Swiz

Erik from Gear Brisbane sold the first of my upcycled saddles a few days ago and I'm stoked! I had been preparing for the worst and bracing myself for disappointment. I have been slack about getting something on the blog and hadn't even checked the CD of photos my photographer friend Darran Childs-Brown had taken for me at The Crosstown Eating House recently. The saddle (I call it Blue Boy) has recycled padding reinforced with heat extreme temperature resistant and uneven surface conforming tape from venture tape. I've used a rare unprinted tennis racket cover in bright blue (maybe you can tell me which specific hue?). Above you can see the different phases of the upcyling process. I haven't taken detailed photos of the of the upholstery stage as my technique is rather messy at the moment (something for the future I think). Poor planning has meant that the saddle has some rough edges like the cheese cloth layer showing through underneath, and there's some slight p...

I am Swiz , aka Michael G Swifte. I like making lamps from found objects. I also like riding bikes and after joining the single speed craze I decided that I could apply my lamp approach to bike saddles. Learning to repair and reupholster has been challenging. I've found no experts or fonts of knowledge in the bike saddle area. Materials are hard to acquire and the work is painstaking and hard on the hands. I've tracked down a few key materials for reconditioning old and damaged saddles: short leg staples (6mm), extreme temperature resistant tape, and flexible fabric adhesive. I have a collection of tennis racket covers which are the ideal size for saddle covers. They have a fabric backing, sporty printed designs, and are fairly thin and flexible. I hope to move to a different staple gun with an even shorter leg staple (4mm). I've also acquired a hair dryer to soften vinyl while stretching. I haven't tried yet but hope it will allow me to get a better finish around the...