Road Cycling - Breaking in the saddle

Is there anything else on top of riding my bike that I can do to quicken the softening of the saddle? Like tightly tieing an ass shaped device on the saddle over night:
2 miniature monkey skulls
2 balled up chicken breasts
2 leg weights

What about beating it with a stick like a drum.

or saddle shiatsu

or what about heat treatment, some kind of oil...

I hear alot of professionals hand their saddles to their amateur cyclist friends to break them in. I don't have any friends that admire me that much and that's probably a good thing.

I'd appreciate constructive feedback even though it might not seem that way.
Neil

What kind of saddle? Unless it's a Brooks usually your ass needs more breaking in then the saddle does.

What kind of saddle? Unless it's a Brooks usually your ass needs more breaking in then the saddle does.

It came with a 2002 Bianchi Campione:
Selle Italia Tri-Matic 2

It came with a 2002 Bianchi Campione:
Selle Italia Tri-Matic 2
Being a plastic saddle, I doubt there's much you can do. I've never found plastic saddles to get any better than they are from new - occasionally my backside will get used to them, but mostly they're just as painful after months as they were the first time I used them.

A leather saddle (e.g. Brooks) will break in by gradually molding itself to your sit bones. Even on the stiff ones (e.g. Brooks Team Professional), this usually only takes about 100 miles. Plastic saddles are pretty darn set in their ways - your backside might gradually get used to it, or it may just be the wrong saddle for you.

New bikes hardly ever comes with a seat you will like.Most the time you have to pain for the gain.Few hundred miles.

Are you sure it's a plastic saddle? I've read a bit since I posted here & there's no mention of this being a plastic saddle. It has a nylon base.

I've only ridden for 20 miles since purchase (it's not enough to break it in) and with the weather in NYC I don't know when I'll ride. I want to work with what I have now since I'm broke. During my first ride with the saddle I had some perineum soreness & numbness. At my LBS they said I had to break in the saddle & now I'm here trying to figure this saddle question. I'd hate to suffer through dozens of future rides only to realize that the saddle will not break & I acquire some lower member defect. If I have no other options then I'll credit purchase a new better saddle.

When they say plastic saddle, I Think most people mean a saddle made out of synthetic material. A leather saddle stretches, while synthetics will stretch while you are in them but retain their original shape afterwards. Saddles are one of the most personal items you will ever get on you're bike. What I like you will not necessarily like. Also could be the saddle position it might need to be adjusted slightly. Even 1cm can make a big difference, forward backwards.. up..down .. tiping it forward or backwards..

Kev's right - I should have explained better. A bit of saddle adjustment might do the trick to take the pressure off the wrong bits, but it may just not fit.

It's probably worth putting in a few rides on the saddle before replacing it, as 20 miles is not nearly enough for your backside to adjust. If you go for too long between rides (more than a couple of weeks) you might also find that the first ride back creates a bit of soreness as the muscles adjust again.

That being said, i've still never had a saddle with a synthetic base actually "break in" - that is, they never actually change shape to fit the sit bones like a leather saddle will. If you need to replace it, go to the bike shop and see if they'll let you mount some different saddles to your bike and take them for a ride outside (or possibly on the trainer). You may have to try quite a few before you find one that fits you.

Or just buy a leather saddle and break it in to fit you... :)

During my first ride with the saddle I had some perineum soreness & numbness. At my LBS they said I had to break in the saddle & now I'm here trying to figure this saddle question.

That's a very odd response from your LBS.

Either way what you have to do is fairly straightforward, but not as easy as it sounds.

1) Rule out whether it's a bicycle fit/saddle positioning issue.

Sitting too far forward on an otherwise comfortable saddle could be causing that. This can be caused by having too long of a reach to your handlebars or any number of things. Having the seat angle too far forward (or not back enough) could also do it.

2) If you're sure it's not the fit/positioning, you need to shop for a new saddle.

They're not really that expensive. Selle Italia Flites (classic) can be had for around $50 and seem to fit a lot of people. You can branch into one of the others with splits and gels and stuff for ten or twenty bucks more. But if you're not used to being on a bike (i.e. if your butt is not broken in) you're never going to find a saddle you like.