Brooks Saddles Pause Sales in UK Due to Brexit

Brooks saddles. They’re big, they’re leathery, and they’re comfy. They’re also the only saddle that you’d want to use if you want to dig deep into the etymology of the phrase “riding on the rivet.”

They’ve been made in England since 1882. That’s about 100 years off from Cyclry’s favorite decade, which is why we don’t cover them much, but check this out: despite having been made in England for 140 years, you can’t buy them in England any more.

A statement on the Brooks England website reads “Ongoing changes in the Brexit situation have made it necessary to temporarily suspend all new orders to the UK.”

And the reason? They’ve been owned by Italian company Selle Royal since 2002, and although they continue to be made in England, they’re distributed worldwide through Italy.

With Brexit fucking us all, new tariffs and fees make it impossible for Brooks to continue its direct-to-consumer sales in the UK. They’re not the only European(-owned) cycling company to instigate a “we ship to everywhere but the UK” policy, but it’s certainly among the most absurd examples.

Don’t think you’re getting a free pass though, neolibs. If it wasn’t for the wasteful, grossly inefficient system of shipping product to a warehouse outside of the UK just so it can be shipped back in, there wouldn’t even be an issue here. Hey, maybe there’s a blindly-obvious solution to this problem that avoids all the import fees and reduces your carbon footprint?

Anyway. Brooks saddles. You can’t order them direct from Brooks right now if you’re in the UK. That’ll change. We’ve also got one in the Cyclry gear storage room if you want to make us an offer. It’s already broken in.

Yeah, you break these saddles in. Like a pair of Doc Martens, but using your butt cheeks. Honestly, we don’t see the appeal.