The Radavist

As a brand, Brooks has really grown from just making saddles by hand in England. While they continue their British handmade saddle heritage, they’ve also introduced a number of handy bags, for both on and off the bike use. Their latest additions being the Mott Weekender duffel and the Rivington Rucksack. As a part of Brooks’ new Metropolitan collection, these two bags are handmade in Italy and as expected, carry a stout pricetag. Stout, but well worth it in my opinon anyway. See more at Brooks England.

I’ve been a fan of the Cambium line from Brooks since its inception, yet was always hesitant to put one on my carbon Argonaut road bike. Why? I dunno, they never really matched the sleek and minimal aesthetic of my bike. Read that as: they never came in black! Now I don’t really care about weight. I’m not a gram counter, especially when it comes to saddles- even though the C13 weighs 259g – less than any of my other saddles. What I like in a ride is comfort without sacrificing aesthetic or most importantly, functionality. A lot of the über weight weenie saddles look scary or don’t fit my sit bones right. Or they’re just too damn stiff.

On the other side of the coin, Brooks saddles have always felt great. Luckily, the Cambium C13 continues this tradition just with an undated material palette. It’s so sleek that it looks great on a road bike (full driveside photo coming soon with another product review,) which I have to say has been feeling a bit neglected as of late. Yet over the past few weeks, since receiving the C13, I’ve been riding my road bike more and more, just to test the saddle’s durability and feel before I even began to think about writing this review. I was worried the C13 would lose the springiness of the other Cambium saddles when adopting the carbon weave, so I was pleasantly surprised to find it give just the right amount. The only bummer was having to track down oversize rail hardware for my ENVE seatpost.

After what I would consider a lot of road riding for this dirt-minded individual, I’m completely satisfied with the C13. It’s elegant enough for a carbon road bike, fits great, and is made in Italy. The C13 saddle is available for $220 at Brooks Dealers of Excellence worldwide or online at Brooks England.

Any questions? Leave them in the comments and check out more photos below.

The first batch of 259 Brooks C13 carbon fiber saddles have landed in the Brooks web shop. These lightweight (259g) Cambiums feature aluminum rivets in all black and is the first in a series of models to follow from Brooks. Each of the 259 saddles comes in a limited edition packaging and a special ‘First Batch 259’ marking on the underside.

Pick one up in the Brooks web shop today!

Brooks England was at the Dirty Kanza this year and put together a recap video showcasing the mud, sweat and tears that took place.

The C13 is lighter, narrower and blacker than the previous Cambium models and now you have the opportunity to test one out before they hit the market. Head to Brooks to sign up and enter for your chance to win!

The C15 lineup just keeps getting better and better. Now Brooks offers their new C15 Cambium shape in a Carved version, allowing for even more movement and flexibility. Head over to Brooks for more information.

This is pure genius. Mitch Pryor from Map Bicycles modified a Cambium saddle to mount a Schmidt SON tail light. He first removed the Brooks plaque, then disassembled the saddle and tapped threades to hold the Schmidt light. The wiring enters the seat post and seat tube through a hole drilled in the PAUL Tall n Handsome post head, before traveling through the frame. Then Mitch used beveled washers on the backside of the light allows it to be mounted to the curved surface. I kind of want to try this one out…

I love the looks (and feel) of this collaboration:

“Brooks England and Levi’s® Commuter™ have teamed up to create a Numbered Limited Edition Cambium C17 Denim Saddle. This release of 1,000 pieces will be exclusively available at the flagship B1866 store in London and the Brooks online shop from the 5th of February, 2015.

This special saddle is manufactured from recycled Levi’s denim utilising the same vulcanisation techniques of the comfortable, waterproof, and long-lasting Cambium C17 original. The used denim was collected at Levi’s Commuter Workspaces in Brooklyn, Los Angeles and London in summer 2014.”

Head over to Brooks England for more information.

Brooks England is throwing a party at their B1866 store in London and will be auctioning off one of these limited edition Movember saddles. Head on over to the Brooks blog to find out more information!

Brooks England‘s tradition of making cycling bags dates back as long as their saddles, over 120 years. In the past few years, they’ve been making a huge push for their bags, totally five lines: Heritage, Transit, Utility, Expedition and Cult.

This year, they are bringing more colors to their Utility line. Check out more below.

The John Boultbee label within the Brooks England product line offers unique color combinations to classic models. Both apparel and accessories, like this special edition Carrera folding helmet. This helmet is available in a plethora of colors, but let’s be honest, black on black looks sick.

See more at Brooks England.

This chair from Two Makers is good. So good that you’ll have to head over to the Brooks England Blog to read more about it!

This saddle has been creating quite the stir and rightfully so. I’ve been riding the C17 on and off for several months and it’s great, but I usually ride a narrower saddle, so it was never ideal. When Brooks England gave me two C15 Cambiums to try out on my bikes, I was eager to see how it felt on my touring bike and a road bike. First up, is my Geekhouse Woodville touring bike.

I’ve been pedaling around today on the C15 and I’m already in love with it… See more below

I caught wind of this while I was in England and I’m way into the concept:

“Brooks England and Levi’s® Commuter™ are teaming up to create a Limited Edition saddle: the Cambium Denim, exclusively available this Summer at Levi’s® Commuter™ Workspaces in Brooklyn, Los Angeles and London, and from October at the Brooks online shop.

Levi’s® Commuter™ is partnering with Brooks England to produce a special bike saddle manufactured from recycled Levi’s® denim. The saddle will be a Limited Edition version of Brooks’ newest product, the Cambium C17, which uses vulcanized rubber pressing techniques to create a comfortable, waterproof, and long-lasting saddle whose features align with the performance benefits of the Levi’s® Commuter™ collection. Teams from Levi’s® Commuter™ and Brooks England are taking this opportunity to work together to create a product of unique beauty and utility.”

See more at Brooks, including availability and information on the Levi’s® Commuter™ Workspaces.

Well, we’ve seen the saddles being made through photos, now let’s look at Brooks’ portage line through this video…

When Brooks England launched the Cambium platform last year with the C17 flagship model, people were immediately drawn to its unique material palette, shape and ride quality. With the success of the C17, an interpretation of the classic B17 model, Brooks began developing the newest Cambium model, the C15.

Find out more below, including how to win one of these saddles from Brooks.

Next week, I board a plane and hop the pond over to the UK. It’ll be the first time there with a bike and while I’m not bringing anything from my personal stable, I’ll have something vintage to ride, donated graciously by Brooks England.

The mainstay for the trip is the L’Eroica Britannia, a new take on the classic Italian event, at home in The Peak District, UK. Over 1,600 riders will depart on three rides (33 miles, 50 miles and 100 miles) on pre-1987 steel bicycles.

You should check out this interview at the Brooks England Blog and more information at the L’Eroica Britannia website. Maybe I’ll see you there?

Now’s the main thing on my mind: what do I wear?