Smelly saddle - just drill it ?😷

[Joe*Pro]

So, this lovely little number turned up a week ago, it’s catalogue correct for my 95 Cinder Cone I think (someone please agree) and whilst I already have a more preferred Kona Racelight version on the bike, I wanted this in the spares draw just incase (it was also cheap)

but, on arrival, it stinks of muddy football boots!!! So gave it a good soapy wash, shoe polished it up and it still stinks.

it’s been drying out as best as possible for 3 days now on the balcony in this heat, but the smell has not quite gone away. You can still squeez the thick cushion bed and get some water and bubbles out !! And looking at it there is no where realy for it to escape much save for few small edges. So no doubt it gets full of muddy water and can’t really be rinsed out properly

so I’m very tempted to drill some air holes in the plastic base underneath to let it breath better. But is that bad behaviour or have others done similar to make them more usable/washable ?

 

[BlackCat]

Part of me want to encourage you to do this just so I can see the consequences!

The other part of me thinks you should get an old towel, put it on top of the leather padding and put your full weight on it, to squeeze out and wick up as much fluid as you can. Once you can no longer squeeze anything more out, I would pop the saddle in an airing cupboard or near your boiler and forget about it for a while..

 

[Joe*Pro]

Any excuse to use the dewalt

My sentiments exactly: and no sooner than I’d of done it, and assuming it then worked and I’d want to fill the holes back in

But 3 days at 30c tells me that’s more of a design flaw, it’ll be a dry weather saddle only if ever gets fixed

 

[grey-beard]

If you remove the front and rear guards, will that give more chance of it drying?

 

[grey-beard]

Also, what is it that people cover there mobile phones in when they've dropped it down the toilet? Some sort of water absorbing beads?

 

[grey-beard]

Silica gel! or bury it in a bowl of raw rice, or bicarbonate of soda.

 

[Joe*Pro]

Silica gel! or bury it in a bowl of raw rice, or bicarbonate of soda.

Yeah not a bad idea. I’ve a bucket of those in the ‘old manuals and decals box’. (The rice version is a myth I think)

suppose my point re the potential drilling’s/modifications was: I can’t be doing this every time I go for a ride and it gets wet. It either needs to be more water tight to stop ingress or it needs more ventilation to improve egress.

suppose coukd try glueing up any perforations, when squashing it the bubbles tend to mostly come out 2 small perforations in the leather. Are saddles meant to be sealed ? Just never realised that. but then I still need it dry/stink free before doing any gluing.

it was stinky enough that when on the kitchen window sill drying post wash, the whole room could smell it.

Thinking about it now, I can’t recall a saddle being like this in +30 years. suppose coukd try glueing up any perforations, but then I still need it dry/stink free before that point.

 

[Joe*Pro]

If you remove the front and rear guards, will that give more chance of it drying?

Been looking at that option, difficult to know if the whole saddle will then start to fall apart, I.e the leather top

 

[grey-beard]

Been looking at that option, difficult to know if the whole saddle will then start to fall apart, I.e the leather top

but it may allow you to open the edges of the leather to dry, then seal it up after?

 

[Dr Dremel]

I remember a few saddles which have holes in the plastic to help with compliance (and I don´t mean the Tioga Spyder), so I´d not be worried to0 much to add a few. Maybe test with just a couple of 5mm ones to see if you indeed get moisture out of the foam? You could also inject some Febreze through them to get rid of the stink.