Just like they did before introducing their first non-leather saddle the C17, a couple of years back, Brooks has a new project in development and is looking for a broad group of interested cyclists to test it. Building on the popularity of their first fabric-topped, vulcanized rubber saddle, Brooks has continued to expand a new niche of classically inspired vegan saddles, that now include the C17, C17 Carved, C15, and recently introduced C15 Carved. A side benefit in their experimentation away from traditional leather saddles has been slightly lighter weights with each iteration, and Brooks has suggested that the new C13 will take that one step further.
Read on for some more info we’ve teased out of Brooks, and how to get your name in the pool of potential testers…
The original Cambium idea started over 6 years ago, and now Brooks is bringing a completely new saddle shape to their offerings. The upcoming C13 will combine the Cambium line with a racing saddle aim and has now opened up the registration process to become a pre-release real world tester. Click on over to Brooks’ C13 tester/teaser site to sign up. Just 100 product testers worldwide will be selected, as Brooks tries to get feedback from a diverse selection of cyclists. There isn’t yet a deadline to express you desire to participate. But interest was high the last time they did this, and the test saddles are already expected to be under the preview riders by the end of September.
The C13 is expected to have a narrow, racing saddle profile and will use hollow steel rails to keep weight down comparable to ti. It is said to combine the immediate comfort and maintenance-free durability of the Cambium line with even lighter weight. The new saddle will officially launch around the start of 2016, so we could expect commercial availability sometime next spring. No photos of the C13 have been released as of yet, but we have heard that we’ll likely get at first look at it in a couple weeks at Eurobike. We’ll keep an eye out, until then head of to the Brooks site to throw your name in.