1890
JEAN-FRANÇOIS TRON CREATES A METAL STAMPING WORKSHOP IN PARIS. HE STARTED OFF MAKING CLIPS FOR LADIES SKIRTS, THEN FRAMES FOR A SADDLE MANUFACTURER. FOLLOWING THE CHALLENGE OF THE LATTER, HE CREATED THE "IDEALE" SADDLE SOON TO BECOME ICONIC FOR CYCLISTS ALL OVER THE WORLD.
1900
HE MOVES TO PONT-SAINT-PIERRE, NORMANDY. FIRST TO A YARD SPINNING FACTORY. LATER HE ACQUIRED AN OLD CLOSED FACTORY, "LA BALEINE", WHICH HE MODERNISES. IN THE 20'S, HIS DAUGHTER JEANNE, MARRIED MARCEL BERTHET, A TRACK CYCLIST.
1931
AFTER JEAN-FRANÇOIS TRON'S DEATH, HIS CHILDREN TOOK OVER THE MANAGEMENT OF THE COMPANY AND POSITIONED ITSELF IN A VERY HIGH-END NICHE. MARCEL BERTHET IS ACTIVELY INVOLVED IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF NEW SADDLE MODELS. THE COMPANY IS RENAMED "TRON & BERTHET".
1933
ON 13 NOVEMBER 1933, MARCEL BERTHET BECAME THE FIRST CYCLIST TO RIDE 50 KM PER HOUR, A FEAT ACHIEVED ON VELODYNE. HE WILL BE WORLD RECORD OF THE HOUR THREE TIMES IN 1907 AND TWICE IN 1913.
1936
UNDER THE LEADERSHIP OF MARCEL BERTHET, A TECHNOLOGY ENTHUSIAST AND CLEVER BUSINESSMAN, 500,000 SADDLES ARE PRODUCED EACH YEAR AND SHIPPED AROUND THE WORLD.
1940
DURING THE SECOND WORLD WAR, LEATHER BEING UNAVAILABLE, IT IS SUBSTITUED BY A DUNLOP RUBBER SEAT MOUNTED ON THE SAME FRAMES.
1954
JACQUES ANQUETIL, EQUIPPED WITH AN IDÉALE SADDLE, WON THE "TOUR DE LA MANCHE", THE "GRAND PRIX DES NATIONS" AND THE "MAILLOT DES AS PARIS-NORMANDIE"...BEFORE BECOMING ONE OF THE MOST SUCCESSFUL RIDERS IN HISTORY WITH FIVE TOURS DE FRANCE, TWO TOURS OF ITALY AND ONE TOUR OF SPAIN ON HIS PALMARES.
1964
IDÉALE PRESENTS ITS NEW MODEL THE "90" AT THE PARIS SHOW. THE MODEL WILL BE HIGHLY ACCLAIMED AND WILL REMAIN IN THE CATALOGUE FOR 30 YEARS.
1966
THE "90" IS UPGRADED WITH A DURALUMIN FRAME AND BECOMES THE LIGHTEST SADDLE IN THE WORLD.
1967
IN THE TOUR DE FRANCE ROGER PINGEON, "L'ÉCHASSIER" (THE STILT-WALKER), IS PROMOTED TO LEADER OF THE FRENCH TEAM. ON JULY 23TH HE BRINGS BACK THE YELLOW JERSEY, ON THE CONCRETE TRACK OF THE PARC DES PRINCES, WITH AN IDÉALE 90 SADDLE ON HIS PEUGEOT FRAME.
1969
AS SUGGESTED BY DANIEL REBOUR, THE TOP-OF-THE-RANGE SADDLES IN THE CATALOGUE ARE NOW "BROKEN-IN BY HAND". AS THIS PROCESS WAS BOTH LONG AND LABORIOUS, THE CRAFTSMEN RECEIVED A BONUS OF 5 FRANCS FOR EACH SADDLE THAT WAS MANUALLY BROKEN-IN.
1973
IDÉALE LAUNCHES THE 2000/2001/2002 RILSAN (NYLON-11) SERIES.
1975
& 1977
BERNARD THÉVENET WINS THE TOUR DE FRANCE ON HIS PEUGEOT PY10 EQUIPPED WITH AN IDÉALE 2002 SADDLE.
1984
CONFRONTED BY THE LOW-COST SADDLES IN THE MARKET, THE TRON & BERTHET FACTORY CLOSES ITS WORKSHOPS AFTER ABOUT A HUNDRED YEARS OF CHALLENGES AND INNOVATION.
2010
WHILE TRYING TO EQUIP HIS RANDONNEUSE, FRED DISCOVERS BOTH THE IDÉALE SADDLES AND THEIR DISAPPEARENCE. HE THEN POST A WANTED NOTICE AT THE TOWN HALL OF PONT-SAINT PIERRE. PROUD OF THEIR HISTORY AND THEIR KNOW-HOW, THE OLDER CRAFTSMEN RESPONDED. TOGETHER THEY TOOK UP THE CHALLENGE OF THE REBIRTH OF THE BRAND, WITH THE SAME QUALITY AND STANDARDS USED AT THE TIME, WITHOUT COMPROMISE.
2011...
IT IS THE BEGINNING OF AN INCREDIBLE HUMAN AND TECHNICAL ADVENTURE IN WHICH MANY WILL COME TO MAKE THEIR CONTRIBUTION. SOME SMALL, SOME HUGE, BUT EACH ONE NECESSARY TO MAKE THIS CHALLENGE INTO A REALITY: TO PRODUCE ONCE AGAIN THE PERFECT SADDLE -AN IDÉALE SADDLE.
By kind courtesy of Mr heiko Stroemeer, Mr Philippe Levacher and the Berthet family.