Saddle Covers
Browse bike saddle covers for sale from riders across the UK. The category covers two different products: elasticated waterproof covers that keep rain off a saddle parked outside, and padded gel covers that slip over a saddle to soften it for upright, leisure and indoor riding. Sizes are usually given as saddle widths, from around 130mm for a road saddle up to 200mm or more for a sprung comfort seat.
Waterproof cover or padded cover?
A rain cover is a thin sheet of coated nylon or ripstop with a drawcord or elastic hem that pulls under the saddle rails. It exists to stop water soaking through the cover seams and the vent holes into the foam, so you do not sit on a wet saddle after work. A padded cover is a much thicker sleeve of gel or foam inside a stretch fabric, bought for comfort rather than weather. They share a name and almost nothing else.
Will a gel cover make an uncomfortable saddle comfortable?
Sometimes, and only on certain bikes. Extra padding under the sit bones helps on an upright bike where you sit vertically, on a spin bike used a couple of times a week, or on a hire bike you did not choose. On a road or gravel bike it usually makes things worse: the gel spreads pressure into the soft tissue between the sit bones instead of supporting the bones themselves, and the cover slides fore and aft as you pedal. Persistent pain on a drop-bar bike is a saddle width and shape problem, and padding over the top does not change either.
How do you get the right size?
Measure the saddle at its widest point across the rear. Road saddles are commonly 130mm to 155mm, hybrid saddles around 155mm to 175mm, and sprung leisure saddles wider still. Covers are sold in small, medium and large bands against those numbers, and a cover that is too big flaps and works loose while one that is too small will not seat over the nose. Check whether it fastens with a drawcord, elastic hem or clips under the rails, since a saddle bag or a dropper post can foul the fastening.
Does a leather saddle need a cover?
More than any other type. A traditional tensioned leather saddle absorbs water, and once wet it stretches, loses its shape under your weight and needs re-tensioning, which is why makers of that style sell a fitted rain cover alongside them. A synthetic-topped saddle only really suffers where the seams or vents let water into the foam. Covers also earn their place in transit: a saddle rubs against straps and neighbouring bikes on a boot rack, so a cover goes on before the bike goes into a transport case or bag.
How long do covers last, and what should you spend?
These are cheap items with short lives. Elastic hems perish in sunlight, the polyurethane coating on a rain cover starts flaking after a couple of winters, and gel inside a padded cover hardens and takes a permanent dent where you sit. Buy a rain cover freely, since replacing one costs less than a wet chamois. If you are looking at a gel cover to fix discomfort, put the money towards a saddle that fits instead, and keep the bike itself out of the weather using the options in bike stands and storage or the wider bike accessories section.