If, like many other cyclists, you’ve been impatiently checking back to the Brooks Cambium Countdown page, you will have noticed that the numbers on our clock are dwindling fast. So fast, in fact, that later today there’ll be nothing but zeroes left on it.
What can this mean?
Photographer Liz Seabrook kindly joined us at Smithfield Market in London over the weekend for the I.G. Markets Nocturne.
The Nocturne is the only cycle racing event in the world at which Bromptonians, Wheelmen, Criterions(?) and Urban Cyclocrossers ride amicably alongside each other over the course of a single day.
And spectators duly thronged at the bollards from early on Saturday afternoon until dark to witness this unique constellation.
Our hidden mirror-camera shows how mechanics behave when they think they’re on their own.
We’re taking things North of the Border. Which isn’t to say we’re in the mood for a deep fried Mars bar on the final stretch of a Land’s End to John O’ Groats trip.
No. Rather, the Brooks Dashing Bicycle Show is waving a temporary goodbye to the United States and gunning for Canada. Our next stop is Bikes On Wheels in the beautiful city of Toronto.
Rivendell Bike Works will be popping up this weekend. (Photo Manny Acosta)
Aficionados of the lugged steel frame game know that it’s not just among serious Lord Of The Rings fans that the name Rivendell can conjure an eye-twinkle, followed by the immediate desire on the part of those within earshot to start feverishly exchanging trivia on the subject.
The sort of thing we expect, and are gratified, to see a Flemish Hardman doing.
Riders on the European continent are spoilt for choice these days when it comes to paying homage to simpler (yet probably more difficult) times.
L’Eroica in Gaiole, Italy has of course long since ceased to be an insider tip, while The Anjou Vélo Vintage in the west of France is gradually snapping at its heels in terms of popularity.
We posted the big news here one month ago that Brooks is releasing a new saddle this year.
The Cambium C17‘s top is made of vulcanized natural rubber and a specially treated cotton canvas, and thus represents a rather fresh departure for us.
The Stars were out in force for our Dashing Bike Show premiére at Bicycle Space in Washington.
The Brooks Dashing Bicycle Show rolled into Washington D.C. on Saturday, April 20th amidst the splendour of spring to find the capital city’s bicycle culture thriving. Bicycle Space, the show’s host, is at the forefront of the urban cycling boom currently in full swing.
Our Titanium Team Pro is a great match for this innovative lightweight steel framed cargo bike.
We are sad to report that our John Boultbee Patented Drool-ometer took its final tour of active duty last weekend in the West Country. It sustained irreparable damage, and succumbed to its injuries shortly after Dan Titchmarsh rolled in to Brunel’s Old Station from York on his Titchmarsh Scorpion Cargo Bike.
The Drool-ometer’s fuses quickly blew and its transistors did duly melt, while the needle repeatedly pounded against the housing wall in an apparent attempt to denote a new upper limit for Drool, ultimately snapping completely from its axis.
This is all by way of saying that Dan and his bike were the unsurprising winners in one of several prize categories that Brooks sponsored at this year’s Bespoked Bristol.
Stop teasing! A quite unfulfilling glimpse of the new Brooks Cambium.
Readers of the 2013 Brooks Bugle will have had an informational head start on everybody else regarding the imminent release of a new addition to our range of fine bicycle saddles.
The current copy contains an article on our latest model, the Cambium C17. It’s a saddle that represents a fairly unusual departure for us in that its top is not made of leather (cue sharp intake of breath). Rather, it is made from natural rubber and organic cotton, and enhanced by a thin layer of structural textile for added resilience.
It is immediately comfortable and maintenance-free, which might possibly put a dent in our Proofide sales. Even without Proofide, it still offers the longevity for which our products are legendary.
Come on, bit more. I’ll see your two rivets and raise you a bag loop
But a rather interesting piece of extra news began doing the rounds yesterday, which we are happy to officially confirm for our readers today.
Between now and its release date, we are undertaking a worldwide search for 100 lucky people to road test the Brooks Cambium. The group as a whole will naturally consist of cyclists of both sexes, and encompass a full range of cycling activity and body types.
Part of A Return Of The Jedi Speeder Bike? Not quite. All will be revealed…
From the fair-weather, six stone bicycle commuter to the 300 pound daily Centurion, we hope to find our Cambium test pieces bolted to 100 very distinct seatposts.
Those chosen will report back to us with their impressions and experiences, and we’ll publish them in a special section of the Brooks website. Of course, our testers will all get to keep their Cambia in gratitude for their efforts, but would be strongly advised in advance to read our post on saddle theft prevention.
And those who apply unsuccessfully to test our Cambium will have the consolation of receiving a special discount code for our online shop. It will give you 10% off all Brooks purchases you make over the coming twelve months.
At any rate, several notable cycling websites publicized this news yesterday evening, along with a link to the Cambium Tester registration form. If you were one of the applicants who experienced the inconvenience of our server crashing under the weight of subscriptions, please accept our apologies. We are reliably informed that it’s “back up” again.
NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity has been firing back lots of good pictures from the Red Planet lately.
As we say, we are looking for a diverse pool of riders, not the first hundred who apply, so those who were unable to send their form to us yesterday are at no disadvantage in regard to the decision making process.
That said, we hope to ship out the 100 test pieces as soon as we can, around mid-May. So don’t dally, fill out our questionnaire and cross your fingers.
Friends across the Pond of the World’s Finest Cycling Saddles are abuzz with anticipation. And as Saturday approaches, our colleagues are putting the final transformational touches to Washington’s Bicycle Space as the Dashing Bicycle Show readies itself for a fortnight-long stay in the American capital.
