As far as theft here in berlin there are a ton of brooks on bikes here, so im not worried about. I sat on my friends and really enjoyed the feel of the leather. As far as breaking it in, not a problem for me, no different then getting super sore from breaking in new snowboarding equipment. From what i read im leaning away from the b17, more along the lines of a swift or swallow. Are there any modern saddles that are leather like the brooks?