Power Kite Forum - Fabric for buggy side rail covers

Fabric for buggy side rail covers

MadHungarian - 25-4-2018 at 10:10 PM

I'm considering making my own side rail covers because I recently acquired an older model BBS buggy and need to add padding to the side rails to snug up the fit for me. The existing rail covers look like some kind of cordura or ballistic nylon with a rubberized backing, but I'm not a fabric expert.

If anyone has made their own rail covers, can you recommend a fabric and source? Thanks.

jimbocz - 26-4-2018 at 12:34 AM

https://imgur.com/a/HY8qcbv

Here is a bad close up picture of the side rail covers that my wife made for me. She just used cordura, which is widely available. I think we got ours from Ebay.

The tricky bit is where it bends, the highest part of the cover in this picture. A simple straight tube won't stretch over a bend like that and look OK. My wife did the cutting and sewing (I believe it's called a "ruck") necessary for it to fit correctly.

For the ends, most people just use cable ties but I decided to use paracord becuase we had some handy. I like it becuase it's colorful and not plastic.

HTH

indigo_wolf - 26-4-2018 at 03:41 AM

If you can find a camping supply store with an inhouse repair department they will usually sell you Cordura or ballistic nylon by the yard. It might cost a bit more than eBay, but it's nice to actually be be able to handle the material and get a feel for how much you want to buy. More importantly if you underestimate, you can always go back for more without taking another shipping burn.

I wouldn't expect Denver to be in any shortage of that type of store

ATB,
Sam

P.S. Colorado Fabrics in Aurora, CA seems to have a selection of Cordura and other recreation fabrics.

http://www.coloradofabrics.com/departments/cf-recreation

P.P.S. If none of those options don't work for you, Quest Outfitters in Sarasota, FL is another option. If they don't have it, you don't need it.

http://www.questoutfitters.com/coated.html

sand flea - 26-4-2018 at 04:12 AM

I use black 3 inch wide gaffers tape.

smiler8401 - 26-4-2018 at 05:16 AM

vinl fabric for car seat sewn with velco to warp around side rail .
I order mine from local custom made car seat shop .

something like this , shipping free.

https://www.amazon.com/Vinyl-Royal-Blue-Fabric-Yard/dp/B06XG...

MadHungarian - 26-4-2018 at 11:23 AM

Thanks for the responses.

Jim you make a good point. If I'm going to make my own then I may as well tailor it to fit nicely around all the bends.

Sam - I'll check out some of the fabric suppliers you've indicated. It would be nice to see it before purchasing.

Guess I'll post some photos when I complete the project to close out this thread.

Windstruck - 26-4-2018 at 11:54 AM

Quote: Originally posted by MadHungarian

Thanks for the responses.

Jim you make a good point. If I'm going to make my own then I may as well tailor it to fit nicely around all the bends.

Sam - I'll check out some of the fabric suppliers you've indicated. It would be nice to see it before purchasing.

Guess I'll post some photos when I complete the project to close out this thread.

All this talk about angle sewing, fabric, and the like. How about the important stuff like maintaining the flame look? Keep your eye on the prize! :lol:

MadHungarian - 26-4-2018 at 01:03 PM

Steve - Upon closer inspection of the two seats it turns out that the Flame seat is not quite as nice or comfortable as the other one. Which probably explains why the seller wasn't using the Flame seat and rail covers. I considered just putting on the Flame rail covers because the padding is slightly thicker, but it still won't be enough to make a difference. So now I'm going to significantly pad out the inside of the rails only where it contacts the rider. And so I'm definitely going to have to customize the covers. I suppose that doesn't preclude a Flame motif, but it might be a bit flash for me. You on the other hand could really rock that look!

Windstruck - 26-4-2018 at 01:10 PM

Quote: Originally posted by MadHungarian

Steve - Upon closer inspection of the two seats it turns out that the Flame seat is not quite as nice or comfortable as the other one. Which probably explains why the seller wasn't using the Flame seat and rail covers. I considered just putting on the Flame rail covers because the padding is slightly thicker, but it still won't be enough to make a difference. So now I'm going to significantly pad out the inside of the rails only where it contacts the rider. And so I'm definitely going to have to customize the covers. I suppose that doesn't preclude a Flame motif, but it might be a bit flash for me. You on the other hand could really rock that look!

No worries - the red and black higher quality seat is really good looking in its own right. I just loved the flames. I'm actually trying somewhat to work something out to pimp my ride, but won't give too much away here. Better to surprise people if I work it out which at this point is far from a done deal. :cool:

markite - 26-4-2018 at 01:11 PM

i think you've got it sussed out - I've made a few different covers just for kicks changing colour etc.
I have a big fabric place near me that is an old mill / warehouse and you never know what you'll find. I've made some of corder and some out what is a heavier weight nylon like ballistic - sometimes with coated back that is the usual and some that are rubberized. I've also made one set of sparkly metallic flake vinyl wit when i took it to somewhere hot I remember it was very sticky and the vinyl got hot so never again. I was posting through some animal prints in the outdoor fabric, not really upholstery but kind of a laminated layered fabric with the printed surface outside that has held up remarkably well - I think the leopard material is well over 10 years old now. That one is just as a tube and slid it on. Others I've used velcro but the tube was dead simple as long as no frame support on the side rail to block it.

MadHungarian - 26-4-2018 at 04:09 PM

That leopard print is quite distinctive. Guess I'll have to see what kind of variety they have at the local recreational fabric store.

MadHungarian - 22-10-2018 at 02:30 PM

I just wanted to wrap up this thread with the result. Thanks to all those that provided constructive advice. I'm posting this wrap up in the hope that it might help someone in the future faced with a similar situation.

I ended up buying ballistic nylon from a specialty sewing store in town (Colorado Fabrics). I then procrastinated, being a little intimidated at the prospect of sewing it with the machine I had.

On my most recent playa trip I took a shot to the ribs from the buggy rails beside the seat. It wasn't an OBE, just a hard sideways pull from the kite. This happened even though I was wearing plastic courage (motocross type body armor). It doesn't really provide protection on the side. There was very minimal padding on my rails and it caught me between a couple ribs. So when I returned from that trip I had new found motivation for this project.

I used rubberized pipe insulation and gorilla tape to significantly increase the padding adjacent to the rider. I didn't want to increase the padding elsewhere because that would cause issues with the seat attachment to the frame and to the attachment of the trunk bag.

But doing that makes for some strange geometry issues when trying to make rail covers. The previous covers were essentially straight tubes (or rectangular) with a Velcro seam and a cutout for a bar that connects the two rails in the rear. The previous covers were made from Cordura (I think).

I decided to attack the problem piecemeal. I made three sections per rail. The front section is a rectangle and has a dart to help reduce the puckering at the bend in the frame. The last section is a rectangle with a cutout for the rear stiffener bar. The middle section was most problematic because it has to taper from the large diameter of the increased padding to the smaller diameter of the old padding. I tried two different designs for this section. I'm not 100% satisfied with either, but I'm going to say good enough for now. If I ever do it again, I would probably just try a rectangle using the larger diameter and just live with the excess pucker on the ends.

There was a learning curve associated with the sewing of the ballistic nylon. I originally tried using heavy duty Coats and Clark outdoor thread. My machine wasn't happy with that thread, lots of bobbin thread breaks and snags. I eventually reverted to garden variety nylon thread that you can get at Walmart. Still had issues with needle thread breaks. I ultimately changed to using larger needles for sewing denim. That seemed to be the trick. I also had to change the needles out because the ballistic nylon will eventually dull the needles.

Sewing the hook part of the Velcro was also taxing. Not my favorite stuff to deal with.

I'll attempt to post some photos in a follow up (I have a feeling I might have issues doing that.)

MadHungarian - 22-10-2018 at 02:55 PM

The old covers.

9E96F11E-C79C-4FA4-A069-0D1A31023F11.jpeg - 234kB

New covers, one middle section removed.

10F55F99-9583-4FEC-921A-41D3C52E064B.jpeg - 220kB

Closeup of new padding.

DCF8126C-578E-4917-8CA7-E81B6344425E.jpeg - 239kB

Front rail cover with dart at elbow.

FB308C08-87F5-4E2F-B0FE-B9C6FC3DA058.jpeg - 240kB

Showing rear section with cutout for stiffener bar.

02B611B3-668A-487F-BA84-BCFE74A46F02.jpeg - 243kB

All new covers installed.

B3E8C3E7-629D-4245-BD0C-1C587C760E47.jpeg - 239kB

With seat installed.

DFA49DEC-0D42-4D98-9BE2-DE7C83827AAB.jpeg - 210kB

Windstruck - 22-10-2018 at 07:45 PM

Dick - those look OUTSTANDING. Very clean, neat, and clearly purpose build with padding right where you need it, and absent elsewhere where you don't. Well played! :thumbup: