When working on old bikes I often come across saddles like the one below. They look worn-out, cheap, and have been in a strangers nether region. Taking these things into consideration usually discard them.
However in general these saddles are decently comfortable and not too heavy. This time around I thought I would attempt a restoration instead of chucking it. This would include disassembly, cleaning, and recovering it to remove the yuck factor and make the saddle presentable.
1. Removed the old cover and left the foam padding in tact
2. Measured the suede to the edge of the saddle and added a 10mm border for cementing
3. Cut out the pattern with pinking shears
4. Sprayed the backside of the suede and the foam with 3M Super77
5. Applied contact cement to inside edges of the saddle and the edges of the suede
6. Waited 15min for the cement to activate
7. Aligned the saddle stretched the suede cover from nose to rear
8. Stretched the sides down nice and tight
9. After insuring everything was aligned, folded the edges under the saddle, bonding them with the contact cement
10. Pushed out any wrinkles with a smooth handle of a screwdriver and evened out the folds with pliers
11. Let cure overnight
However in general these saddles are decently comfortable and not too heavy. This time around I thought I would attempt a restoration instead of chucking it. This would include disassembly, cleaning, and recovering it to remove the yuck factor and make the saddle presentable.
The old vinyl nightmare
Measuring and cutting the suede for the new cover
The finished product (won't be leaving this one out in the rain)
1. Removed the old cover and left the foam padding in tact
2. Measured the suede to the edge of the saddle and added a 10mm border for cementing
3. Cut out the pattern with pinking shears
4. Sprayed the backside of the suede and the foam with 3M Super77
5. Applied contact cement to inside edges of the saddle and the edges of the suede
6. Waited 15min for the cement to activate
7. Aligned the saddle stretched the suede cover from nose to rear
8. Stretched the sides down nice and tight
9. After insuring everything was aligned, folded the edges under the saddle, bonding them with the contact cement
10. Pushed out any wrinkles with a smooth handle of a screwdriver and evened out the folds with pliers
11. Let cure overnight
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