Picked up a new saddle recently, it’s a Velo Orange Model 6.. very similar to the Brooks Swallow.. but just about £150 cheaper.. aside from the titanium rails on the Swallow and the little ‘Brooks’ badge it’s hard to see where that £150 goes. The Velo Orange has chrome steel rails rather than titanium, the leather is Australian cowhide and it’s all very nicely put together. Ultimately this is destined for my Nomad but to speed up the breaking in process it’s doing duty on my fixed gear hack. So far very comfortable :-) Be warned though if you do buy one it’s not light…
In reality much of the price difference is explained by the Velo Orange being made in Taiwan… nothing wrong with that, no reason they can’t make saddles as well as Brooks.. they make just about everything else in the bike world very well indeed… especially carbon stuff. Having said that tho.. if I could somehow justify the cost of a Swallow I’d buy one.. it’s more of a piece of art whereas this.. well, it’s just a place to put my arse.
