Saddle has taken on/in water - damp bum!

HeidiHeidi

Forgive me if this is an amateurish noob question....

My saddle (bog standard, came with the Trek bike, can't remember what make) has taken in water. I have no idea how, it's not ripped, the bike is stored under a cover at home, and in work is under cover as well. It's very rarely, if ever, out in the rain without my bum on it.

Now when I cycle, I squeeze water out of the saddle, and it's a bit of a disaster (to put it mildly!). I'm cycling around the place with an array of plastic bags on it, to prevent the obvious consequences.

My question is, if I take the saddle off and put it in the hot press or somewhere for a while, will it dry out eventually? And is there anything I can do to seal it up again? Or is it a dud job, and I need to buy a new one? and if I buy a new one, what's to stop the same happening again???

Have I any case for going back to the shop where I got the bike (about 2 years ago, but not cycled every day, nor anything close) to look for a replacement? Like I say, the saddle has not been damaged in any way by me.

Thanks for any advice.

HivemindXX

Seems a bit strange that it wouldn't dry out after a while. I can't see how putting it in the airing press would hurt it so if I was you I would just do that.

I suspect that you have a softer saddle which has a fairly thick layer of foam. These can retain water for quite a while and if it has a fabric cover then that is not really any barrier to water getting in at the foam.

A harder saddle which has gel instead of foam padding and a leather should be better. I leave my bike outside in the rain and after wiping my saddle with my glove I don't need to worry about getting a wet backside. Also, people generally assume the opposite but a harder saddle can be far more comfortable in the long run. If this situation keeps happening then try a harder saddle with less water absorbing padding.

RoboRat

A really good tip for removing moisture is to put it in a sealed plastic bag with lots of rice and put it in your airing cupboard or hotpress. I have done this with smartphones and it removes all the moisture so it should work with a saddle!

MB Lacey

I had the same problem a couple of years back, I took my saddle out of the seat post, turned it upside down and there was a little tear on the leather of the saddle on the underside.

To me it sounds like you've got a tear or else how else could the water get into the cushioning?

You could try putting the saddle in rice or whatever until it dries out, but if it happens again it's time for a new saddle.

Dotsie~tmp

SBS: Sweaty Bum Syndrome