The Radavist

The C13 is Brooks’ latest saddle release. We took a look at it yesterday in photo form, so now let’s watch David Millar thrash it on the cobbles of Paris-Roubaix.

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.

Juliet did a nice feature on Caren Hartley of Hartley Cycles in the UK over at the Brooks England Blog. She was the first and only builder at Bespoke, which is an achievement in it of itself, yet from the looks of her work, she deserves that award for Best Utility Bike!

Check out more at the Brooks England blog!

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…

Those Brooks and Levi’s® Cambium C17 denim saddles are in stock now on Brooks’ website. Head over now to swoop one up before they’re all gone.

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.

This build took a bit for me to warm up to it, but there’s something about it that would heat up even the coldest base miles. The bar tape, saddle, fork, headset and hubs are all a different tone of green and yet it works.

See more of this rad machine at the Firefly Flickr!

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!

Here’s the official video from 2014 L’Eroica Britannia, showcasing the people and places that could be found along this scenic route.

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.

When some design companies sell cycling products, they just slap a label on some Taiwanese blanks, but House Industries isn’t just anyone. They’ve done an amazing job, sourcing products that were made domestically. From PAUL, to Brooks, Tanner Goods, King Cage and even Waterford-constructed framesets, the House Industries Velo Collection is filled with products that will last a lifetime.

… and as I just found, it’s hard to not add a lot of it to your check out basket!

See more at House Industries and again, smashing job guys!

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.