Your opinion of Berk Composites saddle

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wheelsONfire
Posts: 6280
Joined: Mon Jul 07, 2014 8:15 am
Location: NorthEU

by wheelsONfire

I would like to ask owners of Berk Composites saddle to chime in here.
Anyone feel like putting an opinion in the forum?
I ask because i am curious of what you guys think of it, how does it feel?
Is it a saviour for those suffering from perineum pressure points?

Please share

(I don't own one i might add)
Bikes:

Ax Lightness Vial EVO Race (2019.01.03)
Open *UP* (2016.04.14)
Paduano Racing Fidia (kind of shelved)


Ex bike; Vial EVO D, Vial EVO Ultra, Scott Foil, Paduano ti bike.

zrima
Posts: 45
Joined: Sun May 21, 2006 7:46 pm

by zrima

I replaced the first generation of Specialized Toupe with it and I really love it. I did a few 7h rides with it during the summer and I find it even better than Toupe. Specialized was great, but I still felt some numbness in the perineal area after longer rides. I do not remember I felt any numbness since I started to use Berk saddle. Surely I needed a few rides getting used to it, but now I would not change it for anything else. It's shape is similar to SLR or Toupe when they bend after you sit on them. It also bends a little under your body weight.

I know that something that fits me cannot fit everybody, but I have already recommended Berk saddles to my friends and those who started using them have also kept them.

by Weenie


Visit starbike.com Online Retailer for HighEnd cycling components
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Calnago
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by Calnago

I have to say I have the utmost respect for Berk and enjoy reading his posts and am sure he has a bright future ahead of him, whatever he ultimately decides to do. But the one thing I can't get behind is a saddle and seatpost combo. Even if you are lucky enough to get it fit perfectly the first time, it is a static fit and can't be changed. So, not only is it fit to you and only you, it is for that particular bike and that particular setup. If you get another bike with even a quarter degree of a seat tube angle difference, then the saddle/post combo is a throwaway. If you change your drop or reach with a different bar, or even just change from campy to shimano or vice versa, it may necessitate a slight adjustment in the seat angle/position. I find less than a half degree in a seat angle can make a noticeable difference while riding. Plus, sometimes you just want to experiment a bit. Suppose you move your cleats forward or back a bit. That will usually necessitate a slight change in saddle position. Suppose you get different shoes with a different stack, or pedals or cleats that have a different stack. That means you'd probably change your saddle height and I never change saddle height without also adjusting fore and aft a bit, which is an impossibility when both are fixed. Even a different crank length might warrant a slight change in saddle position.
And forget about trying sell it with the bike. It's a more specific fit than a custom suit. It is for your ass, in one position, at that time in your life, on that particular frame, with that particular setup. A saddle seatpost combo is one thing that just has to have some adjustability built in imo.
Colnago C64 - The Naked Build; Colnago C60 - PR99; Trek Koppenberg - Where Emonda and Domane Meet;
Unlinked Builds (searchable): Colnago C59 - 5 Years Later; Trek Emonda SL Campagnolo SR; Special Colnago EPQ

dogg
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Joined: Fri Jan 03, 2014 7:37 am

by dogg

Calnago, Berk produces railed saddles in addition to the 1pc combos.

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Calnago
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Joined: Sun Nov 07, 2010 9:14 pm

by Calnago

Ah, ok. Did not know that, thanks. I just see these one piece saddle and post combos and I think along the lines of my previous post. But I'm super impressed with Berk as a person and his passion for what he's doing. I get the impression that whatever he does it's going to be the very best he can make it.
Colnago C64 - The Naked Build; Colnago C60 - PR99; Trek Koppenberg - Where Emonda and Domane Meet;
Unlinked Builds (searchable): Colnago C59 - 5 Years Later; Trek Emonda SL Campagnolo SR; Special Colnago EPQ

zrima
Posts: 45
Joined: Sun May 21, 2006 7:46 pm

by zrima

I use Berk's railed saddle, I cannot comment for a saddle-seatpost integrated combo.

by Weenie


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

www.starbike.com



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