I tell people that it's hard to the touch because nobody (well, not any of us mortals) can push down on the saddle with our hands using as much force as our butts impart when we sit on it. I can only demonstrate the leather's flex by leaning hard onto it with my elbow. Once they see that, though, they say, "Oh, I get it now, that's pretty cool."

I'm keeping my brown B17 Special for now, but haven't decided what to do with my black B17 Standard. They've both been on my commuter, a hybrid/city bike converted to drop bars only a couple inches below the saddle. I had a Swift on my road bike, but decided to try a Specialized Romin, which is turning out to be pretty good. I also still have an unused Swift that I got for a bike that's since been sold.

Oh, and +1000 for the slickness of a Brooks. That's the drawback of the Romin, which, although it's not the grippiest saddle I've ever tried, still requires me to unweight if I want to change position. The lycra-covered gel saddles I see for sale have to be the worst idea ever.