Brooks Cambium Saddle C15

Anyone with seat time on one of these?

Cool looking. Good balance between retro and modern

I have a C17 which I think is a little wider. Love it, lots of comfort with none of the maintenance of the leather versions, I also have a B17 and a Swift on other bikes. Think I prefer the C17 over the others for comfort, not cheap, not light but comfort is my top priority on bikes I will be spending hours on.

You can just see it here:

I bought a C17 when they first became available and found it too wide, I then replaced it with a C15 (again first production run). I’m not sure about them – I find that there’s a strange line in the saddle where it goes from soft to rigid, and I can’t seem to get comfortable where I’d like to sit. Looks nice though and has lasted reasonably well – I cycle between 50 and 90 miles a week on it on my Brompton.
For all my other bikes I solely ride fi’zik saddles, so it may be that I’m just not the right shape for a Brooks.

I’ve got Fizik’s on my bikes and they have been good, but one did break the other day across the middle. I was running it on a layback post all the way back on the rails so can’t knock it

Takes a while to find saddles you can like, but Brooks are doing a loan demo service where you can loan one for a week or so to see if you like them

I’ve tried two Cambium C15 saddles – both had a very annoying squeak when pedalling. The first was a brand new demo saddle. It squeaked so I sent it back. Then I found a nearly new one on eBay and thought I’d give it another go – I was the only bidder (I’m an eBay Ninja) so I got it for a song. This saddle squeaked as well, so I sold it… for more than I bought it for.

Apart from the noise, they were comfy (for me) but a little overweight (like me). If it wasn’t for the squeak I’d probably have one ‘cos they look lovely on a Ti bike.

Hmmm… not looking good then

The squeak is the first thing you see said about these 🙁

The squeak is just the shell rubbing against the rails. A number of possible fixes for it, best I’ve found is gluing a small piece of cloth (I used a bit of old cloth bar tape) at the point of contact. You can also just smear a bit of grease in there but that tends to be a short term solution.

As a long time Swift user I really like them – similar shape without going saggy over time and more weather resistant.

I’ve got two. Love them. Nothing but praise and none of the above issues. Any bike that can have* them is getting them fitted here.

i.e. everything except the full bouncer and carbon road bike.

I had a c17 I tried and tried to love it but it left me in agony. Looked lovely but had to sell it

I have two. They get comfier over time. I bent a rail on one in a bad crash but it was easy enough to swap the rails over.

I’ve got one with the cut out that I’m on for an hour most days on my commute. No squeaks on mine at all.

It’s not the most comfortable thing I’ve sat on but it’s not bad. I’ve got a feeling I’ve not got it angled quite right as I keep sliding forwards onto the centre section so when I remember I’m going to try sitting it nose up a notch and see if that helps.

The material is pretty weather resistant and dries quite quickly but if it gets wet (and my commuter lives outside) it does transfer whatever’s soaked into the cotton into your trousers/shorts as you can’t just wipe it off like you would a plastic saddle. The material also feels quite abrasive and could potentially wreck normal trousers if its for a more casual bike.

I like mine a lot and it really suits my 60s rust bucket.

I’ve C17’s and a C15 on all of my bikes and they are fantastic. They never sqweek for me.
If they fit your bum you’ll love them too

I’ll give it a go then

I’m going to try and get my LBS to become a Brooks seller again, or at least grab a demo one to try

They were dealers a while back, but had to sell off all the stock of the old brown leather jobbies at cost as they didn’t sell

Ive got 2 of the ltd edition ones from when they were first released, they’ve had a lot of hammer and are still holding up fine, work great with my bum and look fab on the jones and the sheep. I need another one for the singular when funds allow such fripperies.

Only downside I’ve found is that the front numbered stud can unscrew itself, but it’s easy to take unbolt the saddle the add a dab of threadlock and hey presto it’s all good.

They have also held up remarkably well to gritty abrasive cannock winter mud being ground into by them my soggy bum cheeks, without any noticable wear either…to the saddle that is, not my bum cheeks, they’re look like a fat lass in fishnet has fallen down a sandpaper hill (wet gritty sandy chase mud in your shorts is the very definition of organ grinder)