Brooks C15 Cambium Carved All Weather Saddle Review

The Cambium saddles has been a useful way for Brooks to expand beyond their well-known leather range, whilst maintaining something with a classic look.

The Cambium was originally promoted by Brooks as a saddle you didn’t need to worry about in the wet, unlike its leather saddles. The fact that the latest version comes with a different surface called “all weather” is perhaps an admission that the original Cambiums weren’t as hard-wearing as they could have been. Nevertheless, the new covering looks good and seems wear resistant. It’s also cheaper than the original Cambium at around £80 if you shop around.

The Cambium comes in different widths and I’d say this one, the C15, is a “standard” road bike width. Although you wouldn’t buy this saddle as a lightweight choice, it does feel pretty heavy when you pick it up, so it really needs to be comfortable to be worth it.

The “carved” version means it has a central cutout, and I think this is where the issues lie with this saddle for me. My usual road saddle is a Specialized Toupe, which is a firm saddle with a full length cutout which does a good job of making sure your sit-bones take most of the pressure. The Cambium is a surprisingly soft saddle: you can easily move the central section by pressing it with your thumb. There’s no padding in the saddle, all the flex comes from the rubber structure of the saddle moving. For me this flexibility negates a lot of the adavantage of the cutout and ultimately makes the saddle uncomfortable for me in the long run.

It’s a shame as I really wanted to like this saddle. I like the link to the heritage of Brooks (even though Cambiums are made in Italy rather than Brooks’ Birmingham factory). I also think it looks great on the bike, with the visible rivets a particularly nice feature. I also like the fact you can completely take it apart for cleaning/maintenance and can customize it if you want (google “crivets”: very cool).

Ultimately though, if it doesn’t fit it doesn’t fit, but worth trying one out as I still think it’s a great saddle if it suits you.

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