Does any one out there have any ideas about whether it is possible to recover leather bicycle seats?
I am riding around on a pair of old french leather seats ( one at a time smart ass) while saving towards some english leather ie brooks ( damn exchange rate).
I was wondering how one would go about re covering the seat frames with new leather.
All the saddlemakers I know are dead.
any suggestions??
It probably doesn’t make economic sense to repair most common saddles, with the possible exception being Brooks type.
Remember great leather saddles like the San Marco Rolls or Regal can be gotten for under $80.00 if you know where to look.
Of course, if you specifically want that look, then… 
WOW $80. Your getting ripped off then! Pretty sure Rolls are only about 60$ max these days as they are now being reproduced…
I said ‘under $80’, anyhow where can you buy one for $60?
The cheapest I know is ProBikeKit
Doooo eeeeet
I didnt mean to sound nasty. 
Yes PBK 60$ + 10$ Postage.
In there catalogue it said AUD price was 50$ so hit them up about that and you have a Rolls for $60 posted, fo sure. :mrgreen:
That’s if PBK actually have STOCKwhen you want a thing :x
when i was in the states i got a new rolls off ebay for $30 when the dollar was good… now… online It’d be hard to get a new one for less than $80, in a bike store you’re looking at close to another $50-$70 on top of that
Thanks for the advice I had never heard of a Rolls before.
I do like that old fashion look with rivets and the leather flapping free.
When does anything about riding fixed wheel have anything to do with sense, economic or other wise?
To me part of the reason I ride fixed gear is a set of values and style that the lycra clad hoard of titanium framed click clackers who think the best is equal to money have no appreciation of .
To me it is about legs , heart and quality and therefore I would prefer to try and recover a second class old french saddle and produce a crappy saddle that no money could buy because it is unique ( unless you will buy it from me for the price of a brooks )
I am still interested in trying to recover this saddle which to me fits with rebuilding my 70’s steel frame and building my own wheels (Which were anything but round and eventually replaced by velocity) and riding fixed gear any way.
Prose from a man with too little coffee in the system.
Sorry but still looking for advice
Mick Peel does leather saddles.
Links off skin grows back I think.
E
Sorry, you lost me there… 
I know what you’re saying, but personally I’d just buy a new saddle.
I don’t know mate, there is plenty of lycra and money on the track. Don’t get me wrong though, I can appreciate the idea of form over function (though I would prefer both), however I don’t think your values are unique to riding fixed. Indeed, you might be better off with an old iron three speed.
I am still interested in trying to recover this saddle which to me fits with rebuilding my 70’s steel frame and building my own wheels (Which were anything but round and eventually replaced by velocity) and riding fixed gear any way.
If it is an old tensioned leather saddle in the Brooks style, then your chances of restoring it to a practical riding state are about as close to zero as you can get. If it is a cushioned/sprung saddle with a leather covering, get some leather offcuts from an upholsterer or ebay, and make a new covering.
I know a fellow who fitted a new homemade top on an old Brooks. It stretched a mile very quickly.
Not many Ideal saddles made it over here from France. I’m not a big fan of messing up rare old bike bits. Somebody might want exactly that saddle to finish off a restoration.
You can get replacement rivets and suchlike from Abbottsford Cycles but not replacement tops AFAIR.
got a rolls about a month back from probikekit. me and a mate bought one each, $62.50 landed. considering a bike shop quoted me $195 the week before i ordered.
as for brooks. ive got an old one with a bent frame, from getting knocked off my bike by a ute. not sure what to do with it, the frame digs into my arse cheek something shocking. only fit for hanging on a wall now…
Exactly. My street fixie is nothing special, but because it’s made with all non-standard parts it probably cost me more to build than a good geared commuter bike.
The notion that fixies are ‘cheap and cheerful’ is a myth
And when they are cheap, they’re awful (KHS Flite etc etc)
The work I’ve been doing with leather saddles has been in the form of reupholstering foam/gel padded one. I do have intentions of having a go at the Brooks style moulded hard leather variety but haven’t done any yet. To do this I imagine you would frst need to build a wooden last in the shape of the saddle to stretch and mould the leather over. Something like making a boot.
Check out the saddles I’ve done on my blog.
http://busymanbicycles.blogspot.com
Or if you want to do it on a larger scale:
A bit too much capital investment for one saddle, but that’s the idea. I was thinking more hand crafted, personalised… But could turn out completely crappy until the technique, materials etc are perfected.
I was thinking of making a plaster cast of the old seat and using that as a last for the new saddle. Doing a wet stretch like you do with gun holsters
Oh, like you do with gun holsters, I see
Hands up who has made a gun holster