I'm pretty saddle permissive, but I can't ride long distances on a Brooks. (I relegated my last one to a town bike thirty-five years ago.) They distribute the load fairly evenly across the area of contact, which is fine for short rides. However, on longer rides that can result in compression of critical nerves and vasculature in the perineum, which can have serious health consequences. For rides of less than 100 km, I don't care what I ride on. Longer than that, I want something that prevents any load from being placed on soft tissues.

I think that's why so many of today's tourists like Brooks. A typical touring day is in the 30-60 mile range for most people, and Brooks are fine, even comfortable, for those sort of days. That's especially true for folks who tend to ride with a low (<90 rpm) cadence.