There is an interesting slant to this that I don't understand. On pretty much every touring discussion group a couple dozen recommendations for the B17 are a sure thing when this question comes up. OTOH: I saw only a few Brooks saddles on the TA this Summer (maybe 10%?). I am not sure what that means, but I find it interesting.

EDIT:
I did a quick look on the Crazy Guy site at journal pics. To make it random I just used the serendipity link. I looked at any pics where I could see the saddle well enough to tell whether it was a Brooks. I looked at twenty bikes and didn't see a single Brooks. I then looked at the sticky here for the loaded touring bike pics. I didn't count, but it looked like maybe half were Brooks.

I could almost conclude that people who actually tour are less likely to use a brooks than people who post about touring. I know that can't be completely right because I know that some of the other respondents to this thread tour extensively. It does make me wonder though.

Are my counts both on the TA and on the crazy guy page skewed for some reason that I am missing? Or are the replies to posts asking for saddle recommendations skewed for some reason? I don't get it.