Toupe shaped carbon saddle. Piece of s...

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Imaking20
Posts: 2260
Joined: Fri Nov 18, 2011 5:19 am

by Imaking20

I've got a stripped Toupe Pro I could sell you to replace this :)

mitchgixer6
Posts: 225
Joined: Sat Sep 22, 2012 2:22 pm

by mitchgixer6

Imaking20 wrote:I've got a stripped Toupe Pro I could sell you to replace this :)


Wondering if you have any pics or perhaps a tutorial on this anywhere? Just out of interest as I run the toupe pro on 2 bikes.

by Weenie


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F45
Posts: 1077
Joined: Wed Jun 08, 2011 6:08 am

by F45

My Merek carbon saddle has been perfect. $120 on ebay. But they're a brand name.

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kgt
Posts: 8749
Joined: Sun Jun 18, 2006 10:29 am
Location: Athens, Greece

by kgt

No name products, wherever made, are usually junk. Not a wise choise anyway.
One can easily find sligthly used, high quality, and light saddles - i.e. Selle Italia SLR - for 30 euros. That would be a much wiser choise.

commendatore
Posts: 273
Joined: Mon Dec 30, 2013 1:51 am
Location: North Carolina

by commendatore

Oh? Sign me up for a €30 selle Italia SLR. I'll take two.

justkeepedaling
Posts: 1712
Joined: Thu Jan 03, 2008 6:14 am

by justkeepedaling

there's plenty. go hunt on craigslist yourself

BikeAnon
Posts: 399
Joined: Sun Mar 02, 2014 6:36 pm
Location: NY USA

by BikeAnon

I paid $31 USD for a SLR XP. It cost less than the CF saddle from Aliexpress.

It was also 90 grams more than the knock-off Toupe.

Oswald
Posts: 794
Joined: Thu Jan 08, 2004 10:11 pm

by Oswald

I recently bought a brand new SLR Team at half price from a secondhand site. It had never been mounted. If you look around you can get the real thing at a great discount. Why bother with crappy fake products? I can understand if it's a bottle cage or something, but for a saddle, seatpost, bar, stem, frame, etc... I don't want to rely on fakes... In my professional career I have had to deal with Chinese manufacturing several times, and I can assure you they have very poor quality control, if any... And I'm talking about entry level products make in China for BIG international brands. So you can imagine what the Chinese quality control is for a no name brand...

Imaking20
Posts: 2260
Joined: Fri Nov 18, 2011 5:19 am

by Imaking20

mitchgixer6 wrote:
Imaking20 wrote:I've got a stripped Toupe Pro I could sell you to replace this :)


Wondering if you have any pics or perhaps a tutorial on this anywhere? Just out of interest as I run the toupe pro on 2 bikes.



viewtopic.php?f=3&t=111768 :thumbup:

JackDaniels
Posts: 110
Joined: Tue Oct 04, 2011 5:15 am

by JackDaniels

I'm gonna put out of word of warning about the ultralight fake carbon stems (3T, etc) on aliexpress. I witnessed one fail under normal use.

I put 15000 miles on an fm015, so I don't have a problem with taking a chance on generic china stuff. But I don't think the cockpit is a place to take chances.

BikeAnon
Posts: 399
Joined: Sun Mar 02, 2014 6:36 pm
Location: NY USA

by BikeAnon

Update, a year later (6,000+ miles).... My $34 knock-off carbon fiber saddle is now ready to be discarded. I've replaced it with a "real" Toupe.

I weigh over 200 lbs, and have not babied this saddle in any way. I also have not dropped it, or subjected it to rough handling.

You can see on the rail where the carbon density wasn't consistent (pic 3). That said, I never doubted or worried about this saddle until the crack appeared. Was it worth the money, to see if I liked the shape and "hardness" of a saddle like this? Yes.


EDITED TO ADD: These are pics of the broken knock-off saddle, not an actual Specialized-brand saddle.
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Last edited by BikeAnon on Mon Jan 11, 2016 12:53 am, edited 2 times in total.

dereksmalls
Posts: 2305
Joined: Tue Aug 02, 2011 9:20 pm
Location: New Zealand

by dereksmalls

Are your pictures of an authentic Specialized Toupe or a knock off branded to look like one?

BikeAnon
Posts: 399
Joined: Sun Mar 02, 2014 6:36 pm
Location: NY USA

by BikeAnon

I should have made that clear... Those are pics of a knock-off.

BikeAnon
Posts: 399
Joined: Sun Mar 02, 2014 6:36 pm
Location: NY USA

by BikeAnon

I guess this thread is worth updating... I added some JB Weld under the cracked area, and rode the rest of the year. Another couple of thousand miles.

I will probably buy another, since now there are plenty of no-name options on eBay.

by Weenie


Visit starbike.com Online Retailer for HighEnd cycling components
Great Prices ✓    Broad Selection ✓    Worldwide Delivery ✓

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prebsy
Posts: 1044
Joined: Tue Oct 23, 2012 10:52 pm
Location: there or thereabouts

by prebsy

just bought a crappy fake toupe and it broke after 2 rides on the trainer......... It seemed a bit more curvy than the real toupe and was INCREDIBLY comfortable =(

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