Brooks saddles have always scared me. Tales of having to do long rides to break in the leather top, the spanner that came with them to adjust the spring underneath to stretch or relieve the pressure on that top and the well, lets face it, the retro bygone era look of the things all contribute to asthetically make me not want to go near one with my tender under parts!
Well Grandad I hear you say (and probably Brooks reading that paragraph) things have moved on. Brooks have evolved and moved with the times. They do of course still produce those hand made leather saddles and I concede that once the breaking in period has passed and the saddle has molded itself to your undercarriage they are probably the comfiest saddle out there. However, who in the modern world has time to go through all that discomfort? I have to hold down a day job and also have the every day humdrum chores that we all do so my riding window is small and I need to make the most of it by jumping on the bike and go riding.
The Brooks Cambium range of saddles is their solution to those of us without the time to break in new parts (or break our own doing it) and shock horror it isn’t even made of leather!!! No the Cambium has a vulcanised rubber cover so no worries about water damage or having to treat the material to protect it. Wash and go at the same time as you clean the bike. It has tubular steel rails and aluminium rivets.
Yes rivets, you see Brooks haven’t abandonned the traditions completely. The saddle is still designed to have the “hammock” effect of the original saddle, the top is still riveted together but with anodised aluminium rather than copper rivets and it even has a traditional twin fitting for a saddle bag, such as Brooks’s own or something like a carradice waxed cotton one. Lets not stray too far into the past though, as sunlit and glorious in a rough stuff fellowship kind of way it might be. Make no mistake the Cambium is a well thought out modern saddle that has been designed for commuting, road riding, world travel, gravel biking & bikepacking in all weather conditions.
The 17 part of the name represents the width, Brooks produce a 15 and a 19 in these and their other saddles. I went with 17 as it was closest to the width of saddle I’m most used to. I received a “carved” version which means there is a cut out in the middle designed to add pressure relief and more flex for long hours in the saddle. The rails will fit any modern seatpost and theres is no tension adjustment for the top.
The ride then does not match what my preconceived ideas forecast. To my eyes it looks uncomfortable and hard. This though is as far from the truth as it’s possible to get! The saddle feels like you are easing into your favourite armchair. The first few rides I found the flex a little disconcerting and I thought I could feel the cut out move and close together a little as i sat down but I think this was entirely psychosomatic as it didn’t interfere with any of my delicate parts at all. I didn’t find this flex affected the ride though, there’s no bouncing pogo stick like over rough ground but I could tell the difference from my regular saddle. The ride wasn’t as harsh, its no substitute for a suspension seatpost (or full suspension bike) by any means but it does help with that trail chatter and that has got to help with fatigue over a long ride.
I’ve used this saddle over the summer and now into the wet autumn…..who am I kidding, the summer was nearly as wet! The rubber saddle cover has proved durable and actually doesn’t look like its been used at all! It shrugs off water and a quick wash with a sponge or hose cleans off any residual mud or grit completely. After multiple rides the only thing I think I’d change if I was to buy one of these saddles is to go with the narrower C15. This is because I’ve mostly been using the saddle on a bike with a standard seatpost, not a dropper post so going downhill I’ve had to get my weight and myself behind the saddle in the old fashioned way and the slightly wider rear of the saddle has made this a process I’ve had to concentrate more on than if it was narrower. The fact that this method of riding with a rigid post is the only old fashioned thing about the saddle is not lost on me given my first two paragraphs. I think I’d go with one of the colours too, black is rather too traditional!
The Brooks England C17 saddle, there for the long haul rides with armchair comfort and lasting looks
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