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Steve's Spearmint Showercap Saddle Saver - Silly Solution?

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steve216c:
Hey guys,

Not sure if this was a moment of genius, madness or just answering a question nobody else was asking. But with the changeable weather the last few days I was getting annoyed in either forgetting something to cover my saddle when parked up, or if I had covered saddle, I invariably had a wet cover with nowhere to put it.

I often hang on to chewing gum (or similar) small pots as these are good to keep screws, spoke nipples and other pesky easy to lose bike spares in some kind of order in the shed. And then the light went on... How much fun could I have with an empty spearmint pot, an unused shower cap (borrowed from a hotel) and a couple of cable ties?

It is pretty straightforward. Empty out remaining gum. Advertise for Wrigleys or pull of the stickers. make a couple of holes each side of box to thread the cable ties through. Fix to bike saddle, to your carrier or handlebars or any part of bike you prefer. Put shower cap in the box. Then ride and forget until the next time you need to cover that saddle. Rain expected- pop the lid, pull the cap over and return to a minty fresh dry saddle next time you ride  ::) ;D

Of course, you can use a plastic bag or even a nylons seat cover. String, wire or duct tape could be used instead of the cable ties. Perhaps a reflective sticker for the lid, or attaching a small blinkie would improve? Answers on a postcard to the usual address  ;)

Happy long weekend!
Steve

Danneaux:
This is a really nice idea, Steve, and beautifully illustrated as a tutorial. Well done!  :)

If I may add one suggestion, it would be to drill some more holes in the box so moist air can easily escape when the cover is stored wet or damp. It wont matter so much with a plastic shower cap, but might if the cover were made of another material.
=====
I added a little clip to the cord of my Brooks coated nylon saddle cover. I fold and roll the cover, loosen the cordlock to slip over the roll, then tighten to keep it folded, then snap the clip to one of the bag loops on my saddle, tucking the roll atop the seatpost clamp. All stays snugly in place and is loss-proof, ready to use when I stop in the rain.

Best,

Dan.

martinf:
A good solution.

My own is much lazier.

After the ban on throwaway plastic bags came into force in France (and probably the rest of the European Union), the local butcher's shop introduced slightly thicker reusable plastic bags.

These are just the right size to go over a saddle. I add a piece of nylon cord through the handles, so that I can tie the bag around the seat post in order to resist the wind we frequently have here in Brittany. These plastic bags don't last for ever, but are strong enough to do a few weeks service.

steve216c:
Hi Martin, I’d been on the plastic bag solution for a while using the thin supermarket bags from weigh your own fruit when not reused for sandwich bags for the kids. But although these work on saddle too, they are not the strongest.
My new office location doesn’t have dry bike rack parking and my first 10 days at new location have seen 2 plastic bags used and binned already. A waterproof  cover will probably be purchased at some point but the shower cap seems more robust than plastic bag, and the elastic seemed to hold well on 2 wet and windy days even when inflating with gusts of wind.

With my non leather saddles I have given up on covering from the elements. Just wipe dry with bike jacket sleeve or Kleenex if handy and ride. But more worried about keeping the Brooks dry if exposed for a long day to the elements unprotected.

With the chewing gum pot, I don’t need to worry about getting inside of my Ortlieb waterproof bag wet when putting wet cover away.

leftpoole:
Brooks saddle covers come with attached Velcro strap to retain on saddle rails. Why not buy one yourselves?
Looking much nicer that a chewing gum box. But I guess those who care not about actual appearance....These pack down into a small bundle and velcro to your seatpost, whip them out when the weather turns bad.

Brooks says...
Rain Cover protects your Leather Saddle from moisture. If a wet saddle is ridden not only the colour may stain your clothing, but the leather top may easily deform.

The Rain Cover is available in 2 sizes.

MEDIUM
for all road, mtb, trekking and touring saddles (Team Pro, B17,...)

LARGE/XL
for all city, transport and heavy duty saddles (B66, B33,...)

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