I took the plunge and bought this seat after much debate. I've been riding cycles almost my entire life starting at around 5 or 6 I can't recall. As I got older, I got more into competitive cycling and had more than two dozen different types of seats. Each and everyone takes time to break and some are better than others. Some start out pretty comfortable but after a long ride, it really hurts. Some less if I wear padded shorts plus another layer of padding. But they pretty much all hurt nevertheless. Now here's the Brooks. Rather clunky looking yet very aesthetically pleasing to the eye saddles.

First ride about 24 miles, trying to micro-adjust to my bike (Bike Friday Pocket Rocket) but keep sliding back and forth and I feel like I keep slipping forward. So I raise the nose just a bit but then it was too much. This isn't the saddle's fault but rather the seat post design. It feels rock hard even though I had applied the Proofhide overnight.

On the second ride, more micro adjustment and lowering the post an mm or two. Still felt like sliding forward a bit so I adjusted the tilt again. But, here's the weird part. The seat still hasn't been broken in and it still feels very hard but I don't feel pain. And my bottom is saying "Hey this is very comfortable, keep riding faster!" My single-gear Bike Friday now feels like a completely different bike.. only much better!

On my third ride, I noticed a couple of very important habits that I used to have during my years of cycling. First, I don't stand anymore when anticipating a bump or washboard on the road surface. Actually, I now just enjoy going over them and feeling those imperfections on the road (like vinyl vs. CD?). Also, that last few miles after a ride when you're tired, wow, that feeling of relaxing and just enjoying sitting and pedaling very joyfully!

If it's this good and I now only put less than 70+ miles, I can't wait for several hundred or a thousand!

Update:
So far, I have put over 200 miles on the new Brooks B17 Special saddle. I have applied Proofhide after each ride as well as put Obenauf's Leather Conditioner on the bottom of the saddle. One I noticed was that as soon as I applied the oil underneath saddle using a small brush, the leather quickly became very supple and flexible. On the most recent ride, I immediately noticed how comfortable saddle began to feel even at the beginning of the ride. This did not happen at least towards the end of the ride which was about 20 miles. I also started to notice a slight arch forming on the seat which wasn't there before when it was new (compare the 1st pict which is most recent vs. last picture when it was new). I will continue to do the Proofhide/Obenauf's oil treatment and start to scale back some what down to every other month from hearon.

Update (5/27):
To date, I have logged over 500 miles on the B17. Without the slightest doubt, as what others have said about this saddle is undeniably true. That is, the more miles you put on, the comfortable it gets. Now I ride fairly briskly on my single gear Bike Friday road bike. Because of this, I think it's breaking-in a lot faster. I already started to see darker spots on the area where my body makes the most contact during the ride. Also I noticed that the saddle, although it's firmer than say Terry's gel saddle, it is way more comfortable yet because it has less give, I tend to put power down on the pedals more efficiently and feels less tired after the run. I also have the B17 with the cutout in the middle which is comfortable, but I think the B17 Special would be my first choice if I had to buy a new one.

If you're on the fence about this saddle, don't, by far, this is the most comfortable saddle I've owned to date.

Update-7/4:
So far I must have put close to 800 miles on the B17 Special. As you can see from the last photo, saddle has begun to take some noticeable form according to physiques. Also notice the discoloration started to occur around the edges. However, the seat is now noticeably more comfortable. I can unanimously say, so far, I am loving this saddle, it makes my daily workout on the Bike Friday a shear heaven!

After a relatively short break in period this saddle is extremely comfortable. It requires some periodic maintenance, and you should put on a seat cover if you're riding in rain, but the comfort is worth the fuss.

This is my 2nd ever Brooks B17. The first was an "Aged" model on a 26" full suspension MTB. I transferred it to my first 29'er, a Specialized hardtail. I put a lot of miles on that saddle before wrist surgery in 2011. I did not ride again until mid 2019 when I bought my Giant 29'er. First upgrade was a B17 standard, this time not aged. Granted it was years in between saddles, but I did not experience that break in period Brooks people love to hate. Unfortunately I fractured my leg, then back issues, knee and spine injections, and currently nursing a never ending ankle problem. So this saddle in the past 2.5 years may have 100 miles on it. Currently washed, lubed, waiting on new tires and pedals while I ease back into it. The body hurts like hell, but my a$$ isn't complaining. And this saddle is just plain sexy. I only wish I had opted for the hammered copper hardware. Maybe when I get my "˜58 Springer Hiawatha back on the street"¦ BUY YOU A BROOKS

He estado pensando en comprar el sillín de bicicleta Brooks B17 durante más de un año y puedo decir que valió la pena. Los sillines Brooks son muy conocidos en todo el mundo, pero son muuy caros y requieren un cuidado especial debido a que están hechos de cuero.

Llevo un mes probando el asiento; se siente duro al tacto y no es liviano, está hecho de cuero, lo que significa que cederá con el tiempo y puedo afirmar que es muy cómodo al conducir. Mi MTB tiene un cuadro de aluminio 6061, pesado pero resistente, por lo que medio kilo de más no es un problema.

Vivo en Pasto, una ciudad de Colombia situada a 2527 metros sobre el nivel del mar en la Cordillera de los Andes. Este asiento es cómodo y se comporta bien en trayectos rectos pero en las lomas puede que me equivoque pero no es el más apropiado, (Un Cambium sería más adecuado) además hay que tener en cuenta que la lluvia afectará al asiento y el cuero se puede estriar sí no lo cuida.

En general, el sillín llegó en su caja original con una llave para tensar el cuero y un acondicionador de un solo uso para protegerlo. Cuando registré el sillín en la página web oficial, me extendieron la garantía a 10 años, así que les recomiendo ser diligentes con eso.

Si compras un asiento Brooks y vives en Colombia ten cuidado, llamará las miradas de la gente dueña de lo ajeno. En cuestión de calidad seguramente no te defraudará y su historia detrás de estos asientos son interesantes. Puedo decir que es un buen producto pero en mi opinión es demasiado caro y por el momento no lo vale. Si lo consigues por 75-85 dolares o menos sería buen negocio.

In my opinion no bike seat is entirely comfortable. I've tried many alternatives through the years with varying results and can tell you that this bike seat beats them all hands down. I put this on my touring bike and can ride multiple long days in the saddle with relative comfort. My multi-year search is over.