As with others, I have noticed the occasional creak from my Brooks saddles, but a spot of light oil usually did the trick. The source for most of my creaks was the peened connection between the saddle rail uprights and the rear flange plate. I only need to apply a small drop of oil at the rail-flange junction annually to take care of the problem.
Of greater concern was an increase in the number of noises early last Spring on one of my chrome-railed B.17s. I was out on a long ride when I stopped to change my jacket, lightly bumped the saddle with an elbow, and was astonished to see th entire saddle cover and front rails and nose tensioner fall to the ground at my feet.
It was a complete free-fracture of the chromed rails immediately rearward of my SR LaPrade seatpost clamp. Fortunately it was not later in my ride, when my route would have taken me on a street path situated between two heavily-traveled car traffic lanes and a freeway on-ramp entry. If it had happened there, I probably would not be writing this now. As it was, I had to ride the last 20 miles home standing and leaning into a headwind, and incurred bilateral achilles tendonitis as a result of my unusual riding position.
Such fractures aren't unheard of with older, chrome-railed Brooks saddles, but mine gave no sign or warning, beyond a slight increase in creaking immediately before the complete free-fracture of both rails. My seatpost was not of the "rail-biter" type Brooks warns against, and was nicely radiused where the rails exited. Instead, I think the problem was largely due to hydrogen embrittlement at the time of chroming; failing to heat the newly-chromed pieces enough to release the hydrogen within a short time of chroming results in the hydrogen becoming an inclusion at the molecular level, leaving the steel brittle. The later models with powder-coated rails are immune to the problem, though it is still conceivable as a byproduct of the process used on models with copper-plated rails.
My saddle also had about 35,000 miles on it, so I am sure accumulated stress and fatigue were a major factor as well.
I do think there may have been an additional factor, and this can also cause noise in leather saddles -- Brooks saddles don't allow for much setback on frames with modern upright geometry, especially when coupled with short-setback seatposts. To get a good position with modern seatposts and upright geometry, most people shove their Brooks saddles back on the rails as far as they will go, cantilevering their weight over a large unsupported proportion of the rails. That is one reason I am especially grateful Thorn's sizing guide pointed out the need for a seatpost with extra-long "layback" (setback). The Zoom model I received fitted to my Sherpa puts me in just the right position while being nearly centered in the Brooks' rails, which should ease future stress on the (powdercoated) rails. This seatpost is available as a separate item from SJS Cycles and is listed in their online catalog.
Moral of the story: Not all leather saddle creaks and noises are benign, and if there is a sharp increase, it might be a really good idea to demount the saddle from the clamp for close inspection.
Best,
Dan.
