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Berk
Carbon Cowboy
Posts: 1100
Joined: Sat Sep 04, 2010 7:20 pm
Location: Slovenia

by Berk

Hi to all!
Somehow missed the last few posts and sorry about that!

The short saddles are really like @ KyleH wrote, it took quite some time to finally produce the shorter saddles because I wanted to make it as similar as the previous models in terms of the saddle flex. That wasn't possible as planned, but we added some Innegra hybrid fabrics in the saddle shell, to get some more flex. Because the saddle is much shorter which means less material we decided to keep the weight similar and to put extra material on places where it makes sense to make it more crash resistant. It is of course not meant to be crashed, but we all know sh*t happens and I decided to rather go that way instead of making it a sub 60g saddle. On special request that could be of course done, but for serial production I decided to go that way. After all those years I saw that there are similar problems in case of a crash and that way we'll make it last longer.

Soon we'll present also our shorter updated Lupina. It will be available in 132mm width and 144. At this moment the 144 moulds are still in process and we will first make available the 132mm option in January, soon after that we'll also put the 144 on the updated website (which should be finished this year, but again some small delays, so hopefully in the next two weeks it will be ready).
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Comparison of the standard Lupina vs. short Lupina
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Standard Lupina:
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New short Lupina which will be soon available (3K matte, gloss or as padded in different colors)
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And an update of what I ride, basically what I rode in 2022 and some upgrades for 2023. I ended up with a gravel groupset which I use on my road bike, I wanted hydraulic brakes and mechanical shifting, never rode a Campagnolo groupset before and wanted to try something new and I have to admit that I really like it. No problems at all for the last 6000km. Previously I had some Mavic Cosmic 45 wheelset and Ritchey WCS alu handlebar, stem and seatpost.

This summer I had my 30th birthday and it was the right excuse to order a pair of Lightweight Pfadfinder in July, just a few weeks ago I got them. It isn't the lightest wheelset, but I wanted to have some lower profile wheelset. Again ended with a "gravel" component on my road bike.

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A few years ago I moved to a hilly area, I mainly use my bike to go to the work and back, which is around 25km in one direction, depends on where I go. But always around 600m of height to beat to get home :mrgreen: it is often also windy so I pulled the trigger to get the lower profile. The previous Ventoux was my favourite wheelset, but unfortunately they don't produce it anymore.

Since we work with Darimo really well for all our ligtweight bike builds I decided to use their parts on my bike. As on photo it is 6.9kg
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by Weenie


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User avatar
micky
Posts: 5765
Joined: Thu Sep 21, 2006 8:57 pm
Location: Vicenza
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by micky

Belated happy birthday, Jure!
Any update on the shoes department?

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Berk
Carbon Cowboy
Posts: 1100
Joined: Sat Sep 04, 2010 7:20 pm
Location: Slovenia

by Berk

Thanks!

The shoe project is something that we already produced but we were too small for our previous partner. Now we a contract with https://www.alpinasports.com/ and we are developing new shoes already for the past 3 seasons, also Matej Mohorič had our shoes when he won two stages at the Tour last year, he helped us a lot in the development. The shoes are developed, but struggeling to finally put them in production, can't talk about an exact release date yet, but working on it daily (some moulds are machined) but it all takes much longer than expected, will for sure update you as soon as possible.

Here some photos with our shoes
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cerro
Posts: 1958
Joined: Fri May 12, 2006 2:11 pm
Location: Malmö, Sweden
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by cerro

What's the difference between Lipa and short Lupina then?

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Bianchi10
Posts: 836
Joined: Mon Sep 17, 2012 10:53 pm

by Bianchi10

So exciting Jure!

Really wish you were still going to offer a 150mm short nose lupina.

kode54
Posts: 3748
Joined: Tue May 23, 2006 9:39 pm

by kode54

cerro wrote:What's the difference between Lipa and short Lupina then?
I’m curious about this as well. Are we talking about length like the Gelu K3? That seems to be inbetween a Lupina and Lipa.
- Factor Ostro VAM Disc
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- Guru Praemio R Disc

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Berk
Carbon Cowboy
Posts: 1100
Joined: Sat Sep 04, 2010 7:20 pm
Location: Slovenia

by Berk

Lipa, Ploh and short Lupina are 245mm long

Here is a sketch to show you the difference:
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Lupina has the ergonomic shape we made already years ago, we'll keep it the same also on the new model.

We then made Lipa and Ploh recently because the market demanded them - the trend of more flat shaped saddles. Then we ended with two designs, and decided to offer both. The main difference is the saddle nose design, where Lipa is much narrower compared to Ploh. But in the rear they are both with the flat design. Hope this helps!



In the saddle market there is sooo many different theories how the saddles should look like and although I wanted to keep it simple we had to offer new models and only time will tell in which direction we should go, any of your opinions are much appreciated.

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Berk
Carbon Cowboy
Posts: 1100
Joined: Sat Sep 04, 2010 7:20 pm
Location: Slovenia

by Berk

Johnny Rad wrote:
Thu Dec 29, 2022 3:28 am
Belated bday wishes!

Hope you'll bring back UD carbon saddles in '23.
Thanks!
On request we can still make it in UD. We decided to only make them in 3K as a serial product because otherwise there are just too many variations, also a problem for the shops we work with.


And another update of my bike, always wanted to try those, had the chance to get them from a fellow ww member
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Still just under 7kg with such setup, please don't mind the front light holder under the stem :mrgreen: still try to go on the bike as much as possible, quite "hot" these days in Slovenia

Had to do some tuning on these to make them N3W compatible, described the process in another topic:
viewtopic.php?f=132&t=171626
Maybe it will be helpfull to someone in the future, everything works perfect.

Johnny Rad
Posts: 2025
Joined: Fri Feb 17, 2006 6:22 am
Location: Zion

by Johnny Rad

Berk wrote:
Wed Jan 04, 2023 7:17 am
...In the saddle market there is sooo many different theories how the saddles should look like and although I wanted to keep it simple we had to offer new models and only time will tell in which direction we should go, any of your opinions are much appreciated.
For what it's worth, I'm a firm believer in your unpadded 132mm Lupina saddle. It disappears under my arse.

Because I'm also not an early adopter, I won't likely try your new saddles. I'll happily stay with Lupina. Please keep offering Lupina saddles!

Mjolnir2k
Posts: 24
Joined: Wed Jan 04, 2023 4:26 pm

by Mjolnir2k

I have used the Lupina saddles for a few years now, having purchased 4 of them that I used for various light weight bike builds. I love the way they fit me, they are very comfortable and I can ride all day without saddle fatigue.

Unfortunately each one has suffered some form of catastrophic failure, to the point where none of the saddles I have purchased are currently useable.

The most common failure has been the saddle shell snapping about 1/2 way down the length of the shell, though I have also had 1 rail break and one whole rail section come "unglued" from the saddle entirely. I've also struggled to keep the saddle covering from coming undone.

I weigh 72.5kg (160lbs), so it's possible I am just too heavy for these saddles. They are beautiful, comfortable and very lightweight, but I can't seem to keep one for more than a few months without breaking it.

**edit** added some pics of my saddles. I found 3 of them, must have already tossed the 4th.
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Berk
Carbon Cowboy
Posts: 1100
Joined: Sat Sep 04, 2010 7:20 pm
Location: Slovenia

by Berk

Johnny Rad wrote:
Thu Jan 05, 2023 2:41 pm
Berk wrote:
Wed Jan 04, 2023 7:17 am
...In the saddle market there is sooo many different theories how the saddles should look like and although I wanted to keep it simple we had to offer new models and only time will tell in which direction we should go, any of your opinions are much appreciated.
For what it's worth, I'm a firm believer in your unpadded 132mm Lupina saddle. It disappears under my arse.

Because I'm also not an early adopter, I won't likely try your new saddles. I'll happily stay with Lupina. Please keep offering Lupina saddles!

I'm glad to hear that, sure, the old Lupina model will be still available in the future, we'll only add the shorter option


@Mjolnir2k
Sorry for the trouble, did you contacted us for warranty? If it is a warranty case we of course replace it. Also if it was hit or any other cause, we always take care, also if it isn't a warranty case you can still contact us. I can't find any emails related to the photos posted, please let me know info(a)berk-composites.com
It really is a sensiteive product, although we did pass all the ISO tests it still isn't the most impact resistant. That is also why we decided to put extra reinforcements on the shorter saddles and instead of going for lower weight we put it on the areas where it matters, so if you would be willing to try the new one please drop us an email, thank you for your understanding

Mjolnir2k
Posts: 24
Joined: Wed Jan 04, 2023 4:26 pm

by Mjolnir2k

Berk wrote:
Thu Jan 05, 2023 6:35 pm
Johnny Rad wrote:
Thu Jan 05, 2023 2:41 pm
Berk wrote:
Wed Jan 04, 2023 7:17 am
...In the saddle market there is sooo many different theories how the saddles should look like and although I wanted to keep it simple we had to offer new models and only time will tell in which direction we should go, any of your opinions are much appreciated.
For what it's worth, I'm a firm believer in your unpadded 132mm Lupina saddle. It disappears under my arse.

Because I'm also not an early adopter, I won't likely try your new saddles. I'll happily stay with Lupina. Please keep offering Lupina saddles!

I'm glad to hear that, sure, the old Lupina model will be still available in the future, we'll only add the shorter option


@Mjolnir2k
Sorry for the trouble, did you contacted us for warranty? If it is a warranty case we of course replace it. Also if it was hit or any other cause, we always take care, also if it isn't a warranty case you can still contact us. I can't find any emails related to the photos posted, please let me know info(a)berk-composites.com
It really is a sensiteive product, although we did pass all the ISO tests it still isn't the most impact resistant. That is also why we decided to put extra reinforcements on the shorter saddles and instead of going for lower weight we put it on the areas where it matters, so if you would be willing to try the new one please drop us an email, thank you for your understanding
Hi, I did have one warrantied when the rails separated from the base of the saddle and you all sent me a new one. Like I said, I loved the saddles. They were extremely comfortable and look amazing, I just seem to be cursed in keeping them from breaking 🤣 I just chalked it up to "things that happen with lightweight parts" and didn't want to bug you guys again.

I would love to try the new saddle, if it's been reinforced. I will drop you an email.

Thank you!

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micky
Posts: 5765
Joined: Thu Sep 21, 2006 8:57 pm
Location: Vicenza
Contact:

by micky

Berk wrote:
Wed Jan 04, 2023 7:30 am

And another update of my bike, always wanted to try those, had the chance to get them from a fellow ww member
Image
Still just under 7kg with such setup, please don't mind the front light holder under the stem :mrgreen: still try to go on the bike as much as possible, quite "hot" these days in Slovenia
Just out of curiosity, how do you compare these from the well known LW?
Any major difference in the riding experience?

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Berk
Carbon Cowboy
Posts: 1100
Joined: Sat Sep 04, 2010 7:20 pm
Location: Slovenia

by Berk

@Mjolnir2k thanks for the email, will take care :thumbup:

@micky
the main difference are still the tires used (on Corima there are Vittoria tubulars 25mm and on LW I have Micheline Power Cup in 28mm clincher).

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The Lightweight Pfadfinder wheelset has Michelin Power Cup 28mm + TPU inner tubes from RideNow)


Corima MCC 32 tubulars, Vittoria Corsa 25mm tubulars
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Changed the old stickers to some new with outline (not that striking as pure white)

At this moment I still have the Corima wheelset on my bike. It can even happen that I'll end up selling the LW in the future. I wanted a lower profile wheelset, that si why I ended with the Lightweight Pfadfinder. If they would still offer some Ventoux/Giepfelsturm style wheelset (which I had in the past) I would take those. The only option there was clincher, which is ok, but maybe I would even take the tubular option if they would produce it (would depend from the actual weight difference). In my opinion tubular is still great, especially for cyclists who manage to make around 5000km per season, that isn't a lot and in my opinion for such rides tubulars are just great, you just replace them every season and put a spare in the pocket and that is it. At least I do it that way :mrgreen: never really get the idea of having tubeless + milk...

Somehow I didn't had Corima on my wishlist when ordering the LW, but always wanted to try them. There is a lot of wind in Slovenia this winter and I mainly cycle in the mountains. Corima handles better in those conditions. I really thought that there won't be any big difference, but seems that the Lightweight wheels still have so many spokes and flat areas that they handle a bit worse in windy conditions, I could already read such reviews and I can now confirm that. That is the only thing that I could tell as a difference. In terms of stiffness and lightness I can't tell any difference, both wheelsets ride great. Corima in my setup has around 50g less, but you can't feel that difference.

by Weenie


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

www.starbike.com



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