Saddles Thread?

[Andre Jute]

Andre,
I reckon it could be done with the bottom rail in the upper position of the pentaclip.

BUT the saddle is only held by the bottom rail which on my twin rail saddles measure 5.75/5.82 mm chromed/painted and my single rail saddles all measure 7mm. So a lower strength when using just the lower rail.
I did not fancy my wife being on the 'bleeding edge' of technology, certainly not in such a crucial area, if the saddle rail failed.

Sadly the pentaclip guys have missed an opportunity to offer a 'brooks twin rail' pentaclip with the alloy side pieces cast to have the right spacing and size for the twin rail saddles. It looks eminently feasible.

I will be interested to hear how you get on if you try it.
Julian.

Thanks, Julian. I've been looking at the Pentaclip on and off for years, but didn't know anyone reliable who had one to ask until you came along. I don't fancy being on the bleeding edge of technology either (!), so I think I'll give it a miss. Those Brooks clips are unbelievably crude and nasty, but they'll just have to soldier on.

If the rails on the single-rail and the double-rail saddles were the same, I might have tried it but, with your measurements in hand, I've now concluded that it is extremely likely that those two rails are part of the suspension rather than merely fixing points, and that they're scaled for both rails to be clamped for either purpose, holding the saddle on the bike (and your backside off a crude apple corer) and isolating your spine from the road.

Thank you so much for the initiative of the measurements, and for going to the trouble.

[Andre Jute]

That Brooks with all it's sofa springiness is over a KG!  Still, that or saddle sores/sore butt?

It's a saddle likely to last forever, for which your great-grandchildren will thank you. "The Ancestor was not a weight weenie."

... the BB needs re-threaded (help? proper technical term?) as they powdercoated over the threads.

The operation is known as "running the tap over the threads to clean off the paint". Actual "rethreading" is a much more serious operation when the threads themselves are damaged.

Now do I want to waste a banana I've only one left...

No risk, no gain. The friends I've put onto this combo regard me much as people I knew when I made MTV videos (my excuse is that it was unbelievably well paid and they didn't mind if I used a pseudonym...) looked at their cocaine pusher. I have one friend in the States who has a standing monthly order at some Amazon foodie mailorder merchant for $90's worth of Marmite and a deal with her greengrocer to deliver her daily dose of bananas to her door every morning on his way from the wholesale market to his store. You're missing out as you shilly-shally.

[Andre Jute]

Breeze Seat Sandwich ?? Like they said in the 1970s women's garment ads "It lifts and separates"  

Thanks. Looks like my last alternative.

[macspud]

the BB needs re-threaded (help? proper technical term?) as they powdercoated over the threads.

It sounds like the bottom bracket needs "Chased and Faced" which will remove the powder coating from the threads and the outer face.

[George Hetrick]

... the BB needs re-threaded (help? proper technical term?) as they powdercoated over the threads.

The threads have to be chased.

[JWestland]

Le Manfriend currently contemplating either bikeshop or get a facing tool for the already quite good toolbox.

The quoted kg weight for the B66 was a little steep. But then he has a 1/4 hill to climb on the way home...and the cargo will not be light at all as it is. Though you can do some real damage to taxis for sure

(no Marmite at work...that banana affair is for home

[Danneaux]

Jawine,

Danneaux's Heavy Metal Mantra to pass on to Le Manfriend:

"The heavier the bike load, the smaller the effect of additional weight".

Say you're riding with a 10kg load. Adding 1kg is 10% of the total. Ouch.

But...!

If you ride with a 50kg load, that 1kg more is only 2% of the total. Nothing!

Ride a heavy enough bike and -- beyond a certain point -- anything weight you add to the load is "free".  

Best,

Dan. (...who thinks of these rationalizations while carrying 26.5l of water...adding that MP3 player ain't gonna matter!   )

[jimmer]

Dear Dan,

But a mere straw broke some poor dromedary's spine.

Flippancy aside, the point about being aware of the proportional contribution of additional weight to the overall is valid.

Furthermore, any, effective, suspension will contribute to journey speed by enhancing comfort and traction / road holding. Something he'll have time to fully appreciate as he takes that little bit longer to winch up the 1:4.

James

[Danneaux]

...a mere straw broke some poor dromedary's spine.

Drat! I knew there was a flaw...

 

All the best,

Dan. (...who now knows why his lungs are about to burst and his legs are about to fall off...it's that added MP3 player!)

[beerbike]

I did post a little comment about my Brooks Cambium experience previously. A new email in my inbox - Cambium wins Eurobike Gold Award - has prompted another response. Yes it is light and looks great. Also awarded for functionality which is OK if that is to look good on a show bike! It is uncomfortable with no give for the sit bones. Yes it does have a bit of a springy hammock effect, but still all your weight lands largely on 2 points. Leather brooks mould over time to accommodate and improve comfort. The saddle is covered in a cotton fabric - moisture absorbent, not wipe-able on a dewy morning after a touring camp out. An inadvertent oily finger has left a stain on mine in its 1st week, which will be there until lost in amongst future stains and grime.

Brooks leather saddles have a great reputation. The Cambium seems like a marketing exercise to me, and it is annoying to see a product promoted for what it really isn't. Maybe I should do a loan arrangement so folk can test drive one and judge for themselves! Wish I had that opportunity before purchasing my 'saddle of a lifetime'.

All the best

Greg

[Danneaux]

Hi Greg!

Same email in my box this morning. Here's the html version for those who have not received it direct:
http://us1.campaign-archive2.com/?u=779d0fc02cc4843db052687bf&id=b3e0713db2&e=5e454051e8

Thanks so much, Greg, for sharing your firsthand user experience with the Cambium -- absolutely invaluable to those of us who have been considering. I had fears of same, but figured it must surely have been sorted by release time. How sad and disappointing!

Might it be worth trying to sell-on at this point? Interest in the saddle is still keen, and that Eurobike Gold award can only help the prospects; there might be a ready market even for a used one.

All the best,

Dan.

[JWestland]

Ah sorry to hear it didn't work out

I do think Brooks has developed something very marketable as the saddle is effectively vegan (not everybody wants leather) and looks like it can be made reasonably eco-friendly (bar aluminium, unless they use recycled) so it may be a good addition for the product line. Sometimes a company has to diversify.

But the proof is as always in the sitting. Maybe it will work for others as there seem to be few saddles that suit everyone.

[JWestland]

So, as it turns out, a Regal Girardi (80s/early 90s) isn't exactly the same as a modern day Regal (slightly narrower and less supportive (though also less mega hard))

I found out that the old Specialized on the XTC was also slightly different than the modern one.

So, if you have a favorite saddle don't assume the next generation is exactly the same. Bar with Brooks I guess... 

[il padrone]

If you ride with a 50kg load, that 1kg more is only 2% of the total. Nothing!

Ride a heavy enough bike and -- beyond a certain point -- anything weight you add to the load is "free".  

That's  the same with alcohol when on bike tours - "alcohol has no weight"

[Danneaux]

That's  the same with alcohol when on bike tours - "alcohol has no weight"

Exactly! 

Superb illustration of the point. 

All the best,

Dan.