Frankly, this thread moves me in the opposite direction. Eleven pages of posts, most about how to break the saddle in, protect it from the rain, etc. Whew! Life should be simpler.

Final straw was that I rode today with a woman who has a custom-made frame and is an experienced rider, coming back to cycling after a few years' layoff. She bought a Brooks a couple of months ago, and it punishes her sitbones so much that she's put a gel cover over it. She hopes that in time either the leather softens, or her butt toughens up.

Having spent much of the day riding behind her and admiring her, ah, form, I hope the former happens, not the latter.