Making padded cycling shorts

Steph Peters said:

Anyone ever made a pair of bike shorts and can offer me some tips?

I've never made a pair of bike shorts, but my tip would be to use Google for tips.

Quoted message said:

Is it possible to sew such stretchy fabric successfully on an ordinary zig-zag machine?

Try putting the following into Google:

sewing lycra "zig-zag"

It seems to come up with a few things which may work with your sewing machine. You'll have to tell
me if any of it makes sense, as my expertise lies mainly in cycling and computers...

Quoted message said:

This thread is cross-posted to uk.rec.cycling and uk.rec.sewing.

Crumbs, that must be a first. I can't crosspost the reply, as my news server doesn't carry
uk.rec.sewing!

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Conscientious objection is hard work in an economic war.

Steph Peters said:

Where can I buy nice matt cotton lycra in dark colours, not that bright shiny stuff?

Try a google for "pennine outdoor"

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Quoted message said:

I've never made a pair of bike shorts, but my tip would be to use Google for tips.

Have a look at

sable.demon.co.ukcycleshorts.htmlOpen ↗

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On Wed, 13 Aug 2003 23:50:29 +0100, Steph Peters did issue forth:

Quoted message said:

Anyone ever made a pair of bike shorts and can offer me some tips? Where can I buy nice matt
cotton lycra in dark colours, not that bright shiny stuff? I've been told that to make the seams
properly stretchy they should be overlocked, but I don't have an overlocker and it wouldn't be
worth buying one just for this. Is it possible to sew such stretchy fabric successfully on an
ordinary zig-zag machine?

Not sure about obtaining the lycra, but inserts are available here:

outdoors-unlimited.orgdetail.aspOpen ↗

Huw

Jim Price of said:

Steph Peters said:

Is it possible to sew such stretchy fabric successfully on an ordinary zig-zag machine?

Try putting the following into Google:

sewing lycra "zig-zag"

It seems to come up with a few things which may work with your sewing machine. You'll have to tell
me if any of it makes sense, as my expertise lies mainly in cycling and computers...

Found several suggestions that make sense, and a couple I didn't understand. What I need is someone
who has tried it to tell me what works and what doesn't.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

This thread is cross-posted to uk.rec.cycling and uk.rec.sewing.

Crumbs, that must be a first. I can't crosspost the reply, as my news server doesn't carry
uk.rec.sewing!

Not surprising, because it doesn't exist. Should have been uk.rec.crafts.sewing - I should have
remembered that, because when the sewing group was being created I was the one who said it should be
part of the uk.rec.crafts hierarchy. So I've put an identical post on the sewing group, but not
cross posted.
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(marc) of said:

Steph Peters said:

Where can I buy nice matt cotton lycra in dark colours, not that bright shiny stuff?

Try a google for "pennine outdoor"

Right now the website only has non-cotton lycra in fluorescent green. I don't think I'd want
shorts in that colour even if I were a standard size person, and with the size of my backside I
can't even bring myself to imagine it. I'll drop them an email and see if they can come up with
anything more suitable.
--
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Steph Peters <[email hidden]> wrote in message

Quoted message said:

I wear womens' padded cycling shorts for my daily bike ride.

What you do in private is none of our business! Only joking, I've made quite a few pairs of cycling
shorts (learning sewing and how sewing machines wors as I went along).

I disassembled an old pair (4 panel) by unpicking them and copying the separate parts onto some
brown paper as a pattern, include a bit extra all round each part if you just cut your shorts out
along the existing seams.

I just used black lycra from Remnant Kings which was a wee bit thinner than I'd like but conceled my
modesty ok even when wet (look out for light colours!!!!)

Use a zig zag stich with around 10 zigs per inch (ie quite close together) and be prepared to use
the first pair as a test piece with a view to making a better pair next time.

Sewing in the liner is a bit awkward trying not to get puckers in the finished garment.

If you fing a source of heavier lycra (Coolmax or summat) please let us know.

Give it a go, it's not expensive and no one else you know will have personally tailored shorts.

Good luck, Robert

(Robert McDonald) of url='http://groups.google.com/'http://groups.google.com//url said:

Only joking, I've made quite a few pairs of cycling shorts (learning sewing and how sewing machines
wors as I went along).

Quoted message said:

I disassembled an old pair (4 panel) by unpicking them and copying the separate parts onto some
brown paper as a pattern, include a bit extra all round each part if you just cut your shorts out
along the existing seams.

I just used black lycra from Remnant Kings which was a wee bit thinner than I'd like but conceled
my modesty ok even when wet (look out for light colours!!!!)

Use a zig zag stich with around 10 zigs per inch (ie quite close together) and be prepared to use
the first pair as a test piece with a view to making a better pair next time.

Sewing in the liner is a bit awkward trying not to get puckers in the finished garment.

If you fing a source of heavier lycra (Coolmax or summat) please let us know.

Give it a go, it's not expensive and no one else you know will have personally tailored shorts.

Thanks for the encouragement Robert. I have a bit of an advantage over you when I start, having done
plenty of dressmaking before, so I know that I can make a pattern that fits.

Where are Remnant Kings? I suspect nowhere near where I live, as I've never heard of them.

How wide was your zig-zag stitch? It seems to me that the seams on bike shorts need to be able to
stretch a lot for them to be comfy to wear, so getting this right will be important.
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In message <[email hidden]>, Steph Peters
<[email hidden]> writes

Quoted message said:

Where are Remnant Kings? I suspect nowhere near where I live, as I've never heard of them.

www.remnantkings.co.uk - "Scotland's first choice for fabrics..."

If you find anywhere selling sports weight lycra by mail order could you post the URL?
--
Sue ]🙁🙂

Sue of said:

In message <[email hidden]>, Steph Peters
<[email hidden]> writes

Quoted message said:

Where are Remnant Kings? I suspect nowhere near where I live, as I've never heard of them.

www.remnantkings.co.uk - "Scotland's first choice for fabrics..."

If you find anywhere selling sports weight lycra by mail order could you post the URL?

From Sally in uk.rec.crafts.sewing:

Quoted message said:

Point North, www.pointnorth.co.uk, sell fabric for activewear, or www.whaleys.co.uk if you don't
mind dyeing your fabric (it's easy, I can give you directions). Whaleys are very helpful with email
or phone enquiries and happy to send out samples.

These both have cotton lycra and one even has 2 varieties of Coolmax. Colours mostly black, one
navy. I've sent off for samples to find out what the weights are, and will try to remember to let
you know what turns up and what it looks like.
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