Anyway I did find out there are 10" inner tubes so I might go have a look for one.
I thought a great thing to make a cover out of instead of using a sock (rips a bit) would be wetsuit material. If you find the right place it shouldn’t be too expensive. So I’m gonna get some and try using that on my seat. At the corners you could cut little triangles and have it sewn back together, this way creating a curve in it so it could fit over a unicycle seat. I thing I would lace it up at the bottom so it can be taken off if needed.
Three bonuses about wetsuit material is that it is soft padding kinda like foam, it’s strong stuff and can probably take a bit of a beating and it’s also waterproof. Wetsuit material seems like the perfect stuff to shove over the top.
Hey Robbie,
If you’re going to sew a cover for your air saddle, might I suggest using a heavy vinyl? It would probably be easier to work with than a neoprene material such as wet suits are made from and it would be less likely to tear at the seams. If you need a pattern, let me know
Thanks Krashin’Kenny, I’ll look into that stuff. But I think I might as well try and give neoprene rubber a go, providing it’s not that expensive it seems like it could work out well. And I don’t think I’ll be the one to sew it, I’ll get my mum to do it. I’m only 14 and not great at making things like this so I’ll get my dad to help out as well he seems to be good at making / fixing anything, lol.
Oh but I am looking to maybe paint on or something some 2D design. So if anyone knows anything 2D (preferably just 2 colours) that looks cool, could somebody please give me a pic. Spray paint would stick to neoprene or vinyl wouldnt it?
Neoprene isn’t waterproof. Wetsuits work by letting a thin layer of water in and then trapping it next to your body, so that the water becomes warm and acts as insulation. I wouldn’t have thought it was that good for withstanding scrapes and things when it’s dropped either, I don;t think it’s that strong.
I have just found in a particularly humorous way that the lack of waterproofing is a problem, although I should add that the lake was quite shallow at that point, so I only got a damp foot and hand . very comfortable though, and it’s only the top layer that’s abosrbant, so it should dry out in no time,
is it? ah well, I stand corrected. Windsurfer for not long enough, obviously. I thought the way that it gets very cold very quickly when you first go in is coz the water gets in everywhere, then heats up.
I still think it’d tear too easily when the saddle gets dropped, but it’s worth a try if you can get some cheap.
The neoprene rubber I’m going for ins’t just neoprene rubber. It’s the actually wetsuit material that I’m really looking at. I think it’s got nylon covering the back and lots of other things to reinforce it and make it stronger. But yes, straight neoprene rubber would probably just rip and tear and take a real beating.
One problem with Neoprene when used as padding for a unicycle saddle is that it will eventually become permanently squished and end up looking like a French crepe rather than a good old American pancake. How long it takes for the Neoprene to die depends on how often you ride the unicycle. If you use Neoprene be aware that you’re going to need to replace it eventually.
There are people using Neoprene as padding inside their saddles. I don’t know how much life they get from the padding before needing to replace it. Neoprene is comfy. It has almost the perfect squishiness for a comfortable unicycle saddle.
I don’t really mind if it gets squished just if it is a little layer to go over the tubing, no matter how squished it is it should be better than the sock I currently have. But the main purpose was to hold the inner tube on there. If anyone else knows any other good materials I wouldn’t mind you pointing them out, I’ll have to look at vinyl.
I am going to make an air saddle for my trials this weekend I am going to use the guide lines from a miyata air seat thing I found and using the sock cover method. I have worked out how to fit a reeder style handle to it wich will be custom maded for me(bodged up in the shed) I have a saddle that most unicycles come with from bike shops and if it does not work i always have my kh.I will take pictures all the way through making it so heres to happy converting.
ben
