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The leather of an IDEALE saddle comes from a French tannery which only works for excellence.
A Living Heritage Company, it has been working with unchanged processes since 1881, following the adage "One must give time to the tan". It is one of the only ones in the world to still master extra-slow vegetable tanning.
Vegetable tanning consists of immersing skins in pools filled with water and vegetable tannins such as chestnut. The skins are then placed in 8 to 13 different pools. They are then placed in pits with oak bark. The process takes about 12 months, so we talk about extra-slow tanning.
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Unlike 24-hour chrome tanning or a quick vegetable tanning in a few days, extra-slow vegetable tanning creates a dense, strong, tough material with better moisture regulation capabilities and exceptional strength.
The use of natural elements gives leather its unique personality and gives it its famous natural colour, "colour of time".
This leather is recognisable by its extremely fine grain, hardly visible, yet without any correction or covering, its very smooth touch and the pleasant smell given by the oak bark in which it has taken shape.
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The skins are only from French or Austrian herds.
Supplies of vegetable tannins are committed to good forest management and biodiversity protection.
The oak bark comes from Haute-Vienne.
Although using only natural products, the tannery has its own wastewater treatment plant.
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All 22 parts that compose an IDÉALE saddle are made in France.
Most of them are made in our workshop, but also by family companies with historical know-how.
The steel parts are cut by a Toulouse-area company, then shaped, assembled and welded in our workshop.
The tension screw and the nut are manufactured by a precision machining company in Haute-Savoie. With a M9 diameter, the screw has a pitch as precise as M8 while being more resistant.
The brand label is made in Maine-et-Loire.
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The rivets are custom-made and engraved in the Ardennes.
The frame and metal parts are chrome-plated in the Somme by a company committed to a water pollution control plan and does not discharge any waste.
The saddle frame is made of drawn wire selected for its high yield strength and good fatigue resistance. These spring properties allow the wire to absorb vibrations and resist loads.
The wire is sourced in the Paris region. A company in the Loire region shape the wire by hand to our exact specifications.
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