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chamois replacement service recommendations

17K views 19 replies 8 participants last post by  Souke-Cycling 
#1 ·
Has anyone here had their chamois professionally replaced? If so & it was positive, could you provide info about your experience. FYI: I have a pair of bib shorts that I bought but after one ride, I was in severe agony afterwards. The shorts were bought online & can't be returned. When I started riding over 20 yrs ago, shorts cost $50 back then & even then I thought that was a lot of money. Now a good pair of shorts cost $150 & up. Instead of throwing away more good money on another pair of shorts, I would like to see if I can make these shorts work for me.

The bibs themselves are wonderfully constructed with excellent attention to detail & fit me like a glove. But the chamois is another story altogether. It was like sitting on a wooden plank full of splinters. I've never had a pair of shorts that gave me that much discomfort ever!! After washing them, I tried them again to see if they could be broken in but I couldn't get home fast enough to rip them off. If that ride had gone on any longer that chamois would have definitely broken me.

So instead of throwing them into the back of the closet never to see the light of day ever, I would like to see if I can refurbish them. If anyone here has used a chamois service, I would like to hear about your experience & how I may contact them. Thanks.
 
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#2 ·
Try Kucharik.

I had a similar experience to yours with a Louis Garneau pair of shorts. It was either replace the chamois or throw out the shorts. I bought the chamois and replaced it myself.
However, when I had questions about doing the work and called Kucharik, they were very helpful and obviously knew their business.

If you want to do the replacement yourself, post and I'll tell you the procedure. Without the "secret" it's virtually impossible to replace by yourself.
 
#14 ·
Try Kucharik.

I had a similar experience to yours with a Louis Garneau pair of shorts. It was either replace the chamois or throw out the shorts. I bought the chamois and replaced it myself.
However, when I had questions about doing the work and called Kucharik, they were very helpful and obviously knew their business.

If you want to do the replacement yourself, post and I'll tell you the procedure. Without the "secret" it's virtually impossible to replace by yourself.
Hi. I bought 12 kits from CHAMPION SYSTEM And the chamois rip apart, half way on my first ride. C/S refused to honor their warrant. I am interested in your secret procedure in chamois replacement. Please help.
Best Regards.
Augusto.
 
#3 ·
Thanks for the tip. I was planning on supplying my own chamois but I don't see a price listed for that. I wouldn't mind trying to do it myself but I've never sewn anything in my life ever & doesn't it require a special type of sewing machine to do this?

BTW, I don't know if its my style of riding or what not but I seem to wear out the stitching on the shorts that hold the chamois in place. So I decided to take these into a place that does alterations. The woman there after looking at how my shorts were made informed me that they didn't have the type of machine that did that kind of stitching. She said that it shouldn't matter & her repairs would be just fine. Well the repairs didn't last that long. About 4 rides each before they came undone.

So if any type of work is to be done on these new bibs & if I want the repair to last then it needs to be done by a specific type of sewing machine which I don't have.

I guess I'll have to call Kucharik to see what they charge for just the sewing only. Thanks again.
 
#4 ·
Some of my shorts have two parallel rows of stitching which is done by a machine with two needles. It's understandable if some alteration shops don't have such a machine.

I don't know why you keep destroying the stitching in your shorts; that's unusual. It may be your sweat and you merely need a different type of thread say, synthetic versus cotton or cotton blend. Ask an experienced seamstress.

I merely recommend a stretch/zig-zag stitch for the chamois as the lycra stretches as well.

Sewing a chamois in your shorts does not require a special machine because virtually any sewing machine has a zig-zag stitch.
 
#13 ·
Some of my shorts have two parallel rows of stitching which is done by a machine with two needles. It's understandable if some alteration shops don't have such a machine.
You need an overlock serger or an interlock machine for this, a standard sewing machine can be used with the right zig-zag stitching, but will still produce inferior results. Any halfway reputable shop would understand that, however. Straight stitches on elastic is a recipe for near-immediate failure, of course.
 
#5 ·
I have an older pair of Assos bibs to which I'd love to replace the chamois. Finding/sourcing an elastic interface chamois though, I suspect is probably very difficult...

Peter P. I'd love to know the tips you have about sewing the chamois. I am about to get a basic sewing machine to do some hemming and related alterations and of course, I'd love to get to replace some chamois. :)
 
#6 ·
"Elastic Interface Chamois"? Buy a replacement chamois from Kucharik and you'll be set. For your first attempt, buy a chamois that closely matches the shape of the original.

All items mentioned are available at most sewing stores.

Mark the outline of the existing chamois with tailor's chalk.

Using a stitch ripper, remove the old chamois.

Purchase a can of temporary fabric adhesive.

Put the shorts on INSIDE OUT. Practice positioning the chamois where you want it relative to the original's outline. When in doubt, I recommend lining up the new with the OLD lines in the front. Too much pad in the front feels funny.

Place the pad on some newspaper and spray the chamois' mating surface with the adhesive per directions. Apply it to the shorts you have on and wait until it sticks, probably a minute or two.

At this point if you're worried you could pin the shorts in four spots but I've found the adhesive works pretty well.

Remove the shorts and stitch the chamois on with a zig-zag or any stretch stitch.
 
G
#10 ·
Thanks, Peter. I was leaning toward a pad for longer rides. Kucharik recommended the #2 Aerotech pad, but I wondered about the differences between a gel pad vs. a foam pad. Gel padded saddles generally get a bad rap.
 
#11 ·
On a similar note, anyone ever remove and replace the chamois in their shorts. I own probably 10 nice sets of bibs that I've always lived with some saddle pain thinking it was normal. Then I bought Assos bibs and now I know what bike shorts are supposed to feel like. I think the pads in most of my other bibs aren't quite in the correct spot, so my sit bones aren't on the most padded part of the chamois. If I could move the pad an inch or so forward, I could actually start wearing the old shorts again (which shouldn't be worn out by any means and the outer fabric is still perfect).
 
#15 ·
If the chamois is ripping apart, then the chamois is junk. I bought my chamois from Kucharik. You can also get them from Aero Tech Designs. The method I used to sew in the chamois is listed in one of the above posts. Feel free to ask any questions.

Perhaps you mean the chamois is tearing at the stitching? In that case, I'd say you're using too large of a needle or too many stitches per inch. Measure how many stitches per inch you have on another pair of shorts and mimic that.
 
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