Recovering Saddle

[John B.]

I've got a saddle that is very comfortable but has a sort of
artificial suede cover that I don't believe is going to last long if
the seat is used very much.

I can buy a "seat cover" with draw strings to tighten it up but I am
looking for a more permanent solution... and one that doesn't look so
muck like a kludge, if truth be told.

I've seen a number of "re-cover your saddle" articles on the web and
it looks pretty straight forward but has anyone actually done this?
And if so are there any things that are a bit tricky that one needs to
take into consideration?
--
Cheers,

John B.

[Sir Ridesalot]

Hi Jon.

I've recovered a few saddles where the covering had been scuffed or torn pretty badly.

I use leather and either contact cememt or gel cyanoacrylic glue to fasten the leather to the saddle. I fasten the leater on the inside of the saddle only so that over the top can stretch and give if it needs to.

Here are three images of my recovered red leather Vetta saddle that ws originall covered with white leather. Plus here's one image of the recovered saddle on a bike. Btw, the leather I used on this saddle was taken from a thrift store bought ladies red leather miniskirt I got for $3.95 Canadian.

[url=https://flic.kr/p/6LxfvX][img]https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2542/3785806969_2a0e06ab24_o.jpg[/img][/url][url=https://flic.kr/p/6LxfvX]Recovered Vetta Saddle = Side[/url] by [url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/73832500@N00/]Miele Man[/url], on Flickr

[url=https://flic.kr/p/6LxfvP][img]https://c1.staticflickr.com/4/3426/3785806961_2c406980fe_o.jpg[/img][/url][url=https://flic.kr/p/6LxfvP]Recovered Vetta Saddle = Rear[/url] by [url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/73832500@N00/]Miele Man[/url], on Flickr

[url=https://flic.kr/p/6LxfvF][img]https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2612/3785806953_5f4150c88b_o.jpg[/img][/url][url=https://flic.kr/p/6LxfvF]Recovered Vetta Saddle = Front[/url] by [url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/73832500@N00/]Miele Man[/url], on Flickr

On the bike.

[url=https://flic.kr/p/6EXZs1][img]https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2533/3722735104_b1d6b65a2f_o.jpg[/img][/url][url=https://flic.kr/p/6EXZs1]Miele Uno #01a[/url] by [url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/73832500@N00/]Miele Man[/url], on Flickr

I put the leather on the saddle bu gluing the leather along one INSIDE edge of the saddle and then stretching the leather over to the opposite side and gluing it along that inside edge. If need I use small spring steel clamps I get at the dollar store. They may leave indents in the padding of the saddle but those disappear after a few days of use or after being removed from the saddl. I do NOT remove the saddle rails whilst recovering the saddle alsthough if that could be done easily and the rails reattached easily it'd allow one to better use staples as a secondary retionion of the leater. Another thing you could do is glue the leather to the saddle and then stich it along the siides just above the lower edge of the saddle for more strength.

I'll answer any other questions you might have on my technique if you have any.

Cheers

[Frank Krygowski]

I did it once, long ago. Actually, I was customizing a hard plastic bodied
saddle. I drilled a few holes in the places my sit-bones hit to give it some
more flex, and built up cushioning lumps using RTV silicon. Then I stretched and
glued a new leather cover over the saddle. IIRC, I used contact cement.

It wasn't difficult, and it worked very well. The saddle's still good, although
I haven't been using it for quite a while.

- Frank Krygowski

[John B.]

I can't seem to access the flickr pics but I get the idea from your
descriptions. The best "how to do it" article I found describes gluing
the cover to the top of the seat in one operation and then in a
subsequent operation folding the edges overt and gluing them on the
seat bottom. It suggested using auto head liner glue which is, I
think, a spray contact cement.

You seem to be suggesting just the opposite, gluing the edges and than
stretching it over the seat which would leave most of the top of the
seat with the covering unglued..

I like your method better as I think it would be easier to get a
smooth fit rather than gluing the whole thing down in one go.

Is there any tendency for the unglued portion to wrinkle in use?
--
Cheers,

John B.

[John B.]

Do you remember any problem in laying the covering smoothly over the
contact cement.
--
Cheers,

John B.

[Sir Ridesalot]

Hi again John.

The two great things about not gluing the entire cover to the old saddle are #1 it's a lot easier to stretch the leather and #2 you have lots of time to do that. what I did was glue the leather to one side on the inside of the old saddle shell and let that cure. I do find that cyanoacrylic glue is a lot faster but you don't have the same working time as you do with a good quality contact adhesive/cement. Plus you have to be more careful. With a contact cement you can glue that one side and when cured you can then stretch the new leather (or vinyl) cover over to the oppsite side and mark on the inside of the leather where the contact cement needs to go. Then you apply the contact cememt to the leather and to the inside of the saddle shell and then take your time stretching the leather over the shell. With contact cement you can in need to pull the leather away from the shell if there's a wrinkle and then stretch the leather both side to side and lengthwise to eliminate any wrinkling. I found the thin leather I used could stretch a fair bit in either direction. I also found that if the new leather covering was stretched moderately that it did not wrinkle in use. If concerned about the contact cemented edges coming loose you can then stich the leather to the bottom sides of the saddle shell by drilling small holes through the leather and saddle shell and then stiching the leather to the shell too.

Cheers

[John B.]

In the article I read the author had used staples to make sure that
the edges, folded up under the bottom of the seat and glued, did not
come loose, which sounded like a good idea. I had thought that they
might be special staples but he mentions buying the short ones needed
in a business supply shop. I thought I'd look into that also.
--
Cheers,

John B.

[Sir Ridesalot]

Staples will work IF #1 they are strong enough to penetrate into the saddle shell and #2 you can getthe stapler to where you need to do the staplind and that can be very hard to do with the saddle rails in place.

Good luck and cheers

[Sir Ridesalot]

Hi John.

Sorry aboutthat. I used the wrong sharing thing. The ones i used are for embedding images in posts. Here's links to the images and these links should work for you.

https://flic.kr/p/6LxfvX

https://flic.kr/p/6LxfvP

https://flic.kr/p/6LxfvF

https://flic.kr/p/6EXZs1

Cheers

[DATAKOLL MARINE RESEARCH]

nnnnnnn throw it away

materials have advanced

treat urbutt

goo.gl/gFsZZw

repaired Spec saddles with Shoe Goo UV REC ...this process can go on ideafintely unique in that this is one of the few uses for Shoe Goo

but new generation materials saddles are a major improvement in comfort n durability.

[DATAKOLL MARINE RESEARCH]

oh with shoe goo or using contact cement n nylon or polyester place a plastic grocery bag over saddle n tie on with bag handles....is like a chamois flexible interlude.

[DATAKOLL MARINE RESEARCH]

On Saturday, January 21, 2017 at 9:23:14 AM UTC-5, DATAKOLL MARINE RESEARCH wrote:
> oh with shoe goo or using contact cement n nylon or polyester place a plastic grocery bag over saddle n tie on with bag handles....is like a chamois flexible interlude.

the shoe goo idea is filler, eg saddle Bondo, on a hard saddle

[Frank Krygowski]

I don't remember any problem, but at this point I can't recall the exact
technique I used. The result was/is quite smooth, no wrinkles.

--
- Frank Krygowski

[John B.]

I always have a bit of trouble with contact cement as it sticks on
contact :-) and I'm for ever trying to wrench things apart that stuck
together just a tiny bit out of alignment.
--
Cheers,

John B.

[John B.]

On Sat, 21 Jan 2017 05:13:26 -0800 (PST), Sir Ridesalot

Thanks. A really nice looking bike.
--
Cheers,

John B.

[AMuzi]

Shoe repair and leather shops use an almost-magic cement
called Barge Cement. If you can't find it you could bring
your saddle and cover to a shoe repair shop.

--
Andrew Muzi
<www.yellowjersey.org/>
Open every day since 1 April, 1971

[John B.]

I don't believe that we have shoe repair shops here any more. Forty
years ago there were shops that made shoes right there on the premises
but they are all gone and "shoe shops" now sell shoes made in China.

We do have those "shoe repair counters" in the corner of super markets
though, that glue on rubber soles and so on and the next time I'm down
that way I'll have a look at what they use.

For fixing athletic shoes that start to come apart I have used "Pattex
Multipurpose Cement", sold by Home Pro, which works well. It is the
typical contact cement - coat both parts, let dry, press together.

--
Cheers,

John B.

[Frank Krygowski]

For exactly that same repair, two days ago I used a product called Shoe
Goo. Also used it to repair a split in my hiking boots maybe a month
ago. It seems to be working well.


--
- Frank Krygowski

[sloc...@geemail.invalid]

rOn Sun, 22 Jan 2017 21:49:48 -0500, Frank Krygowski

I was actually looking for Shoe Goo but Home Pro didn't seem to carry
it so I bought the Pattex, which comes in a tube that looks much like
Shoe Goo.

And seems to work about the same :-)
--,
Cheers,

John B.

[DATAKOLL MARINE RESEARCH]

Use a cut from poly jug as a Bondo-like scraper then set the object down so the Goo settles onto the repaired area ...thus done Shoe Goo is self leveling !#!#

if I step the saddle's container will try a photo.

[Phil Lee]

Frank Krygowski <frkr...@sbcglobal.net> considered Sat, 21 Jan 2017

The traditional way to stretch leather into a compound curve is to do
it wet, clamp or clip it in place while it dries, then remove it and
apply glue to it and the surface you want to fit it too, then simply
roll it into place from the middle outwards. Leave a few days for
everything to dry right out and cure, then apply whatever waxes or
oils you prefer for keeping the leather supple.

I've only ever done it once, but it worked for me.
It is not a fast process, although hand-working traditional materials
rarely is!