Brooks England Cambium C17 Carved, All-Weather, Waterproof Bike Saddle

The TL;DR Pros & Cons:These are my experiences. Everyone's body is different, so saddles will fit people differently. In general this saddle is highly rated by a lot of customers, so it is likely a good fit for the wide variety of riders, but if you have some a unique physical inclination, it may not be for you.Pros:- Very comfortable, despite how thin & unpadded it looks- Cut out relieved the genital numbness and overall discomfort issues I was having while riding my road bike.- Price was just right. Paid about $100 at the time. I know that might be expensive for some people, as it's more than what they paid for their bikes. It's all relative, and to me the comfort is worth it.- Weatherproofing really works!- I am a big fan of the look (and lack of maintenance) on my bike compared to Brooks' traditional leather saddles. Now my only issue is that my bike looks faster than I actually am. Oh well.Cons:- Sizing was kind of tough to determine, and I ultimately ended up buying the wrong size.- The saddle is on the heavier side, so if you're someone that's concerned about component weights, this saddle might not be for you.- The vulcanized surface of the seat is not very slick. Hard to describe, but it's not sticky or tacky in the sense where it will leave a residue if you touch it, but it will kind of catch at your clothing a little bit.As a male rider, I was experiencing some issues with numbness and discomfort with the boys downstairs, even on relatively short (12mi.) rides. After some research, I found that a saddle with a cutout was likely what would help relieve my issues. I'd read a lot about the supreme comfort of Brooks' leather saddles, but frankly didn't care for the leather look on my road bike, as well as the maintenance that goes with them. Then I found Brooks' Cambium line.The saddle looks very thin with minimal padding, which would lead you to believe that it won't be comfortable, but contrary to popular belief, my online research told me that thinner saddles with less padding are actually more comfortable in the long run than extremely padded saddles. Still do not completely understand how that makes sense, but it seems to be true in this case. Not only was it comfortable, but also the cut-out in the saddle resolved the numbness issues I was having. You're welcome, my future children. I did it for you.Sizing was a question that I had, and it ended up being kind of hard to determine which model I needed between C15, C17, or C19. Somehow, I was lead to believe that the C17 was the right size for me and my riding (road bike riding, with a bike frame that puts me in a less relaxed, more aggressive position). I am an average build (5'10 x 180lbs), and the saddle was actually a little too wide. My sit bones started to feel a little sore on longer rides. If I could do it again, I'd go narrower with the C15 (and I actually have bought a C15 carved because I like the saddle so much). The C17, as I found out later, was built more for women, since women have wider sit bones then men, as well as people who have bikes that put them in a more relaxed and upright position (i.e. not me.).Other than that, the saddle is everything that has been advertised, and I don't see myself looking for a different saddle anytime soon.

Like many bicyclist who regularly go on rides of over an hour or more in length, I have bought several different bike seats hoping to find that dream saddle. Over the course of riding for 12 years I've owned over 10 different saddles ranging from $40 to $200 and while some of these only lasted a few rides, I've given all of them a fair "chance" of getting broken in and becoming comfortable. This Brooks Cambium saddle is one of the few I've owned that was immediately comfortable and it has only gotten more comfortable with use. I've not had any of the problems of discomfort with hot spots or tender areas that I experienced with other saddles. The saddle has no padding which I think for me makes it even more comfortable because I don't have to wiggle around to find that "broke in and comfortable" spot and it allows the padding in my bib shorts to do what they are designed to do. I have another Brooks saddle but it is leather and still extremely comfortable but it did require some breaking. The waterproof characteristic of this saddle is more appealing to me because I don't have to worry about keeping the leather conditioned nor do I worry about getting caught in a summer afternoon rain. I am going to buy another of these for my second, older, "rain" bicycle and I have no problem recommending this seat to someone who is trying to find comfort on their bicycle who does long rides on a true road bicycle. This saddle comes in three width to suit most people's riding styles and someone would benefit from going to Brooks' website and reading about the purpose and benefit of the different widths before buying one for themself.

Like most road cyclists, I’ve tried many saddles over the course of many years. I’ve had various levels of success, but my best experiences have been with Brooks, I have one B17, and it’s a great saddle too, but it’s heavy, and requires a lot of care. It’s also suceptible to wet conditions. This is the third Cambium C17 that I have purchased, the Vulcanized rubber is impervious to weather, it’s lighter in weight than it’s leather counterpart and is equally comfortable, I’ve ridden many long rides - a hundred or more miles - in reasonable comfort (no saddle can be 100% comfortable over those distances, but this one is as close as I’ve ever come). I ride the carved all weather version - I find it durable and it seems to reduce pressure on the sensitive bits. Everybody is different, but for me, this is hands-down the best saddle there is. Money well spent.

I’ve had two Brooks Cambium C17 Saddles on my gravel bikes. They are very comfortable and hold up well in the elements and with significant mileage. Both of the saddles have been mounted on shock seat posts (Redshift Sports ShockStop Endurance and Cane Creek 3G Thudbuster ST). The combo of the Brooks Cambium with the shock seat post makes for a very “plush” ride. Highly recommend!

The saddles that came standard on two of my bicycles (tri bike and gravel bike) caused pain on the medial aspect of the “sit bones”. At first I thought if I put enough miles under my belt (butt) it would go away. Several years later I gave up on that and went with a black rubber Brooks saddle (my 1970s road bike has a Brooks Pro leather saddle from that era which never caused pain). I have not had pain with either bike since. I think the added width is a factor as the weight is now on the posterior aspect of my posterior and not medially.

Been wanting to try a Brooks. When it arrived was definately wider than the saddles I normally ride (e.g. WTB Thinline) and thought I had made a mistake not ordering the narrower C15 rather than the C17.I decided to give it shot rather than return it. After 20+ rides I have to say I am really enjoying this saddle. The suspension effect rather than foam over hard shell like most bike saddles really works.Would recommend but be very sure about your sizing before ordering.