Sangetsu

When it comes to health issues, which issues are you speaking of? In the article you posted, the person said that his "crotch hormone problem" (as vague a health issue as I have ever heard) was caused by the horn of a Brooks saddle. He may not be aware that almost every saddle made has a horn, and, barring any evidence to the contrary, he may have developed this problem regardless of the saddle he used, or if he has a genetic predisposition to "crotch hormone problems", he may have developed them by simply sitting on a chair or sofa. As he is probably compensated by the makers of the Hobson Easy Seat, he would likely say anything he was paid to say.

Edgar Allen Poe said "Believe nothing you read, and only half of what you see", and this is doubly true if it is an advertisement. I tried the first version of the Specialized Body geometry saddle, using it to replace a Selle San Marco. The Specialized saddle was designed to "reduce pressure on the perineum, and the potential for male impotency". What I discovered was that this saddle caused numbness in places that took hours to go away, even though I had read many reviews stating that this saddle was the best thing since sliced bread. None of the many of saddles I have ever tried over the course of decades had ever caused me such numbness.

I know how to fit a bike, and how to adjust a saddle, I learned first from the owner of a pro shop where I used to work, I learned more from our team's coach during the time I spent racing in southern Europe. Many comfort and numbness issues are mainly the result of improper fitting and adjustments, and many, if not most people, even those with a lot of riding experience (including more than a few pros), do not have their bikes properly set up. A poorly set up stem and bar can cause a great deal of discomfort in your backside, as on a properly set up bike your hands and arms should support a significant amount of your weight. If you can't get comfortable on a saddle after it and your backside has become acquainted, and the bike is properly set up for your physiology, and you are wearing proper, good-quality cycling shorts which suit the saddle, then it is time to consider another saddle.

Brooks saddles are simply the best I have tried, and are the only saddle which I can ride long distances without wearing cycling shorts. Break-in time is very important, and the amount of break-in time necessary before the saddle becomes comfortable varies. My natural coloured Brooks B-17 saddle broke in after a month. My B17 Special in black took nearly 3 months to break in. Most people are not patient enough to wait 1 to 3 months for a saddle to get comfortable. If you are a new rider and buy a new bike, and install a new Brooks saddle, by the time your fitness reaches the first plateau, your saddle will be comfortable, and the longer you ride on the saddle, the more comfortable it becomes. With other saddles this is not the case, over time their padding breaks down or deteriorates, and comfort decreases.

What is the ultimate saddle? I never raced on a Brooks, no one I know does. My favourite saddle of all time is the Selle San Marco Royale, combined with Assos Sports line shorts with a genuine chamois. After 5 hour days in the saddle, my feet and hands were much more tired than by backside. But without the shorts, or with different shorts, the saddle was not at all comfortable. This saddle did not work so well with Pearl Izumi shorts, or the more expensive Pros line Assos synthetic chamois shorts. But these other shorts work quite well on Serfas or later Specialized saddles.

It takes a lot of trial and error to find real comfort on a bike saddle. But the saddle which requires the least of these are Brooks saddles, if you are simply patient enough it let them break in, and have your bike set up reasonably well.