[/QUOTE]Also, some Brooks saddles take longer to break in that others. My first broke in after 800 km. The one on my titanium bicycle wasn't broken in after about 1600 km ... we very gently encouraged it and now it is a comfortable saddle. They're all different.[/QUOTE]

Very good point. My two are quite different, the one I bought new seems to have more flexible leather than the one I bought used (my gut feeling is the harder one will last longer.
I like your term "gently encouraged".
To a lot of people they just seem to be a pain in the keester, and a chore to deal with, but once I got my first one figured out, I didn't like riding anymore on my other bikes seat which ended up with getting the second.