Toupe Trouble

For the last year I've been using the Specialized Toupe saddle on my good-weather/long-distance bike. Last year it proved quite comfy and lightweight. My only reservation was its name. When I picked it up at CycleLoft, I pronounced it "toop", but was corrected to "toupee". It's hard to think of a sillier name for a saddle.

This Spring I noticed that it had cracked in the obvious place, just outside the rear connection to the rail, where the thin shell is cantilevered. (Let's leave aside the implications for my riding style or weight.) I've never broken a saddle before by simply riding it. In fact, I'd been fighting a 'saddle comfort' issue for over a month when I found this, so I think it cost me some real inconvenience and even a medical test.

I discovered the crack just days before the ride to Brewster, so I needed a saddle fast and was reluctant to risk buying a different, less comfortable one, so I picked up another Toupe. I had wanted to seek a warranty replacement, but couldn't find the original receipt nor the date I bought it, so I mostly gave up hope of that. But the Cycleloft salesman told me to bring the old saddle by some time and they'd see what they could do.

With little hope I eventually found time to return with the old saddle and the receipt for the new one. They looked up the original purchase date, printed a new receipt for it, and gave me a full store credit for the broken saddle! If I'd brought the saddle originally, they'd have given me the new one outright. I think that's the best return service I've ever had. I asked whether the new saddle would fail next Spring, and was told that if it does I'll get another new one. While I'd rather have a reliable saddle (I'll hold out hope that Specialized has fixed the design), I give Cycleloft my Local Bike Shop of the Month award!