Brooks Cambium C15 or C17?

englander

Hello all,

In my pursuit of saddle nirvana, I've turned my attention towards Brooks - particularly their Cambium range as the lack of maintenance relative to their leather saddles appeals to me.

The difference between the C15 and C17 seems to be one of width, and I'm not sure how to decide which would suit me best. I'm not aware of any stockists which would allow me to trial them and it would be a costly mistake to get the wrong one.

I've measured my ischial tuberosities to be ~110mm apart and the saddle is to go on my road bike in preparation for some longer tours this summer (~100mile days. Really want to have a crack at 200 miles as well just to see what it's like to be Steven Abraham for a day).

So any thoughts on whether the C15 (140mm wide) or the C17 (162mm wide) would be more suitable for me?

2oldnslow

I have a C15 which I bought to replace a Brooks Swift for much the same reasons you quote. I'm relatively "narrow hipped" and find it very comfortable and have had a number of 100 plus mile days on it without concern. Saddles are always a bit of a lottery but if it helps I also find the Fizik Arione comfortable for similar length rides. The C15 in the grey colour I have does look very spiffy though and as it claims on the tin is maintenance free.

If it were me I'd opt for the narrower C15 good luck

Ber Nard

I'm no bike fit expert but the bike you're putting it on will make a difference. If it's a head down racer you'll want a narrower saddle, a more upright touring position would benefit from a wider saddle.

Englander wrote:

I'm not aware of any stockists which would allow me to trial them and it would be a costly mistake to get the wrong one.

I'm sure you'll find one. My LBS stocks Brooks and has test saddles, that's how I ended up with a Cambium C15. Basically, I paid upfront, was given their test saddle for a week and when I brought it back, was given the choice of a brand new one in my choice of colour, or a refund. Worth asking.

2oldnslow

+1 to what Ber Nard said. Flexibility and bike set up come into it and are possibly as (if not more important than "width"

I get on very well with the Fizik Arione which according to Fizik is for the more "supple" rider not overly concerned by a bit of saddle to bar top drop, and found the width of the B17 which is I believe even wider than the C17 uncomfortable for anything more than pootling about. Fine on my Pashley (very upright) much less so on my other bikes. I think the C15 might possibly be the one for you but if you can find a shop with test saddles so much the better.

englander

Interesting input, thank you everyone. In terms of Fizik saddles, according to them I should ride an Antares (and I have tested one with some success). I thought width was the be all and end all of saddle things, I didn't realise that position altered that rule.

cycleclinic

A Cambium dealer will have test saddles. Try one of the test saddles what do you have to loose.

englander

thecycleclinic wrote:

A Cambium dealer will have test saddles. Try one of the test saddles what do you have to loose.

Are you able to suggest any shops in Central London which offer a trial service? Condor cycles is my go-to place for test rides but last I checked they didn't offer Cambiums. I read that no one offers test rides for the leather ones because the point is that they mold themselves to the anatomy of the individual rider, letting dozens of people test the same saddle wouldn't give a true representation of what they are like.

stevie63

thecycleclinic wrote:

A Cambium dealer will have test saddles. Try one of the test saddles what do you have to loose.

Hi Malcolm does this mean that you are a dealer for them? you should have a word with Brooks because you are not on their dealer locator thing on their website. They show only Revel outdoors as being their only dealer in Suffolk.

the_cyclist_of_catan

Tried them both, hated them both. The C17 felt wider than a barge, the C15 felt harder than a rock. I decided to stick with my B17 for all its faults (short rails, not waterproof), because it felt right from the first moment I sat on it. What surprised me about the Cambium saddles was how little they felt like a "traditional" Brooks.

Ber Nard

The Cyclist of Catan wrote:

What surprised me about the Cambium saddles was how little they felt like a "traditional" Brooks.

I think that's the point; it opens up a different market. I'd never consider fitting a "traditional" Brooks saddle to my my bikes but I love the Cambium.

bendertherobot

Mine arrived today. No squeaks!

FItted, used it. Didn't think about my arris once. And fastest commute of the year so far.

englander

Ah, maybe I can offer a bit of closure on this thread with my findings. So, the Brooks shop in Covent Garden lets you trial Cambium saddles, so for the last week and a half I've been testing one out. Just yesterday I went to the Brooks website and ordered one directly from them (I had a 20% off offer) so now I'm waiting for it to be delivered from Italy. I find the saddle comfortable and stylish, with stark contrast in feel compared to traditional racing saddles like my Antares. My test saddle started squeaking from the get go, but a small spray of GT85 on the rails at the front and back of the saddle silenced it with immediate and, so far, lasting effect.

Some people also complain of sweat marks on their saddle after an effortful ride, but having got quite sweaty on my pale coloured test saddle, no sweat patches were visible after ~3.5 hours.

I opted for the C15 as per the advice in this thread, because having now seen a C17 in real life, it does look massive and inappropriate for a racey road bike. It does feel hard if you tap it, there isn't any padding as such (just the canvas material on top of the rubber), but the comfort comes from how flexible the saddle is as a unit.

I'm very much looking forward to putting more miles into the saddle over the coming months, as my mileages increase.