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I’ve always loved these photos of Antonio and the Unicanitor saddle. It’s like he’s holding some strange bird against a black backdrop. The Winged store now has the standard model and the Unicanitor CMX in stock. The original Unicanitor is a longtime favorite of mine!
Well, we’ve seen the saddles being made through photos, now let’s look at Brooks’ portage line through this video…
Since 1866, Brooks England has been making bicycle saddles in the UK. While their original facilities were located in Birmingham, the current factory is nestled in the industrial town of Smethwick.
We’ve all probably owned a Brooks saddle at one point in our life and can attest to their longtime comfort and character that develops from heavy use. Before a saddle ever touches a seat post, they begin as just raw leather and steel. The process by which they make the transformation to a bicycle saddle is complex, yet streamlined in their bustling factory.
Dozens of employees make Brooks England tick and each has their special task. While they will transfer stations every few months, a unique marker on the saddles can tell you who was doing what, when. This catalog of information spans decades and is what makes Brooks so unique. If something goes wrong with a batch, Brooks can asses the situation and make their end product better.
For me, the most interesting part of the process was talking to the workers and watching them move through their tasks with efficiency… In an age when Great Britain has shipped much of its industry overseas, it’s great to see heritage and craftsmanship are still alive at Brooks.
See more in the Gallery, as I walk you through this process.
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.
I gotta say, the newest from Busyman has me thinking… A Jackal saddle would be rad! Mick Peel does it again.
Busyman is so busy, man that he’s just now getting around to posting projects he finished months back. This Kurve saddle and matching bar tape is now in Seoul, Korea. See more at Busyman.
I haven’t seen much from this collaboration since those Lobster x Selle San Marco Concor collaborative saddles three years ago – which are now back in stock as well. It seems that Lobster Apparel did a Rolls saddle as well and they’re still in stock at San Marco. Head over there to pick one up.
It’s rad that Carson lives in Austin. I need to get over to his shop!
“Carson Leh has been making custom leather bicycle seats and cycling accessories for 4 years. He started in 2010 recovering torn BMX saddles and in 2013 he founded Leh Seats. He not only manufactures leather bike saddles and handle bar tape, but has recently branched out with new leather goods such as Macbook cases.
He produces small production run leather goods for contract in the USA. Filmer Brian Chace of www.chaceproductions.com visited his Austin based workshop this winter to speak with him about his work and inspiration from brogue wingtip dress shoe and boot making. This short film shows the process of one of his custom made BMX seats. Each BMX seat is guaranteed for life against tears. You can find him at www.lehseats.com or on Instagram @lehseats.”
Mick does it again! Check out more at Busyman’s blog.
Photo by Kyle Kelley
Design fads come and go in cycling, but one thing’s for sure: camo ain’t going anywhere.
The 2014 Red Hook Crit is approaching and to celebrate this year’s race, they’ve continued to roll out collaboration products, like these San Marco Concor Saddles.
Garrett Chow has long been Mash’s right hand graphic designer and everything that dude touches is gold. Check out their latest project with San Marco: the Concor and Zoncolan saddles. In stock now at Mash.
This is amazing. Technically, it’s not meant for sitting. This wallaby hair saddle is going on one of Mick’s client’s dirt jumpers. Check out more photos at Busyman!
The ever popular and sportier version of the Brooks Flyer, the Brooks Conquest is back. Meant for a touring, mountain, klunker or fatbike, these saddles are a bit longer, like a racing saddle, but offer a little more compliance for distance. Check out more information at Brooks!
The Silverado is one of WTB’s most popular saddles and with the help of Japan’s Blue Lug, it’s received a special camo treatment. Now available and exclusive to Blue Lug.
I also love how much they rep Surly. There’s just something special about Blue Lug builds…
All the saddle talk yesterday had me looking at Busyman Bicycles, where I caught this custom tree Arione Donna. So fresh!
For whatever the reason, this saddle has generated more hype than any I can recall. Perhaps it’s because Brooks isn’t exactly associated typically with vegan saddles? Or maybe it’s the unique nature of the material application? Rubber, really?! I’ve heard a lot of positive and negative feedback but that didn’t stop me from picking up a Cambium C17 from my local shop to try out (I still hadn’t received mine from Brooks to review, so I figured what the hell)…
Check out more below!
The newest saddle from Brooks should be in stock now at your local bike shop. The C17 (mens) and C17s (womens) Cambium is vegan-friendly and one of the slickest designed saddles I’ve seen. Not pictured is the darker colored version, which can be seen here. Head over to your local Brooks dealer to pick one up and see more information at Brooks England.
