Almost two years ago, I wrote about one of the funniest listings I've ever seen on eBay, or anywhere. It expresses the seller's loathing for the saddle he or she was trying to sell: a Brooks Cambium C15.
Now, I am not going to offer an opinion on it, or the C17, as I have never tried either. I probably won't (unless someone offers me one for free), as I am satisfied with the Brooks saddles I have (Professionals and B17s) and don't want to change.
The idea behind Cambium saddles is, however, intriguing--and not new. For one thing, Cambiums are certainly not the first saddles to come with canvas tops, though, when they were introduced a couple of years ago, they might have been the first such saddles in half a century or so.
More important, however, is what lies underneath that cloth covering: a vulcanized rubber base. That, too, is something that most cyclists who aren't collecting Social Security haven't seen before. Rubber in a bike seat?
Turns out, it was once fairly common, or at least not unusual. (Fifty shades of equivocation?) I was reminded of that when I came across this:
Cyclists of a certain age will recall the name Wolber. Until the '80's or thereabouts, it was the chief rival of Michelin in the world of bicycle tires. In fact, to many cyclists, Wolber was even more highly regarded, as they made a more extensive line of tubular tires, which included one of the nicest pairs of tubulars I ever owned and rode. (I can't remember the model name.) They also improved upon Michelin's "Elan", widely considered to be the first high-performance clincher.
So it's fair to assume that Wolber knew a thing or two about making things from rubber. The saddle in the above photo was made by Ideale, the premiere French saddle-maker, from a "skin" Wolber fabricated. The undercarriage appears to be the one used on the Ideale B6, which is remarkably similar to the Brooks B72: the saddle that came with many classic English three-speed bikes.
A B6/B72 with a rubber top actually makes sense, at least in theory, for commuters and others who ride or park their bikes in the rain. I wonder how long those saddles lasted.
Perhaps it's not surprising that another leading bicycle-tire maker of the time also made bicycle saddles, or at least the tops for them:
I don't know whether Dunlop made the carriages for their saddles, or whether--as is apparently the case with Wolber saddles--they were made by a company that made leather saddles.
Interestingly, Raleigh bicycles came with Dunlop tires, which were considered to be the finest quality (Riders did everything they could to extend the life of those tires!), until Dunlop stopped making bicycle tires in the late 1960s. To my knowledge, however, those same Raleigh bicycles were not equipped with Dunlop saddles: Instead, they came with B72s or other Brooks models.
Like the Cambiums, the Wolber/Ideale and Dunlop saddles were constructed of a rubber base layer topped with cloth that was treated with a rubber compound for waterproofing. The Cambium looks more cloth-like than the others--a conscious decision, I am sure, on the company's part. The Wolber/Ideale has a textured appearance that makes me think of a cross between carbon fiber and leather, while the Dunlop looks like leather, at least from a few feet away.
Although Dunlop hasn't made bicycle tires in nearly half a century, they continue to make tires for motorized vehicles as well as other rubber products. In the late '80s, Wolber absorbed Super Champion, then the best rim-maker in France (or anywhere else) with the exception of Mavic. (For a few years, Super Champion rims were marketed under the Wolber name.) Then, a few years later, Michelin took over Wolber!
Now, I am not going to offer an opinion on it, or the C17, as I have never tried either. I probably won't (unless someone offers me one for free), as I am satisfied with the Brooks saddles I have (Professionals and B17s) and don't want to change.
The idea behind Cambium saddles is, however, intriguing--and not new. For one thing, Cambiums are certainly not the first saddles to come with canvas tops, though, when they were introduced a couple of years ago, they might have been the first such saddles in half a century or so.
More important, however, is what lies underneath that cloth covering: a vulcanized rubber base. That, too, is something that most cyclists who aren't collecting Social Security haven't seen before. Rubber in a bike seat?
Turns out, it was once fairly common, or at least not unusual. (Fifty shades of equivocation?) I was reminded of that when I came across this:
Cyclists of a certain age will recall the name Wolber. Until the '80's or thereabouts, it was the chief rival of Michelin in the world of bicycle tires. In fact, to many cyclists, Wolber was even more highly regarded, as they made a more extensive line of tubular tires, which included one of the nicest pairs of tubulars I ever owned and rode. (I can't remember the model name.) They also improved upon Michelin's "Elan", widely considered to be the first high-performance clincher.
So it's fair to assume that Wolber knew a thing or two about making things from rubber. The saddle in the above photo was made by Ideale, the premiere French saddle-maker, from a "skin" Wolber fabricated. The undercarriage appears to be the one used on the Ideale B6, which is remarkably similar to the Brooks B72: the saddle that came with many classic English three-speed bikes.
A B6/B72 with a rubber top actually makes sense, at least in theory, for commuters and others who ride or park their bikes in the rain. I wonder how long those saddles lasted.
Perhaps it's not surprising that another leading bicycle-tire maker of the time also made bicycle saddles, or at least the tops for them:
I don't know whether Dunlop made the carriages for their saddles, or whether--as is apparently the case with Wolber saddles--they were made by a company that made leather saddles.
Interestingly, Raleigh bicycles came with Dunlop tires, which were considered to be the finest quality (Riders did everything they could to extend the life of those tires!), until Dunlop stopped making bicycle tires in the late 1960s. To my knowledge, however, those same Raleigh bicycles were not equipped with Dunlop saddles: Instead, they came with B72s or other Brooks models.
Like the Cambiums, the Wolber/Ideale and Dunlop saddles were constructed of a rubber base layer topped with cloth that was treated with a rubber compound for waterproofing. The Cambium looks more cloth-like than the others--a conscious decision, I am sure, on the company's part. The Wolber/Ideale has a textured appearance that makes me think of a cross between carbon fiber and leather, while the Dunlop looks like leather, at least from a few feet away.
Although Dunlop hasn't made bicycle tires in nearly half a century, they continue to make tires for motorized vehicles as well as other rubber products. In the late '80s, Wolber absorbed Super Champion, then the best rim-maker in France (or anywhere else) with the exception of Mavic. (For a few years, Super Champion rims were marketed under the Wolber name.) Then, a few years later, Michelin took over Wolber!
