Saddle manufacturer Brooks England have been a British household name and an international cycling icon for 150 years. What continues to motivate and inspire this classic marque? With the help of a variety of writers, artists, journalists, designers, photographers and illustrators, this eclectic compendium of cycling’s joys depicts Brooks’s unique and idiosyncratic view of the wide-ranging impact of the bicycle and its place in the world, alongside their dedication to function, quality and style. While Brooks is, at its heart, a British company, the team explore the bicycle as a worldwide phenomenon that has connected people – the Tour de France luring professional cyclists of all nationalities to the continental countryside – and continues to provide lone travellers with a gateway to all corners of the earth, celebrating journeys undertaken in some of the planet’s most extreme environments, from South America’s Atrato Swamp to Siberia. Alongside these ambitious projects, the simple joy of cycling to work, the sense of freedom and adventure afforded to all those who cycle for leisure, and the satisfaction gleaned from crafting the bicycle itself are exalted. The result isn’t a book about a saddle maker, but a collection of fascinating contributions from leading creatives from a broad cultural spectrum who are as passionate about their work as they are about their cycling.
