Originally Posted by
gearbasher
What's wrong with a few cracks? Here are the 5 Brooks Pros that I'm currently riding. The first one has about two more full turns before the tension screw is at it's limit. And, the fourh one is a vasectomy waiting to happen. Those two will be replaced shortly.
....
well, that is the big question!!
If they came out of the factory with cracks, then maybe there's no need to worry.
Since the tension in the leather is spread among a number of rivets, then a crack requires the other bits of leather to carry that part of the load. Not a big deal with a few cracks, or cracks that don't extend far into the leather. The cracks that are just in the top fraction of the leather are probably not a concern.
Saddle #4, which I left in the quoted text, is concerning! Not quite the equivalent of a vasectomy, since that includes anesthetic.
Possibly the same end result, though.
Tensioned leather, like any structural material subject to environmental degradation, is going to fail eventually. The trick is to retire it (or repair it??) before it happens.
Steve in Peoria