Once the SR seatpost restoration was completed, the next logical step was to fit the seat to the post and then the whole assembly back on the bike. That necessitated a close evaluation of the original equipment Gallet G 33 leather-covered saddle.
One of the most attractive things about the PB 12 when I found it was that the bike was remarkably original and complete. The only missing items were a Peugeot branded bar end plug and the left rear Simplex dropout adjusting screw. I was pleased and surprised that the Gallet saddle had remained since a saddle is a highly personalized matter of fit and comfort and, usually, one of the first things changed.
Since the Gallet had been disassembled from the micro adjusting SR post, I gave it a close going over. As I had noticed when buying the bike, the saddle’s leather cover had a 
few scrapes and minor gouges. None of the damage went down to the thin padded layer under the leather cover nor to the resilient nylon shell below that. The damage was minor and cosmetic and could have been cured with a quick coat of black polish and a good buffing. The odd thing about the Gallet was that it was the “wrong” saddle for the Course. The 1980s Peugeot dealer catalogue that I have shows the PB 12 Course specced with a vinyl covered Gallet G 31. The leather-covered G 33 was OEM on the Competition and the Ideale 2002 on the Super Competition. In truth, the only difference between the G 31 and the G 33 was the difference in the cover material.
Once the Gallet was flipped over, the construction details became clear. The nylon shell is molded onto a one piece saddle rail assembly with a twin loop attachment at the saddle’s cantle. This system is lighter than the ones used on other molded saddles that 
I’ve seen and that has consequences in terms of durability. This particular saddle is in the 
early stages of failure. In the photo on the left side of the page, the close up reveals a crack propagating from the cantle attachment point towards the location on the shell where the rider’s sits bones are located. This is a common failure with the Gallet series saddles as you can read about here, towards the bottom of the page. Since the Gallet had been uncomfortable on the initial test ride, this gave me all the incentive I needed to decide on buying a replacement.
In the mid-to-late 80s, I had ridden a Selle Italia Super Turbo and since the company had recently reissued their classic Turbo saddle, I decided upon one of those in black to match the original saddle colour. SJS Cycles had them on sale in black suede and I ordered one from them along with a few other restoration items. Shipping was fast and uncomplicated and the items were in my hands in about a week. (Atypical for Canada Customs!) My product review is here, should you wish to read it.
The seats compare in this way:
Turbo Gallet G 33
Width 146 mm 135 mm
Length 275 mm 270 mm
Weight 280 gm 288 gm
Once the Turbo had arrived, I attached it loosely to the SR post and installed it to the same height in the seattube as was the case on my other bikes. This avoided the 
possibility of damage to the post’s walls. Once height was locked in with the allen key Simplex fixing bolt, I set the saddle’s forward location and then leveled it using a spirit level so that it conformed to the set up on my other bicycles. A short, subsequent ride (between blizzards here in Canada) revealed the Turbo to be as comfortable as I recalled. Next step will be the handlebar and stem.
Peugeot Course PB 12 