You frequently asked questions

We only use croupon for our saddles. Croupon comprise the hide covering the back and hindquarters; this is the thickest, strongest, and therefore most valuable, part of the hide.

There are differences in thickness of a few tenths of a millimetre on a croupon, and differences in structure: the part closest to the back is firmer, denser, the part towards the flank is softer. Each croupon is measured before cutting and after shaping. Manual break-in also makes it possible to determine the final firmness of the leather.

The choice of firmness will depend on the cyclist's weight, practice and habits.

We recommend firm comfort for cyclists over 75 kg, and soft leather under this weight. Soft is suitable for short distance, city riding, occasional riding, and firm for more intense riding.
When you place your order, please specify your weight and your riding style, and we will select the best leather for you.

The serial number allows us to identify the exact specification of the leather of your saddle.

The first four digits correspond to the year and month of receipt of the croupon (2001 for January 2020).

The next two digits are the croupon number for that month. (2001-03 for the third croupon received in January)

The last two digits correspond to the cutting plan: In most cases 07 will correspond to a strong part, 03 to a soft part.

So 2001-0307 is the saddle cut from a strong part of the 3rd croupon received in January 2020.

You will find all our care advices on this section

Just like a good pair of shoes, most quality leather saddles are firm when new. It is due to the thickness of the leather combined with the manufacturing process (press-forming).

"Break-in" a leather saddle has always been a major concern for the cyclist, and many of them developed their own techniques to shorten this challenging time period.

Among them was Daniel Rebour, a famous journalist, an outstanding technical illustrator, an experienced cyclist and finally a unanimously recognised technician. Friend of the Berthet family, he developed -together with the craftsmen and women in charge of the leather- a technique to soften the leather before mounting it on the frame.

This explains the inscription "Rodée main selon D. Rebour" which can be translated by "Hand broken-in according to Daniel Rebour".

This process, is entirely manual, it considerably improves the immediate comfort of the saddle without altering the fibres of the leather. It is an IDÉALE exclusivity.

There is no rational explanation. At the time, each new model was given a free number. Thus the numbers ranged from 4 (model used notably on Peugeot bicycles of the 1950s) to 134, the last racing type model created by Tron & Berthet in the early 1980s, also known as Columbia.

Yes! Our workshop is in Toulouse, France, 15 minutes by bike from the train station. We will be happy to welcome you, so please contact us so that we can arrange a date.