A nice Illustration from page 3 of the 1937 Brooks Book of Saddles and Kit
A lesson in good copywriting from our forebears
Whilst researching in the archives I stumbled on this missive from a pre-war Brooks Book of Saddles and Kit for Cyclists and Motorcyclists. Simply put, it is a salutary lesson in how to write concise and informative notes on correct saddle choice.
Stelbel Tandem courtesy Cicli-Berlinetta
In search of a supremely comfortable cycling experience you’ve decided to purchase a new saddle. Eschewing inferior plastic perches you’ve wisely elected to purchase a fine handmade leather saddle by Brooks. Whether by visiting one of the Dealers of Excellence, or after having carefully perused our online shop, you’ve ascertained which category best describes your cycling.
Confident in the knowledge that you’re a competitive bike racer, a long distance tourer or an urban commuter, and after due consideration to matters aesthetic, you’ve selected the saddle most suitable for your needs. Many miles and hours of cycling comfort await once you properly affix your new posterial support to your conveyance in the following manner.
The next time you find yourself perched comfortably atop your favourite Brooks-equipped bicycle, enjoying a smooth ride and experiencing no discomfort due to inadequate or even downright unsuitable seating arrangements, take a moment and spare a thought for your earliest bicycling forebears. At the time of the first craze for two-wheeled locomotion in the latter half of the nineteenth century, the new-fangled devices were dubbed “bone-shakers”, being reliant upon a bar of iron (that famously supple material!) across the top of the frame to support the seat!
Food for further rumination whilst enjoying your ride in Brooks-supported comfort, here are a few further milestones in the history of the company which have perhaps done the most to reduce the shaking of your bones. Alas, this being a Blog somewhat hampers any depiction of these events as a ‘Timeline’. None-the-less, this chronology of events culminating in the supreme comfort from which you benefit each time you mount your bicycle serves to illustrate our dedication to your posterior comfort.
