As I've seen many of you are interested in Brooks Saddles, I start a new thread to discuss the content of our website. We are planning to restyle it, so I'd like to get suggestions from you on the things you like and those you don't like of the current pages.
We'd like the website to be more interactive, what do you think of sections like the "People and Their Stories"? Should we have a section for videos from "Brooks Cyclists"? What about a section on the bicycles from the NHMBS (National Hand Made Bicycle Show)?

Andrea

Marketing Manager
BROOKS ENGLAND LDT.
www.brooksengland.com

"It is not the name of Brooks which makes the saddle good,
but the saddle and its excellence which makes the name supreme."
(J.B. Brooks, 1912)

We would love love love to see the bicycles from the NHMBS!

Check out our NAHBS threads (the North American Handbuilt Bike Show) here. There is a huge interest in handbuilt bikes.

People and Their Stories is good too.

East Hill

I love to see old pictures of Brooks saddles in use, old catalogues, etc.

Oh, that would be nice...a retrospect on Brooks advertising through the years. Especially in various countries around the world.

I like that idea!

East Hill

Andrea,

I especially like the heritage section, One suggestion I would make would be
a time line of sorts, for example showing the B15 and when it was in production, etc.
I would also think a means of dating a saddle (or other products for that matter) with
a key to the date codes used, where they could be found etc.
My personal request for a collection saddle would be a B15 champion pre punched for lacing
along the skirt.

EH and Spiderman, there is a great collection of catalogs etc. on the Brooks web site.

Marty

Don't underestimate the interest in your saddles from the commuter forum, either. They love 'em!

Thanks so much for asking the community! I always like it when a company is willing to reach out to enthusiasts to ask for advice.

I generally like your site. I go there often to ogle the goods.

I like the suggestions above. Two more: The animation of the spring machinery at the beginning needs to go! The cachunk cachunk noise was cool the first time, not so much every time after. Maybe if the image was a little more clear and didn't have the noise, I would like it a little more.

Also I think there is a better way to do your online catalog. The way it is now was great when it was just saddles, but I think now that you have the expanded product line, there might be a better way to navigate through there. I look at the 5 categories and can never remember where the Hoxton basket is. Even when I click on the correct category (bags), there are 2 more choices that don't fully relay what they contain. Maybe do away with the 2 layers of categories or just explain what is in them better with images of renaming the categories.

Just a thought. I generally really like your site. I conveys the style and old world quality I associate with brooks very well. Maybe some tweaks are in order, though. Maybe nailing down those things before you add more categories could be helpful.

Hopefully cuda2k will chime in on organizing content websites in a way that allows them to be easily navigated. He administers www.velobase.com. The gui may not be as slick looking as your site, but you can find things very easily. Maybe there is a way to marry the two. I am dangerously close to rambling. I hope some of my thoughts made there way through this craziness. Anyways, good luck on the redesign!

More of that chick from the advertisement. Perhaps a front view this time? ; )

i'll say build an html site rather than the entire site in flash. don't get me wrong, i make a living with flash, but i think the time of full flash sites has passed. it does have its place and its proper use can be interesting and fun, timelines and video for example.

i'd be happy to send a cv and hourly rate

True, but nothing for other countries. Or did Brooks advertise only in English speaking countries?

East Hill

indeed

*applauds*

Thanks for posting, Andrea. How about durability/longevity testimonials? My only complaint with the website is that it takes awhile to load.

___
"50k mi / 80k km over 35 years on a Brooks Pro, and counting"

How about a competitors museum, al the Speedplay pedal museum? This tells prospective customers that you're comfortable with comparison to any of the similar products made over the years and that you're in love with the art of the saddle.

Danny

I'm with Pumpy on the site - less flash. Make it work faster, and people will be more likely to get where they want to go. I actually received my Brooks B67 today, and I'm really happy with it. I would also advocate a gallery of Brooks equipped bikes - it'd give people a perspective on just how widely it's possible to use your saddles.

The website is very interesting. However, I would like to see a more complete and detailed timeline for all the models and distinguishing features. When each model was introduced, discontinued, re-introduced, what changes, etc. The old catalogues are fine, but incomplete, with a 20-year gap between 1937 and 1957, the heyday of the British lightweight bicycle.

With all the high tech advances in bicycle design and manufacturing in the last three decades, it's heart warming that the traditional leather saddle has survived and, indeed, has gained popularity in the last few years. This has to be on account of Brooks and probably its acquisition by Selle Royal to keep the flame alive.

Less Flash - and free samples.

Dear Sheldon,
I much prefer to see the comments on the forum than receiving emails. The forum keeps the discussion open.
As a marketing manager of BROOKS I think I have the responsability of an icon of cycling, rather than simply of a cycling brand. There aren't many products around that have survived over 100 years and still deliver their function perfectly, so in a way BROOKS belongs to the cycling community.
Thanks for the suggestions which all make sence.
I look forward to receiving more.
Andrea

I would like to see pictures of a WHITE saddle.

I agree on the timeline, and making the site easier to navigate.
(Has more Brooks saddles than bikes )

I'd like to see what the people that work at Brooks ride.

We are working on a very limited edition of White Swallows, but probably we will only make 50 to begin with! They will not be for sale, as they are prizes for our best dealers, but at least you can see the picture.
Andrea

oh mother mary's besparkled pantaloons that's beautiful

that would look so nice on the paramount i'm building

and it's my birthday next week

Do you mean pictures of us with our bikes on the website?

You need to make them (the white saddles) available to the public. That is the saddle I want the most right now. I love your product. Keep the new website with a classic feel not a lot of glitz and glamour. Simple, refined, stately, not a lot of flash.

Oh and free stuff to all of us here is always good.