Reupholstering banana seats

[wyliek]

one the first things I notice on a bike is the seat i think its vital to a comfortable good looking bike

here is how I recover them with high quality materials that match the style and usage of the bike without unnecessary logos and a good avenue for creative freedom

these examples are troxel seats, they consist of stamped seat surface and a pan that is pressed on to hide the construction

remove the seat pan

rip the old covering off to bare metal and clean away rust and any old bits of foam...rust will prevent glue from sticking--which will lead to your seat falling apart

start off by cutting a piece of carpet padding to fit the flat plane of the seat (carpet pad is good and free - and its dense, made from assorted bits of recycled foam and plastic)

using Super 77 spray adhesive (or other spray RamTack etc) spray BOTH the top plane of the seat and the smooth side of the carpet pad

wait a few minutes for the spray to get tacky for the strongest joint

then cut the excess

using another larger piece of carpet pad cover the entire seat surface

cut the overlap

should look like this

we could cover the seat now, depending on the thickness of the covering

here is a wide pan troxel with plain carpet pad underneath, the leather is thick enough that the irregular surface of the carpet pad is unnoticeable

the ruff surface of the suede also helps to hide bumps and irregularities

 

[wyliek]

for this example we will add egg crate foam padding above that for a smooth surface under the thin leather

the egg crate can be used in 1 layer for a ridged seat -- for a smooth seat I would recommend interlocking 2 layers of egg crate

egg crate is good because it is also widely available in large pieces for cheap or free

this deer hide is very thin but it is soft and has a nice color

drape a piece over and cut a piece larger than it needs to be

it will make it easier to trim from a piece cut ruffly than trying to get an exact piece from a large hide or piece

for gluing the hide I prefer Barge cement...its smells horrible and will give you a headache VENTILATION this is very strong glue especially when gluing leather to itself

starting with one side with the piece clamped in place

then move - right side, left side work your way to the back in several steps, gluing 4 inches at a time

I do the front last as it will have the most folds

cut small triangles out in places where there will be folds.. this will take lots of practice to get right

 

[wyliek]

here is the finished product

bar clamp on the studs for a stable work base

remember when you work on a surface it is easy to destroy your upholstery with dirt scratches or holes

ready for a schwinn

 

[Fireproof]

That's very cool! Thanks for showing this. I've been wanting to cover a seat and have been wondering about the foam. Carpet padding did come to mind . . . I'll take this as conformation.

 

[Uncle Stretch]

That 3M spray glue also comes in a super 90 and it is a little stronger than the 77. I also use the yellow auto trim adhesive and have had good luck with it. I would suggest using those cheap throw away surgeon gloves . Somehow all that glue loves sticking fingers. :lol:

 

[sumnermclain]

soooo, i'm a little confused... are you only using the bottom pan with the mounting hardware or are you using both pieces? if so could you explain how the two fit together for me?

 

[M.Martian]

That 3M spray glue also comes in a super 90 and it is a little stronger than the 77. I also use the yellow auto trim adhesive and have had good luck with it. I would suggest using those cheap throw away surgeon gloves . Somehow all that glue loves sticking fingers. :lol:

The thing I always notice is that the hair on your arms is sort of glued together.

I just picked up a fair lady for my friend's daughter. It's in desperate need of a seat recover as it's already been recovered once many years ago and needs it again. Just gotta find something nice and flowery.

 

[B607]

Another kind of padding you might try is the blue foam. It is much more dense than the yellow foam. You can buy a piece in the sporting goods section at WalMart. It is sold to use as a pad under a sleeping bag for camping. I used a piece of thick padding on top of the blue foam. The coarse grey padding looked like it came from the inside of a car seat. Not sure where I got it but it worked. I finished my seat with leather pretty much like wyliek. Gary