sheepskins in the uk
 

Anyone know the best place to get small pieces of sheepskin (my bikes got a single seat) from in the UK? Somewhere near to central scotland would be a bonus (yes I know getting sheepskin in scotland shouldn't be a problem but the only places I know sell full skins as rugs to tourists at no doubt inflated prices). Is there any particular type of sheep skin I should be looking for? Thanks for any tips.
matt

I wondered where Chew-backa got to!

Yeah, I tried wookie but the hair is too long and doesnt cushion properly. Ewok is surprisingly bristly.
matt

I second that. Besides: The long wookie-hair get stuck in the wheels all the time. How about an ewook rug?

sounds weird but try ikea at loanhead they love there sheep skins them lot

Greg.
I bought just the right sixe piece of sheepskin for the bike seat,on my last visit to the bonnie land.On the B8001,north of Campbeltown,Mull of Kintyre there's a place called Torrisdale Castle(on the left as you head northwards).It's not far from Grogport.Don't have any phone number i'm afraid,but may be in yellow pages under "rugs".Hope this is of some help.


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Just going for a short ride on my bike....

Try IKEA they do them as cheap as I have seen.

Excellent tips, thanks. I'll try the Ikea at loanhead, its just round the corner from a powder coating company and I need a few bits done. (Powder coating is the new black!)
matt

Don't dismiss junk / charity shops ! Good source of very cheap unwanted unloved future seat covers !!

Someone at Perth farmers market sells sheep skins.

Being a Welshman I'm something of an authority on sheepskins. They can move about on the seat a bit, bunch up etc.. My fix was to get some non-slip car boot liner from Halfords (like a soft rubber string-vest material) and to Evo-stick this to the back of the skin. I also sewed some webbing to the back of the skin to tie it to the bike. It all worked brilliantly. On a long trip last Autumn with four mates I was the only one without a sore arse. I had my techno-sheepskin at the HU meet in Derby, and there was a fair ammount of interest. Other tips - trim the skin to your bike seat first, then cut the non-slip stuff so its about 1cm smaller all around. Don't put any evo-stick where you are going to sew on the webbing straps, as the glue will sieze the sewing machine needle. You CAN machine sew through sheepskin with a strong needle - use a sheet of clear plastic (like a carrier bag) to flatten the fleece when sewing - you can tear it off when the work is complete. I'm very sad I know, but attention to detail like this seems to pay off on the road. If anyone wants some pics let me know and I'll send some.

[This message has been edited by Cugel (edited 31 July 2005).]

Hello. If you can find a shop that makes saddles, you know, for horses, they use a fine grade of sheep-skin to protect the horses back. I recently bought a piece in the US for $9. They ride horses in the UK, don't they?? http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/ubb/wink.gif

They do indeed. I think British saddles are different from North American ones but I know where there is a saddler so its definately worth looking into. I also wondered if it might be worth covering the sheepskin in waterproof material or would this remove the comfort effect of the sheepskin? Matt

This guy ships anywhere.

http://www.coyote-gear.com/sheepskins.html

Great link AZBill! Thanx, i just purchased one. http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/ubb/smile.gif The colour's much nicer than the yellow-orange thing i got in Utah.