Could Have Gone Better - Selle Italia Flite Restoration

I'm still learning - I love Selle Italia Flight saddles. I have restored a few saddles and I am still learning.
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[@Nicoya]

Barge, or a similar contact adhesive, is the tool for the job here. Get some stiffer top grain veg-tan leather and soak-and-form it first to the shape of the saddle, then when it's dried out you can glue it up and stick it into place. For the areas where you need to ease in some extra material into a smaller space, there's a technique where you use a chisel-like tool to basically fold in little micro-pleats one by one, sticking them down into the contact cement as you go.

[@oldshovel]

Cool. Thanks for the tips.

[@flightforfight]

the first attempt look better that the scond one. but any enterprise is so sucesfuly than the times tooks failure attempts earlier!.... perseverte and never give you!!!, and the end, you can win the succes.... and the satisfaction was increment in direct proportional form.... congratulations and my respect from argentina!!!!

[@jaimegomezgarcia7599]

Mind-blowing. You've taken personalisation to the next level - and I love it! Bravo!!!

[@reinholdachleitner2069]

Awesome,looks really unique in the suade green leather but the right side Flite stencil doesn't look as good as the left side.💯👌🏻✌🏻🚴‍♂️

[@fahradbike2256]

Bike build, old bike restoration? Congratulation

[@keithschrack]

It's reassuring to learn I'm not the only one who struggles. V-notches help with clumping along the tight turns.

[@elias2338]

Looks fantastic 😊👌🏻

[@michaelwcarpenter5824]

I understand the purpose, but I think that the saddle was nice enough to use as is. The flite is my favorite saddle from the past. I still have one I use!

[@Momma4Ever]

Beautiful work! I absolutely love the teal saddle!

[@michaelsteele2510]

I know it's not exactly what you were going for, but Rocky Mountain Leather Supply in Sandy could have hooked you up with some awesome leather and great advice. Not to mention that it's close.

[@yshvergara2544]

Nice work!!! I love the yellow one but the green one is on point! 🙌🏻

[@AaronHendu]

My blue and white Trek with black parts would look great with the blue leather. Now I wanna try reupholstering my Bontrager saddle instead of buy new like I was planning for next season.

[@felixjackson2670]

Have sheets of leather from a Volvo car seat! Glued it onto an old Unica saddle back in the late 1970’s…Evo -Stick contact adhesive worked a treat!

[@thomaseisen304]

I had a Selle San Marco Rolls saddle for a long time , in my mind the best saddle at it's time . But as you know people can be jerks when they're jealous ... one day I came out of work and the saddle had a deep cut ... sadly beyond repair . After that I couldn't find another so I moved on with a Terry Fly Gel on my trekking bike (because I had a Terry Liberator on my MTB) and after nearly two decades they are still fine!

[@lesliel1182]

Just touch it up with some oilbase enamel. You have to mix the paint to match, it has to be a shade lighter than what you're trying to match though because it darkens when it dries and it takes a week or so to arrive. Test on the underside.

[@evansmith2279]

I bet the glue marks would have blended right into the leather after it got rubbed and sweated on a bit. The second attempt came out well!

[@nickmassey9104]

I've had little success with leather same reasons, too soft or hard grain .so use good quality vinyl now 👌 spray adhesive is much better 👌

[@benboo6351]

Got a 90s Flite on the shelf. I can tour on it for two days, on the third it produces massive pain. My guess is that the foam has lost its structure… might put it on a cafe racer one day.

[@sbrown1953]

I found a Selle San Marco Regal Girardi saddle with the copper rivets & snake skin-looking leather in a Goodwill store many years ago. When I sell a bike, I keep it, and put it on the new one.

[@qwertyazerty2137]

That teal shammy is spot on 👌 and it begs for a brooks badge on the rear :) personally I would use a gold pen instead of silver and use some conditioner for the shammy. You could also try to strech it more at the back and make incisions on the wrinkles to make the smaller or even flat and less visible but overall it's a great restoration.

[@madtownangler]

I have a San Marco US Postal Team on my Gary Fisher HKEK just because it's blue like my bike. I got it on sale for $20 after Lance got busted doping up and it wasn't cool enough for some roadie. It's funny because I could care less about racing but it's a really nice seat

[@wizaxed]

That seat looks ridiculous.........ly cool! Lol. I've never seen anything like that, but instantly gave me lowrider vibes. I think the suede will age and patinate very well with some steady use. I was worried about your use of the deer hide. I had a pair of deer skin mittens that were buttery soft - wrong material for seats. Nice save!! I really dig your videos!!

[@tomswierk]

I was have the same in 2002-2005❤

[@johnnydoe66]

I can't help it, but my imagination is getting away from me. That green suede makes imagine you riding the trails dressed as an Elvis impersonator. I know, I know, he sung "Blue Suede Shoes", regardless that's what I see in my mind 😂.

[@Adam-wl8wn]

It's the wrong glue, I cringed when I saw you show the bottle! Spray on contact adhesive would work better. But equally, you don't want leather that's too porous. Something closed grain/sealed would help eliminate the chance of getting glue marks.

[@Sr.406]

I was going to write the same thing.

[@Jammyx3]

A steamer might have made the leather a little more maluable to get around the shape of the saddle foam. but either way, Still looks sick! Good job!👍👍

[@SEproducti0n]

i would like to see it after 20 mile ride. Imo better re do it again

[@adammendel5572]

check the leh seats tutorial on recovering a saddle. I followed it after a couple watches and got excellent results. Adhesive and leather selection is key to getting good results. Great effort though! Its not easy

[@oldshovel]

I follow their IG. I didn’t know they had tutorials… I’ll have to check that out. Thanks for the tip.

[@LaurentiusTriarius]

They are still family owned & operating from what I know, also up to recently you could find supposedly nos stocks, not sure how true it is but I've seen a couple listings out of Japan

[@samprevratil9734]

❤

[@kiltymacbagpipe]

I wonder if one of those vacuum seal machines could help adhere the leather to the seat really tightly?…

[@WorldwideDarts]

I think just about everyone had a Flight saddle back in the day. I had one on a VERY special bike that I lucked out getting back in the early 1990's. My older sisters boyfriend worked at the LL Bean warehouse where the employee store was. A very small place that was only opened once a week for employees to shop at. It was like a messy Goodwill. Anyway, back in 1993 a customer special ordered a Raleigh John Tomac bike and for some reason returned it after about 30 days. The boyfriend called me because he knew I was huge into mountain bikes. He described the bike and at first I didn't believe him. He said it was a John Tomac bike with carbon top tube, bottom tube and seat tube. WHAT!! I showed up and gave him $500 and later on that night he dropped it off! I was standing there is absolute shock once he pulled it out of the back of his truck. Anyway, it was missing the seat so I put on a black Flight. Wish I still had that thing!

[@komoonkh]

If a bike gives you this feeling, you are never selling it. If you do, you will then try to find it again and buy it again too😂

[@WorldwideDarts]

I moved to Frisco Colorado shortly after and got into downhill mountain biking. The Tomac bike just wasn't going to do. Ended up trading it for downhill bike. @@komoonkh

[@bendunbar8334]

Please please if you see this, check out ETOE's bike painting!! His business is failing and his art and paint jobs are some of the best I've seen, please save him from loosing hi dream

[@oldshovel]

I have seen his stuff. He’s got some good videos.

[@bendunbar8334]

@@oldshovel maybe you could both colab, his most recent video when he opened his new sprayers he was overcome with emotion, it really touched me :)

[@shaunkelly5028]

Hello, love your vids, I’m in the wholesale upholstery biz and would love to get you some of our leather/glue on your next seat. We have a store in SLC that can help you out. Reach out and I will get you some stuff to try.

[@oldshovel]

Cool. Shaun, reach out on my business email [e-mail]

[@Velo_Tver69]

Нужно было из кожи делать, но из разных цветов.

[@markbrophy1276]

A darker color would probably have been a better option?

[@ToddNZMTB]

Kangaroo ballsack leather 🧐