Brooks England factory
Leather-saddle factory in Smethwick, near Birmingham, West Midlands, England.
At a glance
| Source | Author | Role | In one line |
|---|---|---|---|
| It’s All About the Bike - In Pursuit of Happiness on Two Wheels | Robert Penn | setting | Leather saddles cut, moulded and riveted by hand. |
It’s All About the Bike — Robert Penn (2010)
Source: It’s All About the Bike - In Pursuit of Happiness on Two Wheels · Readwise highlight
The Brooks factory is down a side street in Smethwick, near the Birmingham Canal Navigations.
- Role: setting
- In the book: Penn tours the factory, on a Smethwick side street near the Birmingham Canal Navigations since 1950, with office manager Steven Green. He meets long-serving workers, watches saddles cut, moulded, riveted and chamfered by hand, and picks a Team Professional. The chapter places it in Birmingham’s metalworking past, the heart of the world’s densest cluster of bicycle makers.
- Why it matters: It is where the saddle chapter, and Penn’s bike, get their saddle.