In 1882, the 36-year-old Englishman John Boultbee Brooks filed the first patent for a leather bicycle saddle - an important innovation that significantly increased comfort compared to the steel or wooden saddles that were common at the time. Today, the Brooks company is considered a prime example of tradition and quality in the bicycle cosmos, and the saddles from the English Midlands are often used to underline the value of bicycles. But it's not just about saddles, leather and tradition, no, Brooks is also working on innovative ideas.

Since 2014, the Cambium series has won over many Brooks fans, new and old, with its fresh concept: a vulcanized natural rubber cover, covered with cotton fabric, attached to an aluminum frame. The saddle is available in different widths, does not require the usual break-in period of a leather saddle and also scores in terms of design: minimalist, classic and modern. The Art Deco object for the butt.

Just like the traditional leather models B17, Swift or Team Professional, the new vegan siblings are a perfect match for classic steel racers or stylish single-speed bikes and are often installed there. Only the sporty faction has held back when it comes to Brooks in recent years. With frame weights of almost a thousand grams for a carbon bolide, Brooks-style saddles, regardless of whether the leather or rubber version, are literally too heavy. Even the lightest models to date, the C15 at 400 grams and the Swift Titanium at 390 grams, are hardly ever seen on carbon racers.

At last year's Eurobike, pictures of a new Brooks made the rounds: simple, black, narrow and minimalistic. A Cambium that, thanks to its carbon frame, weighs around 250 grams and can also convince weight-conscious drivers. Through comfort, quality and its smart design. Since the beginning of the year, selected drivers have been able to test prototypes of the C13, as the carbon cambium is called, and their results provided the finishing touches before production. And now we come into play.

We'll be getting a batch of test saddles from Brooks for the penultimate edition of the Winter Bitch Parade: the C19, the C17, the C15, the C15 Carved and the C13. This means that you are the first group in Europe to have the chance to test the C13 on a trip. Send us an email to info (at) schickemuetze (dot) de. Important: Subject "The Brooks Ride". Tell us the saddle you want to test, we try to realize as many requests as possible. In the morning before the exit we loosen the saddles.

Meeting point for the day with Brooks is the Chic Hat, from 10:00 a.m. we await you with coffee and croissants. We assemble the test saddles and then start at 11:00 a.m. for our ride. The route will be approx. 70 kilometers long and will mainly take us along farm roads, the pace is sporty and relaxed, depending on the weather it could be that we get a little dirty, regular guests of our trips know and appreciate that. After returning to the hat, the saddles are removed and you can talk to the passengers and the Brooks managers about your experiences with the test saddle over coffee and cake.

We would like to ask all those who are our guests for the first time for a deposit and/or ID card in order to prevent possible sprint duels with the use of air pumps. As far as the assembly of the C13 is concerned, we cannot promise that every seat post can hold the saddle, if in doubt we have to see what is possible here on site.

Winter Bitch Parade with Brooks, February 21, 2016, Meet 10:00 am, Start 11:00 am. Send cap, Talstrasse 22-24 backyard; 40217 Dusseldorf.

Link to the event on Facebook: here

and here go to Brooks.