Posted on March 21, 2022 by Cory Benson
A new Brooks C17 Recycled Nylon saddle just made the Cambium family even more eco-friendly with the addition of recycled fibers to the already sustainable natural rubber structure. The Cambium lineup was always about creating products that are easier on the environment, appealing to a large group of cyclists that don’t feel it’s necessary to have leather on their bikes.
Without compromising on premium comfort & performance, Brooks created an all-new segment when they transformed from all-leather saddles to the easier-to-maintain Cambium rubber saddles. Coming at a time when gravel and a resurgence of adventure touring cycling (now called bikepacking), the sustainably-harvested, vulcanized natural rubber saddles managed to deliver Brooks’ signature “hammock” fit without needing to be broken in, while also eliminating a lot of the extra glues, foam & plastics in most modern saddles.
The result was a comfortable saddle that could be much lighter than a traditional leather Brooks, but also much more resistant to riding in foul weather conditions. A previous All-Weather variant first swapped in nylon fabric reinforcement (over the original cotton) to better handle daily life out in the rain. Now, this C17 Special Recycled Nylon saddle takes sustainability a couple of steps further…
The new Brooks C17 Special Recycled Nylon saddle now gets a top made from pre-consumer industrial material scraps, reconstituted into a tough nylon yarn, then woven into a durable fabric to give structure to the sustainably-harvested, natural vulcanized rubber top.
On top of that (or rather underneath), the new saddle also replaces the molded plastic structure of the nose & backplate of the saddle with a new Liquid Wood structural composite material. Again made with pre-consumer recycled material, a plant-based biopolymer binds together lignin, cellulose & other plant fiber by-products from industrial paper production to create a moldable structural material that is still 100% biodegradable in the end.
Finishing it off, that saddle gets durable, fully-recyclable hollow stainless steel rails and aluminum rivets to hold it all together.
The new recycled C17 Special saddle sells for 140€, available in either natural rubber tan or a black-topped version with the same natural rubber base. The saddles are 283mm long x 164mm wide, with a claimed weight of 392g. Officially they are a limited edition, but we hope to see more recycled versions like the Carved saddles with a pressure relief cutout, and narrower C15 & C13 profiles.
Brooks says the new C17 Special Recycled Nylon saddle is “ready to provide long-lasting comfort over greener roads ahead“. Waste reduced out of the global manufacturing chain, and fewer new resources to make out new cycling gear… that’s something we can get behind.
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What’s the bike?? It’s a beauty.
At first glance it looks like an Aethos
I don’t think so, on the Aethos there is a collar but here the seat post clamp look that of a steel bike.
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