A Material Issue

April 12, 2009 3:31 PM

What is the fabric I'm looking for? I would like to make some waterproof bicycle seat covers for myself and my otherwise damp-bottomed friends... but I don't know which fabric will fit all the requirements, detailed within.

On a recently concluded trip to Denmark and Sweden, I saw a lot of bikes, sitting around the train stations especially, that had thin stretchy fabricky saddle covers. Often these would be branded with heiniken or some bank name or other that made me think they were just a cheap giveaway thing from festivals or so. The closest thing the internet can provide to it is this . I want one. And I know a few of my friends would want one. A few inquries at bikeshops there were not productive, so I left scandinavia without them. very sad.
But they should be easy enough to make, provided I can find the right fabric. In my mind, the fabric should be light, waterproof and a wee bit stretchy, so I can just sew in elastic on the underside and not use a drawstring for a tight fit. I've seen some instructables, using oilcloth but the results were unattractive and bulky over the sides.
The china topwin site I linked to claims theirs are made of PVC. Is that what I want? is that stretchy enough? or is there some wonderful magic fabric that I could buy a couple yards of that will be more ideal for this project?

posted by Cold Lurkey to sports, hobbies, & recreation (12 comments total)

That fabric doesn't look all that stretchy. The elasticized gathering at the bottom fits snugly because of the gathers and the elastic, and the way the pieces are sewn together. Find a thin waterproof cloth, measure twice, cut once, and see how it works.
posted by maudlin at 4:06 PM on April 12

I used to have a seat cover like this one.

It was made of lycra.
posted by orme at 4:10 PM on April 12

you could buy these ones. if you have a certain kind of whimsy.

this one is made of vinyl, which is what i came in to suggest.

there's various vinyls here. you can probably get elastic through them too.
posted by misanthropicsarah at 4:39 PM on April 12

I'd probably go with silicone-impregnated nylon, although I've been thinking about getting a roll of Tyvek to experiment with making bicycle covers and such.
posted by hades at 5:09 PM on April 12

Whatever fabric you use, treat it with Scotch Guard or something for extra protection.
posted by radioamy at 5:27 PM on April 12

I cloth diapered my son and your links look a lot like (if not exactly like) the thin, stretchy, waterproof knit called PUL that his diaper covers were made of (PUL stands for polyurethane laminated). I have sewed with it, as well, to make waterproof training pants for him (recently) and it is light, waterproof, stretchy, easy to work with and comes in a million colors.

One yard is typically 58" wide and so it would go a long way. Also, it wads down into a very small package, so it would be good to stuff in a pack or pocket after pulling it off your seat. It has a shiny, waterproof side that would face in towards the seat and a matte knit side that would face out. To make the trainers I've made I have, indeed, just sewn elastic into it at the legs and waist after layering it with cotton the inside.

In fact, after reading your ask and having extra PUL around, I think I will make something like your links for my bike seat!
posted by rumposinc at 5:28 PM on April 12

P.S. PUL can also be hot washed and regular dried in the machine, and take a great deal of abuse (and my PUL diaper covers have seen a lot of abuse). So that may be attractive as well.
posted by rumposinc at 5:30 PM on April 12

Awesome stuff rumposinc... I think that's exactly what I need. I was thinking to offer the best answer-er a saddle cover once I make them, given that a yard would likely make 8 covers, but that seemed like too much of a come-on. So, if you don't get around to making your own, let me know.

misanthro-sarah, those are some nice vinyls, although I'd worry about my sewing machine having a heartattack. Grommits and drawstrings perhaps? I could sew wittle ears on too, although I worry that the more conspicuous the thing is, the more likely that it will be stolen. damn american thievery.
posted by Cold Lurkey at 5:47 PM on April 12

You're super-nice Cold Lurkey--I'm just glad to get this idea as I'm always casting around ideas for PUL. Looking at those covers, I think I would try using fold-over elastic (FOE) for the cinchy, elastic part. FOE is wide elastic that folds in the middle, you sandwich your edge to be elasticized between the FOE (like you would do with bias tape) and sew it on, stretching it as you go, with a wide zig-zag stitch. It finishes the edge and elasticizes it at the same time. It's a wee bit fiddly, but works better than most other methods with PUL. Plus, it also comes in a bunch of colors, so you could get all crazy.

I think these would go together fast and easy, and be way awesome. Let me know how you work it--I'll do the same. :)
posted by rumposinc at 6:20 PM on April 12

My raincoat came in a little bag made out of the same fabric as the raincoat (with a grommit/drawstring). I just checked to see if it fits over my saddle, which it does, so I think I will start using that. Thanks for the great idea!

A slightly less exciting option is a plastic bag.
posted by a womble is an active kind of sloth at 7:23 PM on April 12

Are those seat covers for riding or just for keeping the seat dry when it's parked on a rainy day? The ones you linked to don't look like they could stand up to riding without falling apart so I assume it is for the latter. Try a shower cap?
posted by JJ86 at 8:50 PM on April 12 [1 favorite]

If your main goal is to just keep your saddle dry when you're not on it, I'll second the shower cap. I used one happily for years.
posted by PatoPata at 6:03 AM on April 13