revcp 

After acquiring a Brooks Cambium C15 yesterday the build is finally finished. Great commuting bike that will also do duty of a tourer and mtb.

joeyduck

Looks awesome.

A great looking bike for many jobs. I like the bars and the color a lot.

alan s 

Nice. I like mine so much I just bought the World Troller as a travel bike. Should have it built in a few weeks.

iseemoneey

Nice build! How comfortable is the cambium saddle? Can you compare to the b17?

revcp 

The cambium saddle is very nice. The cambium corollary to the B17 would be the C17. The C15 would be analogous to the Swift.

I've ridden B17s for years (and also Pros and a B17N). My sense of the B17 is that it's very good, and comfortable, for commuting and touring. It's not, however, a versatile saddle and it doesn't like an aggressive posture at all. I had a B17 on my Fat Bike for a year, then switched to an Ergon SMR3. Shortly after the switch I was out on a ride and came upon a drop so unexpectedly that the only thing for it was to throw my rear off the back of the saddle and go. That went without a hitch on the Ergon, but I probably would have gone down had I still been riding the B17 with the wide rear end.

The C15 is similarly narrow to the Ergon (more so, actually), so I'm confident it will be better for trails and even for downhills on the road. I also think it will really shine as a touring saddle. It does want me to be in a more aggressive posture. After only two days on it I've noticed that the majority of my time I am off the grips and on one of the more forward positions on the bars. Feels very natural. The rails on the Cambiums are longer than on the leather saddles, so more attention must be paid to fore-aft positioning. I started with the saddle slammed all the way back, as I do with my B17s, but I've moved it up a bit and today I'll move it up a bit more. It also wants to be pretty level, whereas the B17 nose needs to be tilted up a bit.

It's a very comfortable saddle. There's no sway or bounce, but I have noticed that it dampens rough surfaces. My ride in to work and home takes me on two natural surface trails, which in the past have been jangly and bouncy. The C15 soaks all that up. If my impression continues to be favorable I may pick another up for my road bike (I'm presently riding a Fizik Arione Carbon). I got my C15 used, barely, for $100, knowing that if I didn't like it I could easily resell it for the same. If you can find one used you can pick it up to test and not have to worry about getting your money back.

Hermes1

Very nice.

Hypno Toad

Love the Troll!

Thanks for the details on the Brooks, I'm thinking of adding a new all-weather Brooks. I have a B-17 that is currently sharing duty between the Pugsley (winter commuter) and the Kona (summer commuter). With the weather this March, I changing the Brooks back-and-forth on a daily basis.

revcp 

Seeing as you're a neighbor, I recommend the Twin Cities Bicycle Trading Post on Facebook. You may have already discovered it. That's where I picked up my cambium. You first have to be accepted for membership (a formality). After acceptance, run a search on the group for "cambium." After running the search select the "+ Get Notifications" button and you'll be alerted every time someone lists something with that key word. The cambiums go quickly when they show up on the site.

Hypno Toad

I am on the Trading Post, great place! Good stuff flies on the Trading Post.

bmthom.gis

Awesome!! Also, do you get to ride some dirt during your commute? I'm jelly of the people who do.

Dead_Ant

What fenders are those? I can't really tell from the pictures how they're mounted.

revcp 

I do.

revcp 

SKS Beavertails. Each has a heavy steel clip, with front mounting to the fork and rear to the brake bridge. The fenders themselves just slide into the clips. $17. Impressive price and function.