Tegaderm is amazing stuff!  After my recent spill that left road rash from my hip to my knee, I found the clear bandage “second skin” to be a welcome alternative to messy gauze and the like.  I’m seeing great improvement – it is like you can watch it heal through the transparent material.  Now, if they could just make Tegaderm for saddles.

My Toupe saddle after Saturday's crash

Yep, that is my beloved Specialized Toupe saddle with a huge gouge in the right wing.  This was after only my second race using it.  It appeared I was going to be left with the same problem I was facing with the saddle I replaced.  The edges were rough from crashes and would rub the inside of my leg.

After attempting glue and black marker.

Thankfully, this damage is farther back.  It just drives the aesthetic side of me crazy!  In an attempt to salvage the seat, I glued the seat material back in place as best I could and colored in the scratches with black marker.  Not only did it not smooth out the edge, but it also looked nasty.  I was not happy.

Duct Tape!

I knew I could just throw some tape on it, but I’ve done that before and typically it looks pretty tacky and the edges get all turned up.  So, I went on Twitter and asked if anyone had any ideas.  Well, the best response I got was… you guessed it… Duct Tape.  So, I got some black tape and got creative.

The nice thing is that the two red tips at the back of the saddle are removable.  Previous year models had the tips pressed into place.  This saddle has them screwed on.  I was able to remove them and then apply the tape.  The tips help hold the tape in place at the curve of the saddle.  It should help hold the tape in place.  I did the messed up side as well as the unmarred one.   My hope was it would make it look “like it came that way.”

Matching wings!

Overall, I’m pretty happy with end result.  Yes, I know that the tape may work it’s way up on the edge toward the center of the saddle, but I can easily replace it. $2 for a roll of tape sure beats forking over $160 for a new saddle!

On another note…

Check out the USA Cycling Professional Championship photos by Gabrielle Grace Smith.  She is a 15 year-old photographer that does some pretty good work!  Check out the photos she has of George Hincapie and you’ll see what I mean.