Reusing Seat Foam

[ShaggyPit]

hey guys

as I am getting closer to making my own seat pan and seat cushion, I have started to scour the local foam shops and the prices have been outrageous by my standards. 1 inch thick foam for enough that should cover the length of a normal seat runs about 56 dollars...havent found anywhere that has some scrap lying out back and are willing to part with for cheap.

so my question is should/could I be able to use the foam from the original seat? the foam seems to be in decent shape besides a few areas where the weather has got access to the foam and seems to have discolored and created some slight deterioration. I don't want to make a mess of the original seat but it is not in the best shape and was looking to keep (more likely sell) the seat

here is a couple pics of the seat...hope you can see the condition of the foam, ill post better pics if required

any input is appreciated!

 

[J-Rod10]

Cut it to what you want and use it.

 

[xb33bsa]

yes you can reuse foam but takin a 4" thick seat foam and making it 1" it will be too soft you will get butthirt :-\

 

[ShaggyPit]

yes you can reuse foam but takin a 4" thick seat foam and making it 1" it will be too soft you will get butthirt :-\

wasnt on planning using just the 1 inch foam xb! I know you dont like the bratarded style but I am not going to make the super thin seat..I plan on giving myself some cushion

 

[J-Rod10]

I ride on 1.5" or .75" neoprene depending on the bike. It's comfortable as it needs to be.

 

[Ichiban Moto]

+1 .. and I have never had a complaint on the thickness of comfy foam I use:

http://youtu.be/9oMRb9qLT-Q

 

[TomTerrific]

Have you considered layering thin foam of the proper stiffness? Carpet foam and yoga pads are two that come to mind. Carpet foam is free in the trash in my neighborhood. Just check and grab a corner piece that never got walked on.

Tom

 

[xb33bsa]

I ride on 1.5" or .75" neoprene depending on the bike. It's comfortable as it needs to be.

seats that thin are suitable for racing when the rider has a great deal of weight on the pegs and needs to slide around and hang off,and racetracks dont have potholes not supposed to anyway, but you either have really smooth public roads or ride really slow or are just posing to the bar

 

[J-Rod10]

I ride every day of the year there isn't snow on the ground. I log 25-30,000 miles a year on two wheels. And I certainly don't ride slow.

 

[jpmobius]

I do it all the time. You can use what you have, cut it down, or add to it or repair bad spots with foam from another old seat. If you make reasonably decent joints, you can contact cement pieces together and then shape them as if they were one piece. When you are done cover with a layer of headliner material contact cemented to the whole thing.

 

[ShaggyPit]

+1 .. and I have never had a complaint on the thickness of comfy foam I use:

saw this a while ago and laughed my ass off! great video Ichiban!

 

[ShaggyPit]

Have you considered layering thin foam of the proper stiffness? Carpet foam and yoga pads are two that come to mind. Carpet foam is free in the trash in my neighborhood. Just check and grab a corner piece that never got walked on.

Tom

Ya I got some of the carpet foam out in my garage and was gonna use that underneath the seat foam

possibly going to make a few different thicknesses of seats..not too sure as of it
thanks tom

I do it all the time. You can use what you have, cut it down, or add to it or repair bad spots with foam from another old seat. If you make reasonably decent joints, you can contact cement pieces together and then shape them as if they were one piece. When you are done cover with a layer of headliner material contact cemented to the whole thing.

thanks JP! never thought about just cutting off any bad spots in the foam. I will keep this in mind
thanks!