Your choice for the *best* waterproof saddle cover?

[Danneaux]

...French...shower caps...

This is not a bad idea, and most welcome!  

When I was a student at uni, the campus bookstore offered heavy-duty double-walled, string-tied plastic sacks to haul away one's newly-purchased books (this was in the days when one could actually afford enough textbooks to fill said bag.  Now...).  They were perfect for use as saddle covers, and if they began to get a little ragged, well, there was still a second layer to go before the saddle took a shower.  The string tied 'em tight to the seatpost below the saddle and made them secure against anything short of a Force Five gale.  Alas, those sacks are no more, but the basic practicality goes on in the form of the shower caps you mentioned.  In the spirit of double-use efficiency, might they also work as sit-pads on damp or wet benches and such while on tour?

I've got to get this saddle-cover-thing resolved.  So far, over the last 30-odd years, I have managed to keep my Brooks saddles from getting wet while my tour companions have not. There is little as depressing as a perfectly good Brooks ridden wet to the point where it resembles a loose hammock by the end of the day, never to recover.  They just look so sad, as if casting accusatory glances at their tormentors.  I think the road to salvation for me lies in revving-up that horrible sewing machine (it chews thread, rather than lock-stitching it, no matter how I adjust the tension or curse its origins) and whip up a captive little stuff sack and engineer a small plastic clip to hold it to the saddle rails so I can try the wad 'n' stuff approach to storage and deployment.  Trying to roll-up the JandD using my chest as a table in a wind-driven rain while leaning over the saddle like a mother sparrow shielding a nestful of chicks from a squadron of circling hawks is not working.  I need to deploy-and-go or stow-and-go, anything but this practice of origami while under fire.  I think there's enough of the JannD to serve as the basis for more experimentation.  Probably best to make some sort of mesh sack to allow the cover to dry naturally and so prevent mildew rather than make it waterproof; that's the cover's job.

Or, I could just use a French shower cap, which is looking better and better!  

Thanks for the suggestion,

Dan.

[Danneaux]

...The best ones have lace around the elastic...

Ooh!  (or perhaps ooh la la!); rain protection and theft deterrence in one -- sold!  

Best,

Dan.

[StuntPilot]

Schornsteinfeger

Yep! Was in France over the Summer and did actually see the shower caps and some bikes with them! Not such a bad idea either! The purpose is to protect the saddle from rain and they would do a good job. Whether the bright colours attract attention is debatable - but they may put off some thieves because they are (trendily) 'uncool', individual and different, hence noticeable(?) so say 'avoid' to thieves?   Maybe too much info on this thread if any thieves are reading it OOOPS.

[Danneaux]

I fired-off a note to Ortlieb last night, asking if they might be able to come up with something in the way of a B.17 cover using their cordura "Plus" fabric and 3D seam-welding technique.

Now, we wait.  When/if I hear from them, I'll post the results.

Yes, potentially theft-prone, but I'll bet they would work well and be truly waterproof.  Ideal for use on-tour and while camping.

Best,

Dan.

[freddered]

Agree with Shower Caps, they are perfect, as are Swimming Pool/Hospital Shoe-covers.

The Shoe-covers can be aquired from swimming pool, nurses or bought from hardware stores.

The shower caps can also be stretched over a cycle helmet (as I saw on Paris-Brest-Paris) to keep your head dry.

[Danneaux]

While awaiting a reply from Ortlieb, I seem to have resolved the shortcomings of the JandD seat cover by giving up on their velcro wrapper and my Fastex and grosgrain-webbing successor and simply stuffing it into a small vinyl sack whose cord is tethered to the rear rails of my Brooks saddle.  The little sack is then stuffed up into the nether regions of the saddle between the rails and the cover and all is good and secure.  Best of all, I found the little sack by the roadside and so did not have to make it.  It is the kind often used to store stereo earbuds and by happy chance is black, to match the rest of the bike.  Invisible on stowage, but a far quicker, tidier solution than any other I've seen.  Still want an Ortlieb if they'd only produce it.

Best,

Dan.

[Danneaux]

No word from Ortlieb as yet, but I'm now a happy camper with my JandD saddle cover (with rolling strap removed) tucked into the stereo earbud pouch I found (see pic). I've got my drawstring saddle cover, now with a quick, easy, and secure means for storage. I looped the bag tie around the saddle rails so it is captive and cannot be lost. The cover quickly stuffs into the pouch and pulls out in one motion when I need it. The waterproof vinyl pouch wedges in place nicely atop the saddle clamp and prevents a wet cover from soaking the saddle from below while the opening at the end allows some breathing and evaporation till I can dry it properly or deploy it again.

There is a firm in the UK making tailored saddle covers with advertising. Might be just the thing for club fund-raisers and such, but it would seem to raise the theft profile considerably: http://www.onyerbikeseat.com/ , http://www.onyerbikeseat.com/bike-seat-covers.html

I'm not very hot on the idea of a top seam or the bottom elastic; the French shower caps may well be a better deal and certainly far less conspicuous.

Best,

Dan.