Terry leather saddle durability? - Page 3 - Cycling Mob: Road Cycling, Mountain Biking and More

05-28-2004, 07:37 PM

GRL top-posted:
{text moved}
> Steve Barr (philosopher, poet, humorist,
> chemist, Visual Basic programmer)
> "Ken" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote in message
> news:Xns94F7AF35D23B9x12@216.251.47.166...
>> "GRL" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote in
>> news:[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]:
>>> I was utterly shocked. I bought leather because I thought it would
>>> be more durable. (The leather seats on our 13 year old Toyota have
>>> never done this.) Is this typical of the leather Terry uses? Is
>>> this typical of other leather saddles? It can't be, I hope. Who
>>> would buy the things?
>>
>> How heavy are you? Some bike saddles use a super-thin leather cover
>> that can wear out pretty quickly under a very heavy rider. Compare
>> those to a thick leather saddle like those made by Brooks.

> It's not the leather itself that is wearing. It's the finish coat
> coming off from contact with my cotton shorts. In any case, that old
> saddle was lycra-covered which is nowhere near as tough a material as
> any leather I'm familiar with...and it lasted two years with the
> wear-through coming at the corners, probably exacerbated by lots of
> sun-exposure (my bike lives on my bike carrier when not in use with
> the saddle covered by a plastic bag).
>
> This Terry saddle wear is on the flat surface area, not the corners.
> It looks like the result of really poor leather finishing. I mean
> really poor.

So take it back.

Bill "problem solved" S.

05-28-2004, 08:15 PM

Now why didn't I think of that? (Actually it's sitting in a box waiting to
go back to Performance.)

You may recall that the original post had a number of questions. Not one of
which was "Anybody know if I should send it back to the vendor?"

But thanks for stating the obvious, anyway.

--

- GRL

"It's good to want things."

Steve Barr (philosopher, poet, humorist, chemist,
Visual Basic programmer)
"S o r n i" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ].rr.com> wrote in message
news:MHStc.6093$[Only registered and activated users can see links. ].com...
> GRL top-posted:
> {text moved}
> > Steve Barr (philosopher, poet, humorist,
> > chemist, Visual Basic programmer)
> > "Ken" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote in message
> > news:Xns94F7AF35D23B9x12@216.251.47.166...
> >> "GRL" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote in
> >> news:[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]:
> >>> I was utterly shocked. I bought leather because I thought it would
> >>> be more durable. (The leather seats on our 13 year old Toyota have
> >>> never done this.) Is this typical of the leather Terry uses? Is
> >>> this typical of other leather saddles? It can't be, I hope. Who
> >>> would buy the things?
> >>
> >> How heavy are you? Some bike saddles use a super-thin leather cover
> >> that can wear out pretty quickly under a very heavy rider. Compare
> >> those to a thick leather saddle like those made by Brooks.
>
> > It's not the leather itself that is wearing. It's the finish coat
> > coming off from contact with my cotton shorts. In any case, that old
> > saddle was lycra-covered which is nowhere near as tough a material as
> > any leather I'm familiar with...and it lasted two years with the
> > wear-through coming at the corners, probably exacerbated by lots of
> > sun-exposure (my bike lives on my bike carrier when not in use with
> > the saddle covered by a plastic bag).
> >
> > This Terry saddle wear is on the flat surface area, not the corners.
> > It looks like the result of really poor leather finishing. I mean
> > really poor.
>
> So take it back.
>
> Bill "problem solved" S.
>
>

05-28-2004, 08:15 PM

Now why didn't I think of that? (Actually it's sitting in a box waiting to
go back to Performance.)

You may recall that the original post had a number of questions. Not one of
which was "Anybody know if I should send it back to the vendor?"

But thanks for stating the obvious, anyway.

--

- GRL

"It's good to want things."

Steve Barr (philosopher, poet, humorist, chemist,
Visual Basic programmer)
"S o r n i" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ].rr.com> wrote in message
news:MHStc.6093$[Only registered and activated users can see links. ].com...
> GRL top-posted:
> {text moved}
> > Steve Barr (philosopher, poet, humorist,
> > chemist, Visual Basic programmer)
> > "Ken" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote in message
> > news:Xns94F7AF35D23B9x12@216.251.47.166...
> >> "GRL" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote in
> >> news:[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]:
> >>> I was utterly shocked. I bought leather because I thought it would
> >>> be more durable. (The leather seats on our 13 year old Toyota have
> >>> never done this.) Is this typical of the leather Terry uses? Is
> >>> this typical of other leather saddles? It can't be, I hope. Who
> >>> would buy the things?
> >>
> >> How heavy are you? Some bike saddles use a super-thin leather cover
> >> that can wear out pretty quickly under a very heavy rider. Compare
> >> those to a thick leather saddle like those made by Brooks.
>
> > It's not the leather itself that is wearing. It's the finish coat
> > coming off from contact with my cotton shorts. In any case, that old
> > saddle was lycra-covered which is nowhere near as tough a material as
> > any leather I'm familiar with...and it lasted two years with the
> > wear-through coming at the corners, probably exacerbated by lots of
> > sun-exposure (my bike lives on my bike carrier when not in use with
> > the saddle covered by a plastic bag).
> >
> > This Terry saddle wear is on the flat surface area, not the corners.
> > It looks like the result of really poor leather finishing. I mean
> > really poor.
>
> So take it back.
>
> Bill "problem solved" S.
>
>

05-28-2004, 08:15 PM

Now why didn't I think of that? (Actually it's sitting in a box waiting to
go back to Performance.)

You may recall that the original post had a number of questions. Not one of
which was "Anybody know if I should send it back to the vendor?"

But thanks for stating the obvious, anyway.

--

- GRL

"It's good to want things."

Steve Barr (philosopher, poet, humorist, chemist,
Visual Basic programmer)
"S o r n i" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ].rr.com> wrote in message
news:MHStc.6093$[Only registered and activated users can see links. ].com...
> GRL top-posted:
> {text moved}
> > Steve Barr (philosopher, poet, humorist,
> > chemist, Visual Basic programmer)
> > "Ken" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote in message
> > news:Xns94F7AF35D23B9x12@216.251.47.166...
> >> "GRL" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote in
> >> news:[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]:
> >>> I was utterly shocked. I bought leather because I thought it would
> >>> be more durable. (The leather seats on our 13 year old Toyota have
> >>> never done this.) Is this typical of the leather Terry uses? Is
> >>> this typical of other leather saddles? It can't be, I hope. Who
> >>> would buy the things?
> >>
> >> How heavy are you? Some bike saddles use a super-thin leather cover
> >> that can wear out pretty quickly under a very heavy rider. Compare
> >> those to a thick leather saddle like those made by Brooks.
>
> > It's not the leather itself that is wearing. It's the finish coat
> > coming off from contact with my cotton shorts. In any case, that old
> > saddle was lycra-covered which is nowhere near as tough a material as
> > any leather I'm familiar with...and it lasted two years with the
> > wear-through coming at the corners, probably exacerbated by lots of
> > sun-exposure (my bike lives on my bike carrier when not in use with
> > the saddle covered by a plastic bag).
> >
> > This Terry saddle wear is on the flat surface area, not the corners.
> > It looks like the result of really poor leather finishing. I mean
> > really poor.
>
> So take it back.
>
> Bill "problem solved" S.
>
>

05-28-2004, 08:15 PM

Now why didn't I think of that? (Actually it's sitting in a box waiting to
go back to Performance.)

You may recall that the original post had a number of questions. Not one of
which was "Anybody know if I should send it back to the vendor?"

But thanks for stating the obvious, anyway.

--

- GRL

"It's good to want things."

Steve Barr (philosopher, poet, humorist, chemist,
Visual Basic programmer)
"S o r n i" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ].rr.com> wrote in message
news:MHStc.6093$[Only registered and activated users can see links. ].com...
> GRL top-posted:
> {text moved}
> > Steve Barr (philosopher, poet, humorist,
> > chemist, Visual Basic programmer)
> > "Ken" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote in message
> > news:Xns94F7AF35D23B9x12@216.251.47.166...
> >> "GRL" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote in
> >> news:[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]:
> >>> I was utterly shocked. I bought leather because I thought it would
> >>> be more durable. (The leather seats on our 13 year old Toyota have
> >>> never done this.) Is this typical of the leather Terry uses? Is
> >>> this typical of other leather saddles? It can't be, I hope. Who
> >>> would buy the things?
> >>
> >> How heavy are you? Some bike saddles use a super-thin leather cover
> >> that can wear out pretty quickly under a very heavy rider. Compare
> >> those to a thick leather saddle like those made by Brooks.
>
> > It's not the leather itself that is wearing. It's the finish coat
> > coming off from contact with my cotton shorts. In any case, that old
> > saddle was lycra-covered which is nowhere near as tough a material as
> > any leather I'm familiar with...and it lasted two years with the
> > wear-through coming at the corners, probably exacerbated by lots of
> > sun-exposure (my bike lives on my bike carrier when not in use with
> > the saddle covered by a plastic bag).
> >
> > This Terry saddle wear is on the flat surface area, not the corners.
> > It looks like the result of really poor leather finishing. I mean
> > really poor.
>
> So take it back.
>
> Bill "problem solved" S.
>
>

05-28-2004, 08:15 PM

Now why didn't I think of that? (Actually it's sitting in a box waiting to
go back to Performance.)

You may recall that the original post had a number of questions. Not one of
which was "Anybody know if I should send it back to the vendor?"

But thanks for stating the obvious, anyway.

--

- GRL

"It's good to want things."

Steve Barr (philosopher, poet, humorist, chemist,
Visual Basic programmer)
"S o r n i" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ].rr.com> wrote in message
news:MHStc.6093$[Only registered and activated users can see links. ].com...
> GRL top-posted:
> {text moved}
> > Steve Barr (philosopher, poet, humorist,
> > chemist, Visual Basic programmer)
> > "Ken" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote in message
> > news:Xns94F7AF35D23B9x12@216.251.47.166...
> >> "GRL" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote in
> >> news:[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]:
> >>> I was utterly shocked. I bought leather because I thought it would
> >>> be more durable. (The leather seats on our 13 year old Toyota have
> >>> never done this.) Is this typical of the leather Terry uses? Is
> >>> this typical of other leather saddles? It can't be, I hope. Who
> >>> would buy the things?
> >>
> >> How heavy are you? Some bike saddles use a super-thin leather cover
> >> that can wear out pretty quickly under a very heavy rider. Compare
> >> those to a thick leather saddle like those made by Brooks.
>
> > It's not the leather itself that is wearing. It's the finish coat
> > coming off from contact with my cotton shorts. In any case, that old
> > saddle was lycra-covered which is nowhere near as tough a material as
> > any leather I'm familiar with...and it lasted two years with the
> > wear-through coming at the corners, probably exacerbated by lots of
> > sun-exposure (my bike lives on my bike carrier when not in use with
> > the saddle covered by a plastic bag).
> >
> > This Terry saddle wear is on the flat surface area, not the corners.
> > It looks like the result of really poor leather finishing. I mean
> > really poor.
>
> So take it back.
>
> Bill "problem solved" S.
>
>

05-29-2004, 07:16 AM

GRL wrote:
> Just got a Terry Liberator leather (Italian) saddle from Performance to
> replace a two year old Cloud-9 lycra-covered saddle on which the lycra was
> wearing through.
>
> After one 17 mile ride on the Terry (dry conditions), the leather top on one
> side was chaffing off (actually the surface coating on the leather was) over
> a 2 sq. inch area. Looked like what happens to your skin after it has been
> in water a long time and you rub it making the dead top layer chaff off.
> Same thing was happening on the other side on a smaller scale.
>
> I was utterly shocked. I bought leather because I thought it would be more
> durable. (The leather seats on our 13 year old Toyota have never done this.)
> Is this typical of the leather Terry uses? Is this typical of other leather
> saddles? It can't be, I hope. Who would buy the things?
>
> This crushes my favorable opinion of Terry.

I use Terry Fly Ti saddles on both my mountain bike and cyclocross bike.
I've ridden quite a few miles on both and crashed a bunch of times -
mostly offroad but a couple of times on asphalt. Aside from a slight
dulling of the finish (which I could probably fix with some polishing if
I cared about such things), the saddles have held up great and I don't
see any quality issues.

I bought both saddles from Performance as well so I'm not sure why yours
is wearing so soon (unless the Liberator and Fly are made to different
quality specs). I'd imagine you just got one from a bad run or when the
quality control employee was on a smoke break.

- khill

05-29-2004, 07:16 AM

GRL wrote:
> Just got a Terry Liberator leather (Italian) saddle from Performance to
> replace a two year old Cloud-9 lycra-covered saddle on which the lycra was
> wearing through.
>
> After one 17 mile ride on the Terry (dry conditions), the leather top on one
> side was chaffing off (actually the surface coating on the leather was) over
> a 2 sq. inch area. Looked like what happens to your skin after it has been
> in water a long time and you rub it making the dead top layer chaff off.
> Same thing was happening on the other side on a smaller scale.
>
> I was utterly shocked. I bought leather because I thought it would be more
> durable. (The leather seats on our 13 year old Toyota have never done this.)
> Is this typical of the leather Terry uses? Is this typical of other leather
> saddles? It can't be, I hope. Who would buy the things?
>
> This crushes my favorable opinion of Terry.

I use Terry Fly Ti saddles on both my mountain bike and cyclocross bike.
I've ridden quite a few miles on both and crashed a bunch of times -
mostly offroad but a couple of times on asphalt. Aside from a slight
dulling of the finish (which I could probably fix with some polishing if
I cared about such things), the saddles have held up great and I don't
see any quality issues.

I bought both saddles from Performance as well so I'm not sure why yours
is wearing so soon (unless the Liberator and Fly are made to different
quality specs). I'd imagine you just got one from a bad run or when the
quality control employee was on a smoke break.

- khill

05-29-2004, 07:16 AM

GRL wrote:
> Just got a Terry Liberator leather (Italian) saddle from Performance to
> replace a two year old Cloud-9 lycra-covered saddle on which the lycra was
> wearing through.
>
> After one 17 mile ride on the Terry (dry conditions), the leather top on one
> side was chaffing off (actually the surface coating on the leather was) over
> a 2 sq. inch area. Looked like what happens to your skin after it has been
> in water a long time and you rub it making the dead top layer chaff off.
> Same thing was happening on the other side on a smaller scale.
>
> I was utterly shocked. I bought leather because I thought it would be more
> durable. (The leather seats on our 13 year old Toyota have never done this.)
> Is this typical of the leather Terry uses? Is this typical of other leather
> saddles? It can't be, I hope. Who would buy the things?
>
> This crushes my favorable opinion of Terry.

I use Terry Fly Ti saddles on both my mountain bike and cyclocross bike.
I've ridden quite a few miles on both and crashed a bunch of times -
mostly offroad but a couple of times on asphalt. Aside from a slight
dulling of the finish (which I could probably fix with some polishing if
I cared about such things), the saddles have held up great and I don't
see any quality issues.

I bought both saddles from Performance as well so I'm not sure why yours
is wearing so soon (unless the Liberator and Fly are made to different
quality specs). I'd imagine you just got one from a bad run or when the
quality control employee was on a smoke break.

- khill

05-29-2004, 07:16 AM

GRL wrote:
> Just got a Terry Liberator leather (Italian) saddle from Performance to
> replace a two year old Cloud-9 lycra-covered saddle on which the lycra was
> wearing through.
>
> After one 17 mile ride on the Terry (dry conditions), the leather top on one
> side was chaffing off (actually the surface coating on the leather was) over
> a 2 sq. inch area. Looked like what happens to your skin after it has been
> in water a long time and you rub it making the dead top layer chaff off.
> Same thing was happening on the other side on a smaller scale.
>
> I was utterly shocked. I bought leather because I thought it would be more
> durable. (The leather seats on our 13 year old Toyota have never done this.)
> Is this typical of the leather Terry uses? Is this typical of other leather
> saddles? It can't be, I hope. Who would buy the things?
>
> This crushes my favorable opinion of Terry.

I use Terry Fly Ti saddles on both my mountain bike and cyclocross bike.
I've ridden quite a few miles on both and crashed a bunch of times -
mostly offroad but a couple of times on asphalt. Aside from a slight
dulling of the finish (which I could probably fix with some polishing if
I cared about such things), the saddles have held up great and I don't
see any quality issues.

I bought both saddles from Performance as well so I'm not sure why yours
is wearing so soon (unless the Liberator and Fly are made to different
quality specs). I'd imagine you just got one from a bad run or when the
quality control employee was on a smoke break.

- khill