Brooks England B17 Special Saddle

You love them or hate them. I love them. I dampen the leather from the back side for the first few rides and that shortens the otherwise lengthy break-in so that it conforms to my bones. I mostly do short rides but occasionally loaded tours. I've tried the synthetic saddles that come with bikes and have never found one that works. If you don't abuse your Brooks (don't leave it out in the sun and rain for months and do put a little dressing on it), it should last for decades. I have five of them spanning 46 years and they all still work. My first Brooks came on a cotter cranked Raleigh back in 1970 and it does have a few cracks from being out in the weather on bike racks, but I can still ride it. I have both the special and the regular B17 models and few others including a Pro and a B66 (three speed model with springs) and they are all wonderful. The special has gorgeous copper rivets. The older models had raised (embossed) lettering on the metal label but they switched to a cheaper flat label. I don't know what they use today. If you want more comfort and don't mind the weight, get Champion Flyer, a B17 with springs. It is by far my most comfortable mountain bike/road saddle. A few years ago I rode on one for 14 hours on dirt mountain roads and endless desert washboards before I found a place to camp. It was mounted on a White Bros Air post, but the air post only works on the worst bumps, the saddle springs handled the washboards. I was so lucky that I had a Brooks Flyer instead of a plastic monster.