I've been informed offlist that the Sprinter in fact has been out quite a few months, and that acceptance has been so poor that well known US retailers have been offering them for $250, and that Wallingford, which seems to have been selling them, despite their not currently appearing on the website, has sold several on eBay, lightly used and returned under Wallingford's satisfaction guarantee, for as little as $150. So the $175 I cited is not really remarkable, although it is still a bargain for anyone who can actually be comfortable on a 133 mm wide saddle.
I am glad to see Brooks seeming to prosper under their new Italian owners, after they seemed in danger of going under a couple of times in recent years. And despite the price now verging on outrageous for the Ti models (Sprinter aside) I've come to believe that frames of leather saddles is actually one of the limited number of bicycle components for which titanium actually makes sense. The Ti models are very much lighter than steel, making the use of a real leather saddle much less of a weight penalty.
I was quite surprised, in reading the newest issue of Bicycle Quarterly, to learn that a 1947 Alex Singer reviewed was equiped with an original Ideale aluminum rail saddle. I had always assumed that the Ideale AL rail model were only introduced in the 70's. So the quest to lighten leather saddles in not new, but Ti seems a better solution than those Ideales that required a special seat clamp and, I've heard, were subject to cracking.
Meantime, there seems to be a bit of a reanissance in real leather saddles. I bought several of the Selle An-Atomica American made slotted leather saddles Rivendell sells, and so far I like it. One attraction was that they come in red, which looks nice on my red 50th Anniversary Limited Edition Paramount. One thing to be aware of though, the top model is called Titanico, but there is no titanium in it.
Yet another option is Persons, form the Persons-Majestic Company, a American saddle maker dating from the late 19th century. Currently run by Charlie Persons, a direct descendant of the founder. They offer several models, including two for lightweights:
http://www.permaco.com/
The model #77 Deluxe, at $58, is a clone of the Brooks B-17 Champion Special, copper rails and all. The Majestic, at $108, is a clone of the Swift, but with copper plated steel rails. I think maybe this was introduced before the Swift recently became available with steel rails. These saddles are both available in black, honey, brown, green and blue. The green is a very dark green, close to the Brooks BRG saddles, and the blue is a very dark navy. The blue appears black when you first remove it from the box, but side by side with a black saddle you can see the difference.
Persons was the importer of Brooks for several years, so Charlie knew very well exactly what he wanted to clone. I bought a green and and a blue #77 and green Majestic. The Majestic is a second. Charlie has several seconds in both models and is selling them for about half of retail. I just bought a couple of black #77 seconds. The Majestic second has very uneven color, almost a fade effect, but I ilke it, plus it is not as dark as the first quality green #77, which I also like. For the black #77 seconds, I honestly cannot tell what the defect is.
These Persons are made in India, and the finish is not quite to Brooks standards, although mostly only in that the texture and smoothness of the top side of the saddle is not as smooth and even as on Brooks. But the leather is every bit as thick as Brooks, and the copper plated rivets and rails look good. I plan to use one of the black #77's on the Schwinn Sports Tourer I'm currently rebuilding. Seems appropriate, as Persons is a legendary American saddle marque, and the current model are at least designed and sold by that company, even if they are made in India.
Regards,
Jerry Moos
Big Spring, Texas, USA