Hasta La Gadget!

Have you ever wondered how a bike saddle is made? It just plops out of a replicator or something, right? If that seat is a handcrafted Brooks saddle, then the answer is “no.” Gadget Lab reader Graham Glen was lucky enough to get a tour of the Brooks factory in Smethwick (in the West Midlands in England), and he snapped some photos of the goings-on there, which he has very generously allowed us to use here.

The thing that strikes me is the simplicity of the process. Metal parts are stamped out and heat-treated, flat pieces of leather are soaked and then formed in molds and the parts are all assembled by hand. After seeing how much work goes into a single bike seat, these famously expensive saddles start to look cheap. Follow along for a tour of the factory.