A couple of years ago, to a lot of fanfare, Brooks launched its Cambium saddles. The stated reason was that some cyclists were looking for something that was, shall we say, is moins d'une douleur a l'arriere than their traditional tensioned leather saddles.
(Pardon my French. There, I said it!)
Ironically, Brooks created the Cambium--which is manufactured in Italy--as their tensioned leather saddles are more popular, at least here in the US, than they've been in decades.
The Cambium uses a fabric made of cotton and rubber instead of leather. If you started cycling, say, about thirty or fewer years ago, you probably have not seen, let alone used, a cloth saddle. But they've been around, in one form or another, almost from the earliest days of cycling.
One of the most famous examples is the "Bummer", which was inspired by Dan Henry's DIY project:
(Pardon my French. There, I said it!)
Ironically, Brooks created the Cambium--which is manufactured in Italy--as their tensioned leather saddles are more popular, at least here in the US, than they've been in decades.
The Cambium uses a fabric made of cotton and rubber instead of leather. If you started cycling, say, about thirty or fewer years ago, you probably have not seen, let alone used, a cloth saddle. But they've been around, in one form or another, almost from the earliest days of cycling.
One of the most famous examples is the "Bummer", which was inspired by Dan Henry's DIY project:
From American Cycling, July 1966
If you started cycling arond the same time as I did, you probably first heard his name in refrence to "Dan Henry arrows" or, later, "Dan Henry markers". For decades, it seemed that every organized ride here in the US was marked by painting the symbols he developed onto pavement.
It seems that every other decade, someone makes a version of the Dan Henry saddle. Late in the '70's Bike Boom, they were marketed as " Bummer" saddles; someone else revived them during the '90's. Perhaps they'll return, soon, to a bike shop near you.
I've been tempted to try one, but never got around to it. Maybe if somene rides one and is willing to let me take a few turns on it, I'd be willing. But I really don't want to buy another saddle that I might or might not like. That said, if I were to try a new saddle, the Dan Henry/Bummer would probably be the one.
Now, if I wanted a cloth saddle purely for aethetic reasons, this is the one I'd get:
This saddle is said to be more or less a replica of one that was fitted to a Dursley-Pederson bicycle of the Edwardian era. Tim Dawson, the author of the blog Vintage Bicycle, wites, "I can report that I find it just as uncomfortable as the Dursley-Pedersen saddle."
Perhaps he needs to re-tension it:
No comments:
Post a Comment