How can one understand the essence of a thing, unless one has seen it being made?

The Brooks Open Factory is something wholly new. An historic moment and a literal throwing open of the doors. An invitation to do something very few ever have; to step inside our home in Smethwick and see the manufacture of our leather saddles. As far as we know, nothing like this has been done in the near-160 years of Brooks’ history.

The Open Factory was the culmination of the series of Brooks On Tour social picnic rides we organised this spring and summer. But more than the final stop on an itinerary, it was a homecoming. And dare we say it, a moment to reset… to dream up the future in the physical context of our past and present.

During the weekend of the Open Factory, more than 300 members of the public came to see the inner workings of this wondrous, noisy place. Almost all took a tour of the factory floor.

Brooks was overwhelmed with appreciation for the long distances travelled to be here with us in Smethwick.

Keith came all the way from Northumberland to see how the saddles he has ridden for decades are made.

“As a 64-year-old user and owner of many Brooks saddles, over many years, it was wonderful to get a glimpse of where and how these items are produced. I’m sure its safe to say that all of the visitors were lovers of Brooks, the best and most comfortable saddles in the world, and lovers of true craftsmanship from those workers who day-by-day assemble these iconic items.”

Chris, meanwhile, made the journey from Essex at the other end of England. 

“The staff were engaging and so friendly and entertaining and clearly have a vibrancy which shines through. The process from beginning to end is so amazing. It would be easy to underestimate the effort, training and skill which goes into producing a Brooks saddle but having witnessed all this today I am just blown away with admiration.”

Naturally, as well as those who travelled from the far extremes of the country, there were a great many ‘neighbours’ in attendance, people who live in or who have a deep connection to Birmingham. 

Imogen Sykes grew up in this part of the world. 

“I’ve had a Brooks saddle for the past couple of years, and after trying tonnes of saddles, it’s the one I’ve loved the most. I was born in Birmingham and grew up in the West Midlands, so Brooks has always felt like a very British institution; a stalwart of the cycling world.

“My favourite part of the tour was seeing the archives. The catalogues featuring illustrations from the early 1900s and original saddles delighted my nerdy historical heart.”

Jacopo Porreca is the brand manager of Brooks England. For him, the Open Factory is a bilateral exchange, with the craftspeople working in the factory taking plenty from the experience. 

“When we as a brand travel worldwide we keep meeting people who are completely in love with the product, with what we’re doing inside the doors [in Smethwick]. And so, making the people here aware of what people around the world think, of how they feel, is really important.

“In the end, Brooks is so strongly related to craftsmanship. No machine can make a B17 Special. It’s not one of those brands that puts a logo on something someone else is doing or creating. And so, this place is the core of everything.”

A theme that recurred throughout the Open Factory was the idea that you can’t truly understand what ‘handmade’ means until you see those hands at work. 

Sam Huby is co-owner of Bikemonger, a bike shop and seller of Brooks saddles based in Ripon, North Yorkshire.

“I’ve been dealing with Brooks one way or another for 20 years, but this is the first time I’ve come to one of the tours. And it’s astonishing. You see the pictures and you read the articles, but it doesn’t really prepare you for the reality of it. 

“The smell of the leather when you walk in to that part of the factory. Watching the guys hammering the copper rivets. And tiny details you’d never see otherwise, like one of the workers has cut the thumb off the end of his glove so that he can feel the rivet. Maybe all factories are like this, but I kinda doubt it. It’s a fantastic place.”

Sykes, meanwhile, has a background in environmental sustainability, and viewed the factory’s processes through that lens. 

“It was great to see how almost all of the leather is used throughout production. The main material goes into the saddles, offcuts are repurposed into handlebar grips, and even the smallest shavings are sent to another factory for reuse. It really showed how thoughtfully the material is handled, and I loved the circularity of it all.”

Whether it’s seeing a piece of leather chamfered by eye – a detail that used to be added to give racing cyclists a more comfortable experience when the inner parts of their upper leg brushed against the saddle, but these days is more of an artisanal flourish – or watching a copper rivet being hammered into place. There are instances of this magic touch at each step of a saddle’s journey around the floor.  

From beautiful blooms in roomy front baskets, to Stone Roses paint schemes and performance gravel frames. From flat whites in the loading bay, to a friends and family dinner under fairy lights amid the factory machines. The Open Factory went by in a whirlwind of colour and clamour; sights, smells and tastes.

Will it be back next year? Quite possibly. 

All photographs, Simon Weller.

Brooks would like to express its gratitude to all the exhibitors who brought their best throughout the Open Factory.

• Brother Cycles
• Fairlight Cycles
• Mercian Cycles
• Pashley Cycles
• Quirk Cycles
• Singular Cycles
• Stanforth Cycles
• Stooge Cycles
• Foundation Coffee Roasters
• Nick at Letterpress Collective
• Purity Brewing Co.
• The Hopeful Flower Co.