No, it's not guidance they need but better quality control at Brooks.

The problem with the original Brooks firm before it was sold, was that they used Butt hides of different thickness's. They could vary in thickness up to 100%. This has become better now but there are still differences in thickness according to the model sold.

If no conditioning is applied to the leather then expect complaints such as those above about cracking and splitting mainly at the rivets . This because the forming process of the saddle means leaching out the natural oils in the leather. Keep them long enough and the leather will crumble into dust. Treating the underside of the saddle with a leather conditioner such as used by saddler's will prevent this but one has to be careful not to use too much as this will over-soften the leather. "Hydrophane" will preserve an waterproof the leather ensuring a long life.

Those that believe that Brooks knows better than anyone else how to treat their saddles should be aware that until relatively recently the company advised that Proofide should never be applied to the underside of the saddle. Now they advise exactly that...why the change? Because these saddles are sold as a niche product in the USA and they are aware that most riders there do not use mudguards. Using Proofide on the underside will prevent road spray to an extent but too many applications and you soften the saddle. Leather continues to be leather, whatever the mystique created by people who should know better and there are leather saddles on the market of equal and better quality than Brooks. Check out Berthoud saddles or the brand sold by Spa cycles which is cheaper than Brooks but of superior quality in my view.