Brooks Saddles..........
 

So much for the mystery............


http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2010/...addle-factory/

Lots of handwork still being done. I don't get the author's point....maybe he just does not like Brooks?

I think that the author does not have a point, and I don't think that he is a cyclist. He comments several times about how expensive a brooks saddle is, but compared to other high end saddles, the brooks is not really that expensive. Granted, brooks do make some very expensive models - such as a swallow with titanium rails, but the average brooks saddle such as the B-17, is priced well below sadles from companies like selle san marco or fizik. He was probably assigned to go to the brooks factory, take pictures and write captions, he had no calibration on saddles in general.

Must have been around 10 years ago and we had a local cyclist that always used Brooks saddles. There was a difference though- He used to travel to India to get his.

Don't know if they wre a knock off or the genuine article made in another country but he had a good trade in selling Brooks saddles in the area.

A disgruntled former employee, perhaps?

Thanks for that. Interesting, even with his unkind commentary.
You can have my Brooks when you pry it from my cold, dead crotch...

http://www.calamarichris.com/images/...shpanorama.jpg

I must be missing part of the article- I did not see any disparaging remarks? He said:
After seeing how much work goes into a single bike seat, these famously expensive saddles start to look cheap.
Eventually this will make someones backside very happy for many, many miles.
The logo goes on, to make sure people know how much you spent.
I would love one of these, but I would have to build a bike especially for it - a saddle this special deserves a suitable bike underneath it, (and probably doesn't deserve my arse on it!)
That's going to be a lot of happy bums!

When I read the tweets and picture comments, I came away with a totally different take on the author- that he appreciated all the handwork, and that the comfort and quality justified the price.

I'm not seeing any negative remarks in the linked article. Nice to see that some things are still made by craftsmen.

They are expensive compared to a lot of saddles though, it's not hard to find a saddle for $25 - $50, it may be a Chinese machine made plastic piece of c**p, but the cheapest Brooks around here is $100, so that makes it expensive. even if it is possible to find a $200 saddle.

Maybe it's like a good motorcycle helmet. You know "Ten dollar head, ten dollar helmet!" :D

Isn't it just wonderful, though, that a factory full of dedicated people catering for a very specialised market with much competition, can please their customers and pay their employees' mortgages?

Long may it last

hmmmm!

Nice-looking cat, Wogsterca. My wife and I currently have two black cats, and we have had four others in the past.

Back on topic, forum regulars know I am a big fan of Brooks, although I admit they are heavy and weather-sensitive.

So you mean $25 saddle, means a $25 a**, uh, I don't think so.

Yes unfortunately the cat featured used up his 9 lives dealing with the traffic on the street here, nearly a year ago. When it has been a year, I will retire the photo.
The idiot car drivers around here that figure a stop sign means stop, then accelerate to 95km/h in the 120m to the next stop sign, before slamming on the brakes again.

As for the saddles, I would rather have a heavy saddle that is comfortable, then a light weight saddle that isn't, besides, the engine can lose the weight of the rest of the bike in my case, so a 500g saddle versus a 200g saddle isn't really an issue. Unfortunately I can't afford a Brooks right now....

Didn't you have a different cat in your avatar before? A friend once had 13 black cats at the same time.

About a year ago, yes a grey and white one, (this one -> http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r...l/Avatar64.jpg), that is Bartolamew, at 16 he is still with us, old, cranky and cantankerous, kinda like some folks around here.... :D

13 black cats, obviously hoping that the superstition of 13 and a black cat crossing your path, cancel each other out. The one in my current avatar, managed to compress about 18 years of cat life into 3, we do miss him, along with the others that have lived with us and managed to run out of lives, Creamsicle, Blackberry (actually Blackberry Chinchilla Cheesecake), Misty and Dusty.

My ex had a female cat that made it to 23. There was a cafe in the mountains near here (it burned down last year) where they had a cat that made it to 25! Here is a pic of me holding him a few years ago.(Thread derail complete.)

http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u...04-06_1259.jpg

Now does he prefer to ride a Brooks? My cats only prefer the best of seats, in fact if you want the best seat in the house, move the cat.