Hi Matt!
Looking closely at the auction photos in the link you provided, I don't see anything in this sort of scuff that would morph into a larger issue down the road. An outright tear or cracks radiating from the rivets, yes, but impact damage...no. It is possible for impact damage to crack the rear flange, but it generally doesn't hurt the leather much beyond cosmetic damage.
I would suggest avoiding the chrome-railed Brooks saddles, especially if buying used. Though a rare problem across the mass of saddles produced, they can be more subject to breakage and a small number do break outright and without warning.
Some of the rails were not sufficiently heat-normalized (baked at sufficiently high temps to outgas the hydrogen that goes into solution:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrogen_embrittlement) after plating and suffer from hydrogen-embrittlement that makes the rails subject to breakage, even with a Brooks-recommended seatpost clamp (avoid the "rail-biter" kind of clamp). I've gone through a couple. The copper-plated or black powder-coated ones avoid the problem entirely. Photo/story on one of mine that broke here:
http://www.thorncycles.co.uk/forums/index.php?topic=2294.msg16209#msg16209I concur with our fellows on generally avoiding used/well broken-in, but in this case, the auction photos show no concavities have formed and the saddle does indeed look as if it had been ridden only briefly.
I've a couple used Brooks B.17s in very good condition I will be putting in eBay (people really like the ones I've re-riveted with the Brooks Pro's larger hammered copper rivets in place of the B.17 Standard's plated sheet-steel rivets that can rust) -- because I prefer them largely
unbroken-in*. People buy them 'cos they don't want to break them in themselves! Hmm...Dan's Saddle Break-In Service™. The trouble is -- just as others observed above -- though lightly broken-in, these saddles reflect where
my sit-bones go, those dents might not match someone else's and worse -- also as mentioned -- the existing hollows can "guide" the next person's sit-bones rather than forming to them, leading to a squirmy, uncomfortable experience. Very much indeed like trying to walk in someone else's shoes.
I've had a number of B.17 Standard saddles, and (so long as they haven't been sun-baked for ages in a shop window display case) have always found them comfortable from the get-go and fully "broken-in" to my purposes within about 300 miles. All I do to treat them is place an initial light coat of Proofide on the top and another on the bottom and let it sit overnight in a warm room. Next morning before riding, I polish off all the excess on top with a soft cotton towel, then ride. After about the third ride, I very lightly recoat the top again and then polish it off after a day. That's it for the Proofide; overdoing it can lead to premature stretching. Perhaps once every 18 months or so, I'll re-apply the lightest possible coat...just a thin smear to keep the saddle "fed". Of course, I cover the saddle in rain so it is never wet or soaked, and that helps extend saddle life greatly. My former neighbor used to de-tension old, used Brooks and Ideale saddles and then re-form them with wads of newspaper and old toe straps on drying after soaking them overnight in a bucket of water. He was happy with the result and they looked much better than I would have thought possible after such treatment.
*The reason I replace my saddles when they have "broken-in too much" is I find the center ridge that sometimes develops is painful to my tender bits; put delicately, it causes some abrasions and it is this downside that caused Jobst Brandt to label tensioned leather saddles as um, "hatchets";
some (not all) do become rather pointed along the midline axis. Tightening the tension bolt makes it worse. I've looked at a lot of saddles and this doesn't happen to every person, nor with every saddle. A Brooks is handmade from natural products (leather) and cuts vary in thickness and the amount of scar tissue incurred by the animal as well as the tanning process. I had one saddle with a hefty barb-wire scar that broke-in a bit diagonally, since that scar was less elastic. I had one saddle that was way,
way too slack for my needs and was essentially worn out for my purposes in only 300 miles. It was a thin cut and just too elastic; the fellow I sold it on to thought he'd found Brooks Nirvana -- most comfortable one he'd ever tried and he won't give it up, old though it now is. I also own a beautiful honey B.17 Champion Special that is so thick and resistant I've not managed to put a bottom-dent in it yet; almost too much of a good thing!
The point is, people vary and so do the saddles, by cut of leather, but how they're wet-stamped and formed, but how evenly they're riveted (a crooked saddle causes me back problems every time). This is why
I prefer to either hand-select my Brooks saddles or get them from a source with generous return privileges so I can return ones that don't suit after my own hand inspection. An acquaintance of mine, Bill Laine, runs Wallingford Bike Parts down in N'Orlins (as folks there say it; I know him from his Seattle days years ago and introduced him to Gilles Berthoud's product line; Bill is now the US distributor for GB and they became friends). He's a nice fellow, yes, but his is the only shop I know that allows a 6-month unconditional guarantee on all new Brooks saddles he sells. It is a remarkable offer. Like Thorn, he is basically self-insuring and has enough happy customers to make up for the small number of returns (which he also resells at good prices without the return privilege). That should tell you something about the success rate of Brooks saddles for the bulk of customers. See:
http://www.wallbike.com/brand/brooks With the cost of outgoing and return shipping, it makes far more sense for UK and European buyers to purchase closer to home, but Bill's policy illustrates generally high satisfaction for those choosing a Brooks saddle.
Probably the best deal in the world on Brooks saddles comes from Thorn with the purchase of a new bicycle. Buy a saddle, get a Thorn for free! Well, not quite, but Thorn's bulk-purchase prices and passing on their OEM discount is a tremendous opportunity for anyone thinking of trying a Brooks. At the prices offered, if it doesn't work, you'll never lose money on the deal. A most "powaful" (yes, Andre, I remember the RBT days and your unforgettable recounting of an interview with Idi) incentive for a Thorn!
Hope this helps, Matt. I really don't think you'll have a problem after splashing out for a Brooks, particularly if you choose a model suited for your style of riding, get the setup/angle right, and treat it appropriately to initially soften and feed the leather by some means or other (Andre is a proponent of the Neetsfoot method, I favor Proofide, Lon Haldeman favored 10W-40 motor oil; like the helmet issue, whatever works for you).
Best,
Dan. (B.17 Connoisseur)
