Originally Posted by Red Rider
Exactly why I posted my questions. You got a problem with that?
RedRider,
BluesDawg has summed it up pretty succinctly, but, because I'm a natural bloviate, I'll add something:
All-Leather saddles are an extension of centuries-proven design using hide blank. The premise is that leather, being a natural material, has qualities that transcend technological 'improvements'. Modern ultra lightweight bike products are great innovations, but alot of the disdain for old school stuff is just that - disdain. Not well thought out, either. If a rider is very weight sensitive - there's a good chance he/she is also very market driven. They gotcha!
Saddle makers have known for a thousand years that hide leather is the best material for long hours spent in the slot. There is virtually no surviving
working saddle in extant since Napoleanonic times that is not smooth leather. Many before that where wood, but leather covered.
Leather forms to the body, it absorbs sweat by natural wicking action, thus giving the rider far superior long range comfort. Leather lasts a very long time. It's extremely tough against abrasions.
Those of us who use Brooks saddles do so after a long and studied search, usually by trial and error. Weight be damned - most of us can lose alot more off our butts that the extra few ounces of leather under them.
Late US Cavalry working leather from the Civil War:
http://i7.tinypic.com/63kiw5s.jpg
http://i19.tinypic.com/541qq0g.jpg