The rubber topped Cambium saddles from Brooks have started to make a name for themselves for urban commuters as a more weatherproof alternate to the classic leather saddles. But even then the cotton canvas fibers embedded in the natural rubber would absorb water and degrade after extended exposure to the elements. So Brooks looked at some new materials and settled on a new nylon fabric to fuse into the rubber shell. The resulting Cambium All Weather family shares the same style and feel, in a more durable offering that even brings the price down thanks to a new composite base construction.
Cambium All Weather saddles
The new All Weather version of the Cambium saddles starts with the same vulcanized rubber construction as its predecessor, swapping in nylon fibers that do not absorb water instead of cotton. The new saddles come only in black, a bit darker looking than the cotton canvas Cambiums, and use black anodized alloy rivets. But also thanks to the more durable nylon, the new saddles are more colorfast so you won’t end up discoloring your clothes after use in the wet.
Underneath the All Weather saddles use a new fiberglass reinforced, injection molded nylon base that actually adds a few tens of grams over the steel base of the standard Cambiums.
The reinforced plastic base does still get saddle bag loops, and attaches to the same standard steel rails.
Cambium All Weather shapes
The Cambium All Weather construction is available in three saddle shapes/widths for what Brooks sees as those most used on urban bikes – C15 for road, C17 for touring & C19 for city commuting. The more narrow C13 road racing shape won’t be available with an All Weather top, instead sticking with cotton and the lightweight carbon rail construction.
Each of those saddles then comes in a standard version or a with Brooks’ Carved center cutout to suit a wide range of rider preferences.
While the standard Cambiums already benefit from some natural give of the rubber (and do not need a break in period), we like the Cambium Carved saddles for a bit more of flex thanks to the reduction in material through the middle of the saddle.
No matter which Cambium All Weather saddle you pick, they all come with the same pricetag – 110€ per perch.
Brooks has a couple other Cambium products in their line up, like Cambium Comfort grips and Cambium bar tape, but for the time being they won’t be getting the same All Weather nylon update. Your city bike will need to stick with the cotton Cambium grips or go for some all rubber option for full weatherproofing.
The new saddles are available now – direct from Brooks or through your local bike shop.
