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Repairing lycra shorts

neil²neil² Posts: 337
edited August 2009 in Commuting chat
Greetings.

I had a little prang last week and how have some holes in my fave lycra shorts. What's the consensus on repair? Is it ok to just sew them up or will that make it worse?

The alternative is to keep them to under my winter tights, but would rather wear them in the meantime.

Cheers!

Neil
The Riddler
The GT

Posts

  • PinkPedalPinkPedal Posts: 180
    I have some shorts I need to repair and I intend to just sew them up. I think it will depend on whether the tear is one that needs some sort of patching or not, if so maybe you could cut a piece of lycra out of old clothes to do this?
  • lost_in_thoughtlost_in_thought Posts: 10,563
    Depends on a) how big the tear/hole is and b) how stretched the area where the hole is... is.

    If it's very stretched or a wide hole, the sewing will pull and may just make you an even bigger hole. You may be better off with a patch - get thee to a fabric shop and obtain some lycra, and then either patch them yourself on the inside or ask the fabric shop people if they can do it. It's best done with a sewing machine.

    Or, if it's just a small hole, or a long thin cut, sew it up! Try to get the stitches as small as possible, and sew in a zig-zag pattern, but don't sew right at the edge of the hole because it'll just fray.

    Another possiblity might be hemming tape - but when it's heated (which is how it's used) it forms a little solid bit.
    FCN 7/1
    Viner Maxima, Tifosi CK7, Giant Bowery, Old commuter.
  • Harry BHarry B Posts: 1,239
    Can't you send them back to the manufacturer? I have a lovely pair of Assos bibshorts (incredibly comfortable by the way. By far the best I have) and I think they can be sent back if necessary. I'm not sure what the cost would be though, probably more than the shorts :(
    www.justgiving.com/thetwodaves
  • neil²neil² Posts: 337
    Thanks all,

    I think that I'll try sewing first. I'm not too keen on patching as the patch will undoubtedly annoy me when I'm getting puffed out :wink:

    BTW, those of you who SCR, linsen witnessed some of the aftermath and, kindly, took some lovely photos of my wounds. I think she's planning on blackmailing me at some stage in the future :lol: Also, my helmet worked and took a massive hit, saving me from a head injury.
    The Riddler
    The GT
  • neil²neil² Posts: 337
    Shorts sewn and seem to have survived a couple of outings ok. :)

    All very easy in the end - no fraying or any probs with the fabric.
    The Riddler
    The GT
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