Go Back  Bike Forums > Bike Forums > Road Cycling
Reload this Page >

Brooks Cambium - WTF!?!

Notices
Road Cycling “It is by riding a bicycle that you learn the contours of a country best, since you have to sweat up the hills and coast down them. Thus you remember them as they actually are, while in a motor car only a high hill impresses you, and you have no such accurate remembrance of country you have driven through as you gain by riding a bicycle.” -- Ernest Hemingway

Brooks Cambium - WTF!?!

Old 07-15-14, 04:14 PM
  #1  
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Jun 2008
Posts: 111
Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time in 1 Post
Brooks Cambium - WTF!?!

Ok, so I finally caved and bought a Brooks Cambium (at a greatly reduced rate) saddle solely because of the neverending glowing reviews. People say it's the most comfortable saddle ever, last saddle they'll ever buy, disappears beneath you etc. etc. Am I missing something hear? I know saddles are a highly personal/subjective thing but when 99% say it's great wondering if what the story is, at no point on the rails is it comfy. Way too much pressure on the sit bones. Anyone else have this issue or am I out to lunch..?
FixedFiend626 is offline  
Old 07-15-14, 04:21 PM
  #2  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: SoCal
Posts: 6,517
Mentioned: 6 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 276 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 6 Times in 3 Posts
I had a Brooks Team Pro and it was the most uncomfortable thing I ever sat on. I gave it a couple of months before I finally gave up on it. Some people say it takes a long time to break in (6-12 months?) but I don't have that kind of time to ride in pain and in hopes that it got more comfortable
rms13 is offline  
Old 07-15-14, 04:41 PM
  #3  
Senior Member
 
rpenmanparker's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Houston, TX
Posts: 28,682

Bikes: 1990 Romic Reynolds 531 custom build, Merlin Works CR Ti custom build, super light Workswell 066 custom build

Mentioned: 109 Post(s)
Tagged: 1 Thread(s)
Quoted: 6556 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 58 Times in 36 Posts
That Brooks BS has been going on now for a long, long time. Don't ask a Brit about it. You will be very sorry you did. Guys who choose to ride Brooks have to take a lidocaine injection in the butt before every ride. Either that or they were born without butt nerves.
__________________
Robert

Originally Posted by LAJ
No matter where I go, here I am...
rpenmanparker is offline  
Old 07-15-14, 04:42 PM
  #4  
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Jun 2008
Posts: 111
Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time in 1 Post
Ya, I had the same saddle a few years ago and it felt like I was sitting on stone, rock-fu**ing hard..
FixedFiend626 is offline  
Old 07-15-14, 04:55 PM
  #5  
Senior Member
 
Cyril's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Southwestern, Ontario
Posts: 958
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 21 Post(s)
Liked 1 Time in 1 Post
Originally Posted by rpenmanparker
That Brooks BS has been going on now for a long, long time. Don't ask a Brit about it. You will be very sorry you did. Guys who choose to ride Brooks have to take a lidocaine injection in the butt before every ride. Either that or they were born without butt nerves.
False.
Utterly, absolutely, false.
And insulting.
Cyril is offline  
Old 07-15-14, 05:01 PM
  #6  
Senior Member
 
Cyril's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Southwestern, Ontario
Posts: 958
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 21 Post(s)
Liked 1 Time in 1 Post
Originally Posted by FixedFiend626
Ya, I had the same saddle a few years ago and it felt like I was sitting on stone, rock-fu**ing hard..
I gather by "same saddle" you mean the Team Pro. The Cambium is relatively new.
I use a Team Pro on my rando bike and I attest it is quite comfy...no pain, no saddle sores,no discomfort even after a 1200km brevet.
And I do my randonneuring on a fixed gear bike, so I spend a bit more time in the saddle than freewheel riders.

I'm sorry yours didn't work out for you.
Cyril is offline  
Old 07-15-14, 06:23 PM
  #7  
JRD
Full Member
 
JRD's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Racine, Wisconsin
Posts: 205

Bikes: 2014 Giant Defy Composite with Campagnolo Record 11 Groupo - 2015 Giant Talon 4 27.5

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 22 Post(s)
Liked 27 Times in 14 Posts
I am currently trying a team pro and I do not like it as much as the B-17. The B-17 (for Me) is all day comfy.
JRD is offline  
Old 07-15-14, 06:46 PM
  #8  
Senior Member
 
brianmcg123's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: TN
Posts: 1,286

Bikes: 2013 Trek Madone; 2008 Surly Long Haul Trucker

Mentioned: 7 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 361 Post(s)
Liked 59 Times in 35 Posts
Originally Posted by rpenmanparker
That Brooks BS has been going on now for a long, long time. Don't ask a Brit about it. You will be very sorry you did. Guys who choose to ride Brooks have to take a lidocaine injection in the butt before every ride. Either that or they were born without butt nerves.
False.

I have a team pro and its awesome. Best saddle ever. I wont ride anything but Brooks.
brianmcg123 is offline  
Old 07-15-14, 07:03 PM
  #9  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: texas
Posts: 193

Bikes: '86 Raleigh marathon, '09 Fuji newest 4.0, 2001 Cannondale R600

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
I got a Brooks and rode it daily for about a month treating it daily with Brooks saddle treatment it was still hard so one night I covered the holes turned it over filled it with unapproved oil until the next morning next ride was much improved, three yrs later no problems and two little indents for my sit bones provide just the spot for comfort.
1986raleigh is offline  
Old 07-15-14, 07:04 PM
  #10  
Senior Member
 
Bluechip's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Cypress TX
Posts: 1,179

Bikes: Salsa Fargo Ti, Cannondale CAAD9, Carbonello Fixed Gear, Specialized Epic Disc

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 39 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 16 Times in 10 Posts
I love my B17 and am thinking about a Cambium. I didn't have any break in problems on it at all. I do a century once a week and it's the last thing I have to worry about.
Bluechip is offline  
Old 07-15-14, 07:06 PM
  #11  
Senior Member
 
rpenmanparker's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Houston, TX
Posts: 28,682

Bikes: 1990 Romic Reynolds 531 custom build, Merlin Works CR Ti custom build, super light Workswell 066 custom build

Mentioned: 109 Post(s)
Tagged: 1 Thread(s)
Quoted: 6556 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 58 Times in 36 Posts
Originally Posted by Cyril
I gather by "same saddle" you mean the Team Pro. The Cambium is relatively new.
I use a Team Pro on my rando bike and I attest it is quite comfy...no pain, no saddle sores,no discomfort even after a 1200km brevet.
And I do my randonneuring on a fixed gear bike, so I spend a bit more time in the saddle than freewheel riders.

I'm sorry yours didn't work out for you.
What'd I tell you guys?
__________________
Robert

Originally Posted by LAJ
No matter where I go, here I am...
rpenmanparker is offline  
Old 07-15-14, 07:07 PM
  #12  
Senior Member
 
surgeonstone's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: South Bend IN
Posts: 11,218

Bikes: 1976 FRESCHI, 2004 Crumpton.

Mentioned: 31 Post(s)
Tagged: 1 Thread(s)
Quoted: 925 Post(s)
Liked 21 Times in 10 Posts
Christ Almighty, this thread has more miss information than the Contador Assplosion thread. And it's not even a page.
surgeonstone is offline  
Old 07-15-14, 07:27 PM
  #13  
Senior Member
 
rpenmanparker's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Houston, TX
Posts: 28,682

Bikes: 1990 Romic Reynolds 531 custom build, Merlin Works CR Ti custom build, super light Workswell 066 custom build

Mentioned: 109 Post(s)
Tagged: 1 Thread(s)
Quoted: 6556 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 58 Times in 36 Posts
True, but I neither side has figured out yet that I was joking...I think.
__________________
Robert

Originally Posted by LAJ
No matter where I go, here I am...
rpenmanparker is offline  
Old 07-15-14, 07:38 PM
  #14  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 2014
Posts: 316
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 11 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 12 Times in 7 Posts
I loved my team pro when i had one. personally i think their saddles are better suited for touring rather then race bikes
calgarc is offline  
Old 07-15-14, 08:05 PM
  #15  
ka maté ka maté ka ora
 
pdedes's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: wessex
Posts: 4,423

Bikes: breezer venturi - red novo bosberg - red, pedal force cg1 - red, neuvation f-100 - da, devinci phantom - xt, miele piste - miche/campy, bianchi reparto corse sbx, concorde squadra tsx - da, miele team issue sl - ultegra

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 25 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 3 Times in 3 Posts
brooks are great if you plan on sitting in the saddle in one position all day ( the indents that develop don't allow for much movement). but for hard sport riding/racing where you might be slamming back and high on a climb, or pulled forward on the rivet as you're desperately hanging on in a death line, there's less room to manoeuvre your arse around.
pdedes is offline  
Old 07-15-14, 08:43 PM
  #16  
Senior Member
 
fstshrk's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: WA State
Posts: 1,843
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 20 Post(s)
Liked 5 Times in 3 Posts
A fellow cyclist at work (who uses brooks saddles on almost all of his bikes) bought a cambium and tried it. He prefers his leather saddles.

For me, I tried the B17 and could not stand it.
fstshrk is offline  
Old 07-15-14, 09:47 PM
  #17  
just another gosling
 
Carbonfiberboy's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Everett, WA
Posts: 19,501

Bikes: CoMo Speedster 2003, Trek 5200, CAAD 9, Fred 2004

Mentioned: 115 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3872 Post(s)
Liked 1,920 Times in 1,369 Posts
There's some mystique about liking your Brooks saddle. It's kinda like they say, "How do you tell if a person's a vegan?" "You don't have to, they'll tell you." It's like a religion, some sort of belief system. I'm sure they do love their saddles, love them with all their hearts, which is fine, but I find the proselytizing annoying. Most folks don't give a RA about their saddle, as long as it works for them. But this is the Internet, right?

OTOH, around here if you line up for a daylight start of a brevet, meaning a ride of 125-750 miles, you'll see about 10% Brooks saddles. Also, in spite of the "Steel is real" thing and all the carbon dissing that goes on here, the majority of them will be carbon. It's the same thing. So Brooks are not The Only Thing. IOW, you are not a failure. One particular saddle didn't suit your butt. That's the reason there are like 100 different models of saddle on the market. There probably should be 1000. Try something else.
Carbonfiberboy is offline  
Old 07-15-14, 10:05 PM
  #18  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2006
Posts: 1,114

Bikes: 2006 Raleigh Cadent 2.0, 2016 Trek Emonda ALR 6, 2015 Propel Advanced SL 2, 2000 K2 Zed SE

Mentioned: 3 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 115 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Originally Posted by Carbonfiberboy
Try something else.
Watch out, they might start going after the heretics.
kc0bbq is offline  
Old 07-15-14, 10:11 PM
  #19  
Friendship is Magic
 
3alarmer's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Sacramento, CA
Posts: 22,932

Bikes: old ones

Mentioned: 304 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 26247 Post(s)
Liked 10,231 Times in 7,100 Posts
...the Cambium is a whole different deal, and I doubt it's gonna "break in" much.

One of my friends here got one as a tester from Brooks. He had nothing good to say about it,
so one presumes they did not use his comments as part of the advertising and marketing.

That 99 % of glowing reviews are the ones they decided to use.

It's a sort of canvasy covering over a rubbery base, IIRC. He said it transpires not at all, unlike leather.
__________________
3alarmer is offline  
Old 07-16-14, 08:01 AM
  #20  
.
 
bbattle's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Rocket City, No'ala
Posts: 12,760

Bikes: 2014 Trek Domane 5.2, 1985 Pinarello Treviso, 1990 Gardin Shred, 2006 Bianchi San Jose

Mentioned: 3 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 62 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 24 Times in 11 Posts
Now, head over to the A and S forum and say you won't ever wear a helmet because helmets are for girls.

Or post a video in the 'bent forum of a DF'er riding faster than a paceline of 'bents.
bbattle is offline  
Old 07-16-14, 08:18 AM
  #21  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Tulsa OK
Posts: 2,076
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 63 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Saddles are a personal thing. I ride and love a saddle that my best riding buddy thinks is awful. Also Brooks are ugly.
therhodeo is offline  
Old 07-16-14, 08:36 AM
  #22  
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Jun 2008
Posts: 111
Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time in 1 Post
My brother has a B17 and he raves about how great it is (go figure. he also said my Cambium wasn't a 'real' Brooks) so I think eventually I'll have to try one out. At least with the leather Brooks you're sit bones actually form indents in the leather which I assume is very comfy, unlike the Cambium. Just wanted to try something other than my tried and true Turbo/Rolls/Regal. Maybe try a Flite out...
FixedFiend626 is offline  
Old 07-16-14, 09:29 AM
  #23  
Thread Killer
 
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Ann Arbor, MI
Posts: 12,373

Bikes: 15 Kinesis Racelight 4S, 76 Motebecane Gran Jubilée, 17 Dedacciai Gladiatore2, 12 Breezer Venturi, 09 Dahon Mariner, 12 Mercier Nano, 95 DeKerf Team SL, 19 Tern Rally, 21 Breezer Doppler Cafe+, 19 T-Lab X3, 91 Serotta CII

Mentioned: 30 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3078 Post(s)
Liked 1,631 Times in 1,005 Posts
My feeling is that taking advice from someone who willfully bolted a 1.25lb pound saddle on their bike, is, prima facie, asking for trouble.
chaadster is offline  
Old 07-16-14, 09:35 AM
  #24  
pan y agua
 
merlinextraligh's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Jacksonville
Posts: 31,273

Bikes: Willier Zero 7; Merlin Extralight; Calfee Dragonfly tandem, Calfee Adventure tandem; Cervelo P2; Motebecane Ti Fly 29er; Motebecanne Phantom Cross; Schwinn Paramount Track bike

Mentioned: 17 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1428 Post(s)
Liked 697 Times in 353 Posts
Originally Posted by pdedes
brooks are great if you plan on sitting in the saddle in one position all day ( the indents that develop don't allow for much movement). but for hard sport riding/racing where you might be slamming back and high on a climb, or pulled forward on the rivet as you're desperately hanging on in a death line, there's less room to manoeuvre your arse around.
Irony of this post (which I agree with btw) is that the phrase on the rivet comes from the rivet on the front of a leather seat.

So the saddle that gives rise to the saying may not be the best saddle if you are in fact on the rivet.
__________________
You could fall off a cliff and die.
You could get lost and die.
You could hit a tree and die.
OR YOU COULD STAY HOME AND FALL OFF THE COUCH AND DIE.
merlinextraligh is offline  
Old 07-16-14, 09:50 AM
  #25  
RJM
I'm doing it wrong.
 
RJM's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2009
Posts: 4,875

Bikes: Rivendell Appaloosa, Rivendell Frank Jones Sr., Trek Fuel EX9, Kona Jake the Snake CR, Niner Sir9

Mentioned: 85 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 9742 Post(s)
Liked 2,812 Times in 1,664 Posts
I switched my saddle from a selle italia something or other to a brooks b17 select on my Roadeo recently. I'm sorry, but the brooks is just way more comfortable; I never feel any discomfort and honestly it does kind of dissapear on the ride.

I have no idea about the cambium model, but the b17 for me is tops.


Hey op, what saddle to bar drop are you running on your bike?
RJM is offline  

Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.