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Biking DIY How-to Making Repair

DIY Upholstered Seat Cushion for Yuba Spicy Curry Cargo Bike

I got my first Yuba Spicy Curry bike in 2017 and have been riding one ever since. It is the long-tail bike seen in many of the photos of Things I’ve carried on a cargo bike and The biggest thing I’ll ever tote on a bike.

This year both of my weathered passenger seat cushions split open (Yuba has entirely changed the seat cushions they sell since I bought mine, and I hear the new ones are more durable). So I undertook my first foray into upholstery, refashioning my old and busted Soft Spots into one double-length cushion, a couch of sorts.

My coworking friends at Workantile have many interesting skills. One of them is a hobbyist upholsterer! With her tools and know-how it only took an hour or two, using materials we already had lying around.

First I measured and cut a piece of plywood to cover the full tail of the bike. It turned out that the foam from the old seats was still in good shape, so we reused it. We stuffed some foam scraps between the two old blocks of foam:

the foam cores of the two seat cushions, laid next to each other
All the foam, resting on the plywood base
Packed tight and held in place by special spray adhesive

We wrapped the whole package in a layer of thin batting to smooth out the bundle:

Stapled tight underneath with that upholstery-specific pneumatic staple gun

Then wrapped it in a plastic sheet for waterproofing:

The staple spacing could be crude because (a) it’s on the bottom and (b) it’s getting covered by a subsequent layer. Compared to sewing, where most of the stitches are visible, this was liberating.

Then a layer of some random fabric – I think because you are supposed to have two layers of outer fabric and I only had enough of my blue striped material to do a single outer layer of that.

Test fit. Off to a promising start!

Next we wrapped the outer layer and marked where to sew on the straps (surplus 1″ webbing from my scrap bin). We unwrapped it, sewed the straps on with a sewing machine, and stapled on the outer layer.

Outer layer being stapled on

The last bits of outer layer fabric were folded under and stapled with more care, as it would be visible … theoretically. In practice, this thing is always face-down, sitting on the bike like this:

The finished cushion!

I went with plastic buckles instead of Velcro hook-and-loop tabs like the original cushions had. They’re slightly easier to fasten and should last longer.

After a few rides, I got concerned about wear on the cushion’s bottom from two bolt heads that protrude from the bike’s tail:

So I hot-glued some rubber patches in those spots. That hot glue quickly failed.

Maybe I should have asked my kids to do it, they’re better with the glue gun. I switched to electrical tape, we will see how this wears:

Ugly as heck – but it’s on the bottom!

Kids have been riding on it to school, hockey practice, etc. for a couple of weeks and they have only good things to say! There had been a gap between the old cushions, as they didn’t cover the full length of the bike tail and their Velcro straps couldn’t pass through certain positions due to the bike frame. Now it’s one big continuous couch, making it easier for two kids to space out as they see fit. I failed to consider that the new straps would need to go where they could pass through the frame, but I got lucky.

I’d bought a one-yard remainder of this outer material at Joann Fabric on clearance. I’d planned to eventually use it for patching, maybe something like kids’ snowpants? This was a better use for it. The pattern feels nautical, which suits my bike’s vibe.

This maker project had many of my favorite elements:

  • Learned a new skill
  • Worked with someone knowledgeable to go fast and get good results
  • Fixed a broken thing
  • Incorporated materials on hand
  • Avoided having to buy something
  • Produced a unique object that will be a pleasure to use every day

The only thing I’m second-guessing is the durability of the outer fabric. Should I have acquired a heavy-duty fabric made specifically for applications like this? I think the Joann fabric I used was meant for outdoor cushions and was rated for 9,000 double-rubs. That’s described in some places on the web as “medium duty” — other fabrics, e.g., for office furniture have a rating several times higher.

I’ll feel a little bummed if this new cushion splits open before my kids outgrow riding on the back of my bike. But if it happens, I know that it wouldn’t be too hard to wrap on a new outer layer!

This was a great intro-to-upholstery project and I’ll be looking for more low-stakes opportunities to practice it in the future.

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