Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 19,810
Likes: 597
From: NJ, NYC, LI
Bikes: 1940s Fothergill, 1959 Allegro Special, 1963? Claud Butler Olympic Sprint, Lambert 'Clubman', 1974 Fuji "the Ace", 1976 Holdsworth 650b conversion rando bike, 1983 Trek 720 tourer, 1984 Counterpoint Opus II, 1993 Basso Gap, 2010 Downtube 8h, and...
I tend to agree with what's been said above, but I am also coming round to the opinion that one of the following is true:
1. There's some truth in the old wives' tale that the Pro is made of thicker and tougher leather than the B17, and it will not (ever) get as soft.
2. The older (80's) Brooks production was tougher, lasted longer, and took longer to break in; the new stuff is pretty soft and doesn't hold up as well, but has the benefit of being comfortable from day one.
In general, being an optimist, I tend toward the former.
By the way, my experience is more or less the same as yours, but I think I've put more miles on mine. In the period October 2007 - August 2008 I put about 2500 miles on a beautiful new B17 after which it had got so soft that I retired it (well, gave it to my son, who rarely rides). I replaced it with my 1983 (?) Brooks Pro, which I've had since 1989 and ridden off and on over the years; since August 2008 I've put about 3000 miles on that saddle and it has begun to break in... maybe. Very comfortable, though!