johnp3004

So before you guys go on about using the search function, I did.

I have an old Kashimax saddle, I think it's an old Aero but not sure.

(like this



But since it's way old it's got scuffs and rips from years of use, but I really like the feel of the saddle and would like to refurbish it to it's former glory. I was wondering if anybody had any good tips, guides or similar to point me the right way!

PS. I would like to keep it cheap, otherwise I would buy a new saddle

norwood

Typically saddles of that type are glued together, so replacing the actual saddle covering may not be possible. Have you looked at slip-on covers? Refurbishing it to it's former glory is more than likely going to cost more than a new saddle of that type.

Velo Dog

Years ago, when I was a newly married new graduate with a crap job in a high-rent zone, I recovered an old Avocet with thin leather from a Tandy store (do they still have Tandy stores? Haven't seen one in years--it was a leathercraft hobby shop). It worked fine and held up for a year or so, when I bought a new saddle.
You need to find leather or some other material durable enough to last and thin enough to shape to the saddle. I put a bead of Barge Cement (similar to contact cement; others presumably would work as well) down the center of the saddle and stuck a big piece of leather to it, then let it dry completely. With the middle fixed, I worked and stretched and fiddled and trimmed, an inch or so at a time, gluing as I went, until the leather was pretty well molded to the saddle, then trimmed the edges, folded them under and used a big industrial stapler to secure them through the bottom of the shell (you don't sit on those edges, and the glue wasn't holding). If you have to buy the leather and glue these days, though, it will probably be as expensive as a saddle from the take-off bin at a bike shop.