I bought a B17 in August 2007. I haven't applied anything to it. I rode it in on my fixed gear in touring mode between London and Paris. I do weigh 85kg, however.

Yen, it will probably take between 700 and 1000km (let's see, imperial conversion, 437 to 625 miles) if you are around 55 to 60kg (121 to 132lbs) to break in. You will see sitbone divots appear on either side. The slipperiness goes away, and you will notice a change in the patina of the saddle, which seems to get very tiny wrinkles on the surface.

Brooks and others suggest that if you ride without fenders/mudguards, you should apply a liberal coating to the underside of the saddle to help protect it from the wet.

I run fenders, and it rained a lot on PBP... and there doesn't seem to have been any negative effect on the saddle in not having applied Proofide.

If you got the spanner, lose it until you absolutely sure you need to make a quarter or half turn on the nut, then when you remember where you put it, the time might be just about right for the adjustment -- probably in five years' time.

My other much older Brooks has been tightened up ever so slightly after something like 45,000km (28,125 miles). I tightened Machka's Brooks B17 as well last August, but she has done quite a bit more wet-weather randonnees in the past few years.

I had a honey Pro. Don't be surprised to see the saddle discolour and go much darker over time. I sold the Pro to a friend, and when I saw it next, it was a dark brown, but he rides a LOT. That Pro was a bear to break in, but then, I was running handlebars level with the seat, which is not the thing with a Pro -- the bars should be somewhat lower.