Brooks Cambium saddle - should it be comfortable straight away?

[Drago]

What's does the forum Oracle @Yellow Saddle think of the 'breaking in' question?

 

[Yellow Saddle]

What's does the forum Oracle @Yellow Saddle think of the 'breaking in' question?

I spoke to him and he reckons breaking in works. The saddle breaks your arse in. He says that if the saddle has a plastic shell, there's no way your beehind will change its shape and all that happens is that you eventually do, or don't get used to the saddle. He also muttered something about those all-leather saddles suspended on a wire stretcher - Broeks or something? Anyway, he says those change shape so that they become like leather hatchets with a sharp ridge that looks really painful.

 

[Alan O]

...Anyway, he says those change shape so that they become like leather hatchets with a sharp ridge that looks really painful.

I knew someone once who had a leather saddle that was like that - I think it was a Wrights. He said it was comfortable, but just seeing him sit on it was enough to make my eyes water.

 

[Alan O]

If anyone has any thoughts on the Cambium saddles and whether it’s something that I should consider actually buying and persevering with, because maybe they get more comfortable over time, I’ll be grateful for any thoughts.

I have a Cambium C17, and it was comfortable right from the start. I've only ridden about 300 miles on it, but I think it's the best saddle I've found for me - and it hasn't changed shape or feel in any way I've been able to tell.

If it's getting uncomfortable after 10 miles, and you're not feeling good after a 20-mile ride, that suggests to me that it doesn't suit you - and I think it could be an expensive mistake to buy one in the hope you'd get to like it.

Though as others have suggested, it might be the width. I went for a C17 because I had a B17 many years ago that suited me really well, so I thought I'd need a wider one. Perhaps work out your sit bone positions on your own saddle and compare with the C15?

 

[John_S]

Hi Alan O,

Thanks for your message and I am wondering whether this saddle just doesn't suit me. There are hundreds if not thousands of saddles out there and they're all slightly different so what works for one person won't work for another but hopefully there's the perfect saddle out there for everyone, it's just a case of finding it.

Following MJR's message about how I chose the width as mentioned the C15 was the only saddle available for loan and so that's what I had to try.

I've now had a measure of the saddles I have and they are:-

Madison Prime saddle (the stock saddle which came with my 2014 Genesis Day One) is 13.5 cm wide at its widest point.

Kona Classic Road saddle with carve out (the stock saddle which came with my 2016 Kona Roadhouse) is 14.5 cm wide at its widest point.

Bontrager Nebula Plus (which is a saddle I bought a long time ago when I had a circa 2004/05 Trek 7.1FX hybrid bike) and I sat on a seat in the bike shop which measured your sit bones and this saddle is 18 cm wide at its widest point. I haven't actually used this saddle for a long time since I don't use a flat barred hybrid bike anymore and I only use the Genesis Day One and Kona Roadhouse drop bared bikes.


If I'm being honest I've no idea how to tell which width of Brooks saddle would be right for me. Now if I look at the Bontrager saddle that I have compared to my other saddles it looks incredibly wide and although it was nice on my hybrid with the more upright position I wonder if it might chafe a bit on the thighs now I'm on drop bar bikes.

For now I don't think that I'll buy the Cambium C15 saddle and I'll have a think for a while. I did take a look at a C17 in a LBS shop and that also looked really wide but I don't know if that's actually what I need or not.

Maybe I should trial my old Bontrager Nebula Plus as a much wider saddle on my drop bared bikes to see how that feels.

Thanks for all of your feedback!

John

 

[John_S]

Oh and on the subject of how wide my own saddles are I meant to also say that for comparison the Cambium C15 is 14.5 cm wide at its widest point so it's the same as my Kona Classic Road carved saddle which to date I'd not had any problems with.

Thanks again,

John

 

[Alan O]

Thanks for your message and I am wondering whether this saddle just doesn't suit me.

It's sounding like that to me, yes - I've just re-read a few reviews, and a common theme is that it is pretty much immediately comfortable. Going by what you say of those other saddles, it does seem as if you need a narrower saddle than I do, so a wider Cambium is probably not going to do the trick.

 

[User482]

I have the C17. It feels comfortable immediately, even if you're not wearing padded shorts. However, I think it's a bit too wide - on longer rides I've had a bit of chafing at the top of my thigh. The saddlebag loops are a bonus if you use a Carradice.

A Fabric Scoop is about to go on my other bike - it will be interesting to compare the two.

Update: I spent about 15 hours on the Scoop yesterday. I wasn't completely comfortable, but considering the distance and my lack of miles recently, I think it did very well. No chafing or sores.