Brooks Cambium C13

The Brooks Cambium C13 is the latest model in the English brand's excursion into non-traditional materials for its saddles. There's no leather or chromed steel at all here, replaced by the vulcanised natural rubber and cotton top surface previously seen in the original Cambium models, and – what's this? – a full carbon fibre structure underneath. It's very well made (in Italy, not Birmingham, unlike the majority of the range) and there's no breaking-in period, unlike the leather models.

At 262g, it's also the lightest saddle yet from Brooks, by some margin, light enough for your fast bike.

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Brooks saddles have been popular for touring and long-distance riding for well over 100 years. Until very recently, they all used a section of leather suspended between the ends of the saddle, which, over time, would soften a little to suit the shape of the owner. If you looked after it, a Brooks saddle would last a very long time indeed, and fans would commonly proclaim them the most comfortable that money could buy.

By switching to a rubber and cotton top layer, Brooks has removed the notorious breaking-in period from its saddles. We reviewed the Cambium C17 a couple of years ago and John proclaimed it "the most immediately and enduringly comfortable saddle I've ever used".

Between the Cambium C17 and this C13, Brooks launched a narrower version, the C15 Cambium, and models with a cutout (the C15/C17 Cambium Carved). Brooks is part of a group of companies including Selle Royal and Fizik, and their collective experience with carbon fibre was undoubtedly called upon for the C13.

As well as being 150g lighter, the C13 is also narrower than previous models at 132mm wide, as befits a saddle with more racy aspirations. It has no padding at all, the upper surface being composed of a dense rubber and cotton hybrid that feels quite hard when you squeeze it.

As with its leather brethren, the comfort comes from the top layer's ability to stretch a little and conform to your shape; you sit in it like a tiny hammock. The carbon fibre undercarriage is attached only at the front and the rear of the saddle, as with all of Brooks' other saddles.

With Brooks' leather saddles, you need to look after the leather if you want it to last a long time, using a treatment to keep it supple, and avoiding getting it very wet where possible. Here the rubber shrugs off rain and dirt, and this fit-and-forget resilience is definitely a welcome change for the good.

The carbon rails are really nicely made, with a grippy cloth bonded into the resin around the sections where the seatpost clamps. At this point they are an oval cross-section which is 9mm in the vertical axis; I had no difficulty with the two seatposts I fitted it to, but in some cases you might find you need an adaptor or even a new post (7mm is the typical size of most saddle rails).

Instead of the traditional copper rivets, there are black anodised aluminium 'rivets' to join the rubber to the carbon – giving an appropriate balance of tradition and tech. They're actually Torx screws.

When reviewing saddles, there's no getting away from the fact that they are a very subjective area; what works for one gnarled old salt won't necessarily suit the posterior of the next pink-cheeked whippet. I generally get on better with a saddle that has at least some padding, and when I used the C13 daily I found I'd be a little sore by the end of the week.

I almost always ride in padded bibs but with this saddle this was essential – I couldn't sit on it for more than a couple of miles without a decent chamois. With a good pair of bibs on, I could ride a few hours without discomfort, but I wouldn't put it up there with my favourite saddles (most of which are Prologos).

Other users had different experiences, and I know several people who maintain that Brooks Cambium saddles are the most comfortable they've ever tried. Our Dave Atkinson finds them comfortable but squeaky – if you're above a certain weight then the rubber top layer can get pushed all the way down onto the top cap of your seatpost, and no amount of grease will stop it squeaking.

I tried a C17 Cambium Carved by way of comparison, which, in fairness, is quite a different saddle – significantly wider and with a cutout. I found the C17 yielded much more under my weight, seemingly because the cutout allowed it to be more flexible, and as a consequence it was more comfortable for me (although wider than I'd really want). However, at 400g, it's unlikely you'll find too many of them on race bikes.

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I expect the main selling point for the C13 will be the weight – it is much lighter than any previous Brooks, and really doesn't look out of place on a race bike. For the money, 262g is actually still heavier than many; that rubber is much denser than the foam and plastic more commonly used in saddles. By way of comparison, the Selle Italia Novus that I tested last year is a similar price and around 50g lighter.

I really wanted to like the Cambium C13, and it's seen a lot of use over the last three months. In the end, though, it just wasn't as comfortable for me as other saddles. We're all different, though, and saddles are an area where this is very much the case, so it's quite possible that your bum would love it. I've given it a good mark as it's a lovely thing, very well made and I've heard enough anecdotal evidence to establish that other people find it very comfortable. I'm just not one of them. I suspect that a wider version with the cutout could be a better match for my behind.

Verdict

Tradition meets high-tech carbon – finally, a Brooks saddle that is light enough to race on