ARRGG!
My seat bag just wore a hole in the butt of a nice pair ot pearl izumi thermafleece tights, my one and only pair of cold weather cycling specific tights. Anyone had any luck with repairing spandex/technical clothes? I hate to toss the pair of tights for one hole…
I’d like an answer to that one too. I tore a hole in my favorite shorts in a crash earlier this year.
Do you have access to a basic sewing machine with a zigzag stitch?
perhaps - I have a small sewing machine buried in the back of a closet somewhere…
would this zigzag stitch approach apply to more than just repairs? say, if I wanted to get a couple of 2-piece tri suits converted to one-piece skinsuits (assuming enough material exists for the transition area)?
hidden bay sports in Wisconsin, they also do great custom cycling and tri clothes too. Small minimums. www.hiddenbaysports.com
get an old pair of shorts, cut a patch, superglue it on. You have to reglue it after about 10 washes, and it looks cheap, but its better than your ass showing through.
Next step: get a replacement patch. Either order half a yard of lycra online (try to get the same color, type), or salvage an old piece of clothing you have laying around…
Cut out a patch, that would cover your hole plus add about a 1/4inch on the side. Use gutterman 100%poly thread, and a ‘stretch’ needle, size 10is fine. Place patch on the inside of your pants, and sew over it-- if the hole is small, you can run over the hole a couple of times from different directions, sort of like mending socks, but if the hole is large, you will have to make sure that you run around the periphery of the hole often a couple of times with the zig-zag to prevent the sides from fraying. Cut away excess patch lycra.
If you want to get real fancy, and have some sewing skills, you can try to cut a patch that will cover the hole symmetrically on both sides, and look a lot nicer than a mended hole. If your pants are black, and the hole is small, you can do a very nice job with the ‘sockmending’ method. pm me if you have questions…
Sure would. I sew my own swim suits, tights etc, and alter a lot of my store-bought clothing. You can use a zig zag stitch for most any need, such as hemming etc. (although an overlock safety stitch is a must for putting together seams that will stretch.) Im sure you could work out a way to convert the 2pieces using a regular machine.
Trash’em ya cheap bastid!