Re-skined Flite saddle

[zap]

Trying new saddles can be a pain and sometimes sticking with a tried and true model is best.

So I kept Zips Flite Carbon saddle with worn through leather for a number of years. New Flite saddles are different enough so that they don't work well on some of Zips bikes. So recently I took the saddle to some leather shop to find out how much they would charge to recover the saddle. Fellow looks at it and says buy a new saddle. I say, they don't make it like that any more. Fellow looks at it some more and explains why he can't do it and tells my again to buy a new saddle. Fine, I leave figuring the fellow just didn't want the job.

Week later we purchase a big piece of fine hide at a fabric store. One afternoon I cut a piece needed for the project and start figuring out how to clamp the leather in this place and that in order to shape the skin. I looked at the resulting rig and figured that there has to be an easier way to do this.

In a Zen moment I grab my pot of tubular glue, brush it on the foam padding and the back side of the hide and begin stretching the leather over the saddle by hand. Easy and so far everything looks good. I brush tubular glue on the bottom edge of the saddle where the leather tucks around and voila.

[Bittersweet]

That is fabulous. I struggled to find a classic white Flite Gel for my new project and was starting a bit of a freakout regarding my other white classics as they age further and begin to look tatty. What is your tubby glue of choice? Any issue with the foam pulling up when you removed your old leather cover? Again, great job.

[zap]

Mastik, but any tubular glue will work.

The original leather is glued around the leading edge of the shell. Pull the leather off along the edge of the saddle shell first, then carefully separate from the foam padding. It's held in place on the foam by some tacky adhesive. On this one, there was a bit of glue in some spots were the foam ends, so one has to be careful not to tear the foam along the leading edge when pulling off the old skin.

[William]

Nice!

Does the fabric come in leopard spots? ;)



William

[Tailwinds]

Very industrious, Zap -- thanks for sharing! Your saddle looks great.

[Kevan]

Keep us informed how well it behaves this season.

[Peter P.]

I'm jealous you did such a good job!

I had to read your post closely to figure out you managed to leave the existing foam intact. I suppose that's the key in being able to keep the old saddle for I wouldn't know where to purchase saddle compatible foam.

But this brings up a new idea; if you can just lay new leather on existing leather, presuming the existing saddle has no damage, then you could make custom colored saddles by purchasing the right piece of leather.

I always thought a color coordinated saddle was the finishing touch of style.

[cmg]

please post a photo of the underside. i'm kind of curious of how you handled the edge fold. end result looks good. leather shop probably couldn't make enough profit to make the job worth while. looks like the beginning of a new internet service...............

[labratmatt]

Zap,

Any update on how the saddle is holding up?

I'm looking to recover my old Flite and would like to know if you (or anyone else) have any comments. Thanks.

Matt

[dvs cycles]

I only used the Flite Ti For years and found that the saddle became sway-back well before the cover wore out.
Recovering wouldn't help that at all.

[vaxn8r]

I only used the Flite Ti For years and found that the saddle became sway-back well before the cover wore out.
Recovering wouldn't help that at all.
Just what I was thinking. Once they start sagging I need a new one because they just don't feel right. I love a new Flite.

[zap]

The new leather is holding up well and still fixed in place, no signs of wear but mileage is still low at around 500 tandem miles. The original Selle Italia leather didn't hold up as well (about one year) on this carbon railed model as other Flites. I suspect this new skin, which is very supple, will last longer than the original.

I agree, if your saddle sags, toss it.

[TimB]

I was just thinking of asking about this on my ride to work this morning. My old saddle just isn't comfortable any more - leather is good, but no amount of tweaking is working to make it better. It just no longer feels right, and it's obvious by comparing it to an new saddle of the same model that its profile has changed.

Time to toss it and install the replacement I bought several months ago!

[djg]

It looks great. Sounds pretty easy so I might try it myself with an Aliante that's showing some wear. Did you try a shoe repair guy? They tend to do all sorts of minor and major repairs without charging a fortune.

[pdonk]

The death of flites must be a seasonal thing. Here is a thread on another board that goes so far as to replace the foam.

http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=361939

[guyintense]

Hey zap, I've been recovering my saddles for years but I don't use contact cement. I bought a bottle of Leather Weld when I bought the pigskin from Tandy. It looks and smells just like plain old white Elmers glue but it cost a lot more so it must be better.

[Too Tall]

You guys have SKILLS with a capitol S. Am most impressed esp. from the standpoint of keeping your fav. saddles in play with some creative hard work and that has nothing to do with being "green" if you know what I mean ;)

Good on yah

[zap]

Looks great. Takes skill to work that back notch.

I might try some specific leather tack/bonding material in the future. I was thinking about buying some tack spray but I have this pot of Mastik in the house that needs to be used.

With the original Selle Italia install, it looked like they used tack spray on the foam and contact cement around the bottom edge to secure the leather.

By the way, the pictured Selle Italia saddle weighs 150g.

[d_douglas]

In an effort to not tear the foam on a Flite, could you just simply put a think layer of leather over top of the existing leather (which is in good shape)? I NEED a white saddle for my new ride so this would mean white leather over black leather, mixing with alot of butt sweat - bad idea?

Alternative is to buy a new Flite transam OR a Regal. These are probably both better ideas, right?

[cmg]

curious to know how the Aliante is holding up.

[johnnymossville]

Very nice job guys. I love seeing this kind of stuff being done.

[Kurt]

I rode a flite for 8 years, there are far better replacements these days. I use a toupe 143 gel and its the same shape and far more comfortable than the flite ever was - for me at least. and for a modern bike I think it looks better. i have also heard that some of the smp/strikes fit the same.

[guyintense]

curious to know how the Aliante is holding up.

Dang I had no idea it's been over a year since posting those photos! Tempus fugit.
Anyway the saddle looks pretty much the same. The lady at the leather store told me goatskin is one of the most durable leather there is, she was right. I do apply a little proofide from time to time.

[93legendti]

Wow. My Zaidah could do things like that, but he had old world skills and has been gone almost 30 years. VERY impressive.