Brooks Cambium C17

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Heltor Chasca
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Joined: 30 Aug 2014, 8:18pm
Location: Near Bath & The Mendips in Somerset

Brooks Cambium C17

Post by Heltor Chasca »

This is a new saddle I purchased for my Surly DT as I didn't get on with the sponge it came with. I went for the slate which really Brook's posh word for black

I'm no good at extensive reviews and besides, after a 20 miles with steep ascents & descents and some heavy rain it's almost as if it wasn't there. Surely that's the best thing you can say about a saddle isn't it? Well worth the money at £100 from Cadence Bikes in Bath. I've surprised myself as I'm a bit of a traditionalist when it comes to "toys" I own (gardening tools, axes etc) and I love leather and I love putting in the time to look after things of beauty particularly if they are handmade. However this vulcanised rubber seat with organic cotton canvas touched a chord with me on another level. Seeing it in the flesh you will be assured of Brook's extraordinary quality control. The metalwork, rails, studs, cotton, rubber, EVERYTHING is with out fault. There's even an ergonomic finger hold under, and at the back of the seat which is ideal when lifting the bike down steps etc.

I'm in awe...........hc

http://www.brooksengland.com/cambium/
Psamathe
Posts: 17650
Joined: 10 Jan 2014, 8:56pm

Re: Brooks Cambium C17

Post by Psamathe »

I'm seriously considering a C15. Not that I love narrow saddles, but my current saddle is 13 cm wide and the C15 is 14cm wide and I get on OK with my current one. Ok, after 3 miles I have to start standing occasionally, but it's not like I'm sitting on soft tissue.

Ian
freeflow
Posts: 1637
Joined: 29 Aug 2011, 1:54pm

Re: Brooks Cambium C17

Post by freeflow »

Took a while to get the position of my Cambium correct but I'm now doing 200k rides and only getting to slight discomfort at this distance. This I think is mainly due to the distance rather than the Cambium. I do have to use a VK adapter to get the saddle in the right position. I also have the grey version which looks rather nice with a ti frame.
Richard D
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Joined: 27 Sep 2011, 6:16pm

Re: Brooks Cambium C17

Post by Richard D »

I found a C17 agony almost as soon as I sat on it, and 15 miles later it was worse. I took it off the bike and replaced it with the B17 I've used for the last year, which is much, much better. The C17 felt a lot wider to me; nothing like the B17. Proving once again that saddles are very much a personal thing.

Though I will try the C15 in due course.
freeflow
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Joined: 29 Aug 2011, 1:54pm

Re: Brooks Cambium C17

Post by freeflow »

I like B17 too. But I've destroyed two of them in the past five years just by sitting on them and riding. Thus far the Cambium is holding up well.
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Heltor Chasca
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Joined: 30 Aug 2014, 8:18pm
Location: Near Bath & The Mendips in Somerset

Brooks Cambium C17

Post by Heltor Chasca »

Richard D wrote:I found a C17 agony almost as soon as I sat on it, and 15 miles later it was worse...Though I will try the C15 in due course.


Hard lines. Sorry to hear that. The bike shop I deal with have a 'demo-basket' which is a great idea and potentially saves customers lots of cash. I was lucky with the C17 which I am chuffed to bits with. Tomorrow I'm going to fine tune the fore/aft setting. As you are after s C15, check out the Brooks site. At one stage they had a competition on to win a C15. Let me know how one feels. They look spectacular....hc
JohnW
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Joined: 6 Jan 2007, 9:12pm
Location: Yorkshire

Re: Brooks Cambium C17

Post by JohnW »

Heltor Chasca wrote:..............it's almost as if it wasn't there.............../


Beware of the seat-post then! :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:
hamish
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Joined: 5 Mar 2008, 11:29pm

Re: Brooks Cambium C17

Post by hamish »

I put a C17 on my Pugsley. I am used to B17s but they are a bit fussy in use for my kind of riding even if they are comfy.

Anyway, I tried the C17 on a few short rides and found it too hard. So I set of on the Trans Cambrian http://imba.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/IMBATransCambrianWay.pdf with a spare saddle strapped under my rack (there is room on a pug as the rack sits high) just in case. I finished the ride with a bit of a sore backside but nothing too serious and the spare saddle covered in sheep poo still nestled under the rack!

After a few more day and weekend rides and lots of commuting, the saddle seems to be more comfy and I am getting to like it... I think!

In the mean time I put a Spa Nidd on my tourer to replace a B17 that's gone weird. Now the Nidd makes the C17 feel like a throne. Still. The Nidd should break in. If I can stand it long enough.

In short. C17s - They say comfy from day 1. I am not so sure. They may need a period of breaking in. Whether that is your bum or the saddle that breaks in I don't know. I suspect a bit of both.
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pedalsheep
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Joined: 11 Aug 2009, 7:57pm

Re: Brooks Cambium C17

Post by pedalsheep »

Richard D wrote
The C17 felt a lot wider to me; nothing like the B17. Proving once again that saddles are very much a personal thing.

Must be a personal thing - I thought the Cambium felt narrower than my B17! It was certainly less comfortable.
'Why cycling for joy is not the most popular pastime on earth is still a mystery to me.'
Frank J Urry, Salute to Cycling, 1956.
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Heltor Chasca
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Joined: 30 Aug 2014, 8:18pm
Location: Near Bath & The Mendips in Somerset

Re: Brooks Cambium C17

Post by Heltor Chasca »

pedalsheep wrote:
Richard D wrote
The C17 felt a lot wider to me; nothing like the B17. Proving once again that saddles are very much a personal thing.

Must be a personal thing - I thought the Cambium felt narrower than my B17! It was certainly less comfortable.


Definitely a personal thing. I could sleep on my C17..........hc
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Colin63
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Joined: 31 Aug 2008, 9:46am
Location: Lancaster

Re: Brooks Cambium C17

Post by Colin63 »

Today I was reminded why I like the Cambium so much. I don't know what it's like where you are, but in Lancaster it's pouring with rain and has been all day. On the commute home I decided to stop to do some shopping. I'm used to the terror of getting my old leather B17 wet, but with the Cambium I can obviously not worry. The rubber/cotton top got soaked but had the same grippy-ness when I hopped back on it as when it's dry, and the warmth of my bum was enough to have dried it out by the time I got home. Whoever invented rubber and cotton deserves a medal.
Richard D
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Joined: 27 Sep 2011, 6:16pm

Re: Brooks Cambium C17

Post by Richard D »

I tried a Cambium C15 for a week. It's clearly narrower than the C17, but no softer. Unlike the C17 I could just about cope with rides of 10-20 miles on it, but it was still pretty painful - pain which stopped as soon as I put the B17 back on. So I'm back having to cope with short rails and putting a cover on if it might rain when I'm not sitting on it, because ultimately those inconveniencies are outweighed by the comfort factor present in a proper B17.
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