper rivets, and all the little things like proofide, tension wrench and a cloth to wipe it down. As I pulled it all open there were more surprises.

Mostly catalogs and marketing, but it looks well put together and worth a deeper look as time permits. The best surprise was the included rain cover, hidden under the saddle.

This is a fantastic addition that alleviates the need for an additional purchase, and/or the use of bags and shower caps when caught in the rain. The design is well thought out, with a deep nose pocket, draw-string tensioner and cut in the rear to leave room for the bag loops.

The saddle itself is beautiful. The leather is left natural and un-died. The saddle will likely take on a nice patina as the years stack up. The Leather is much thicker feeling than the average brooks saddle of recent production. I have been recommending the Berthoud saddles to those with the budget due to some of the quality issues I have had with Brooks offerings over the last couple of years. Roughly 1 in 3 of the saddle I bought were either too thin to support well, or would sag out within months. When the select line was announced I was excited and have been waiting for a chance to get my hands on one. Also of note is the Organic leather, I am not exactly clear on what this means with respect to a non edible good, but will look into it further and report back. It certainly is not a bad thing.

The steel frame is painted with a rough black paint. This appears more robust than the copper or chrome plating on other models I have. The coastal ocean air has resulted in a quick decline of the appearance on my other saddles. While the shiny finish looks god out of the box it has ever held up well.

I applied the initial coat of proofide to the top and bottom of the saddle. The color only darkened slightly.

This saddle will be going on a vintage Trek 650b conversion and will complement the look of the bike perfectly. I know that the owner plans to put the miles on this bike, and I look forward to sharing reports on the long-term performance.

I would also like to note my source for this saddle. Wallingford Bicycle Parts was and is fantastic to deal with. They are always fast to ship, great with communication, prices are competitive and the frosting on the cake is th e 6 month unconditional satisfaction guarantee. A few years back when the US $ was strong against the Euro and British Pound I was sourcing things from Europe directly. As the exchange rate has settled a bit the cost savings is not nearly as great, and the service from US companies like Wallingford more than makes up for the dollar or two you might save. In this case they happened to have the best price I could find as well. I look forward to buying from them in the future.

More On Straps

The traditional mounting of the bag to the bike with leather straps and a dowel is still hard to do better. Is light, strong, and relatively quick to get on and off if needed. In the last post I mentioned my pet peeve with the buckle design, and now that my saddle bag design is in motion it was time to move on to the straps. Many of the traditional strap designs that are still on the market today have the keeper integral with the buckle. This will hold fast, but not lay flat around the tight bends the system uses. The buckle stands proud rubbing against the bag and gear.

While this has worked for decades, and years for me, have had failures, and it made for some very long days. Looking through what had been done before, I decided to go with a keeper that is soft, integral to the strap and holds the tag end of the strap flat to the bag.

After completing one prototype yesterday I was still mulling over the design and made another set to put on my Acorn Hobo Bag.

I oiled them up, dried them overnight and mounted them up this morning.

There are no pokey sharp corners going after the cargo. The tag ends are nice and flat, out-of-the-way. The first impression is really good with these. The leather I had on hand is a little thin for straps, but I will keep an eye on them.

Now to make some time for “Testing”

Gilles Berthoud Touring Saddle Review – 14 months

It has been a little over a year since I first picked up a Berthoud Touring saddle to add to my rotation of Brooks B17 saddles in the stable. I had been drawn to the Berthoud after going through a couple of the more recently produced brooks B17 saddles that were made with thin and fast deforming leather. Looking at the options, it was either back to plastic, vintage or the Berthoud. The Berthoud was reported to be somewhere between a Brooks B17, team pro and swift in shape. This on came up on eBay, and I was first, impulse struck and it was mine. The cork finish while growing on me would not have been my first choice, but the price was right and I do not have to see it while riding.

Out of the box impression was very high. The engineering and design are sound, everything was tight symmetrical and the leather was far thicker than any of my other Brooks saddles yet was not as hard as the Brooks Pro I had looked into as a possible alternate. The plastic cantle plate and hardware are all top-notch with the precision you would expect to see on a european sports car. I have read concerns about the use of plastic. After having the saddle in my hands any concern is now gone. The molding and assembly is top-notch showing not of the cheapness the work plastic infers, and should likely be relabeled as molded composite. I find the design aesthetic pleasing, with a more modern cut to traditional leather saddle.

Initially I mounted the saddle on My Eisentraut for the spring and summer. After a few initial adjustments the position of the saddle was similar to that of my Brooks saddles with thee exception of tilt. The Berthoud is much better set almost level to the ground. Comfort was immediate, no break in required and I put in a couple 40 mile rides in the first week I had the saddle. The shape is a bit flatter in the rear than the Brooks offerings while having steep drop off in the transition to narrow nose. My sit bones are well supported with zero thigh rub. I should note that I previously bought and sold a Selle Anatomica due to the excessive thigh rub I had with the more triangular shape of that saddle.

Over the summer it just kept getting better. While the saddle started to match my shape of my sit bones, the post ride deformation was barely noticeable. The saddle leather is reported to be waterproof, and with the rainy season in the rear view mirror I was relying on sweat to indicate if this was true, but there was never any indication of moisture damage

Around mid summer I was having trouble with getting the B17 on my Roadeo just right. The roadeo was becoming my primary ride and I moved the Berthoud over. Problem solved immediately. Summer into fall, roads paved and dirt, as well as some single track and the saddle was going strong. Only at one point on a long hot dirt climb did I notice the saddle becoming a bit too compliant. Closer inspection on a water break revealed that a few of the screws had started to loosen up a bit. Tightening up with the allen key on my multi tool was sufficient to complete the ride. That evening I removed each screw one at a time and added a little blue loctite before reinstalling the screws. It has been over 6 months since this incident with no further indication of further loosening.

With the onset of our rainy season I was once again wondering about the water proof claim for the leather. Throwing caution to the wind I have ridden the saddle in multiple storms. The only additional protection came from fenders and my soaked body sitting on it. Once again after weeks of rain there is no indication of moisture damage.

The leather is holding up incredibly well considering the abuse my 220 lbs has thrown at it over the last 14 months. Of the 5 brooks saddles I have owned only 2 have performed this well and three were duds. The leather appears to be waterproof as claimed, it will get a matte finish when damp, but dries back to a shine. The cork color has rubbed off a bit on the nose. I have not yet needed to adjust the tension, although curiosity is getting the better of me and I may start to play with it a bit in the coming weeks. I would whole heartedly recommend these saddles to anyone looking for an alternative to the brooks offerings. While the price is a little higher, I have more faith in these saddle’s ability to perform as claimed right out of the box.