Acousto-optic coupling in polyimide-coated single-mode optical fibers using flexural elastic waves is demonstrated. The effect of the polyimide coating on the acoustooptic interaction process is analyzed in detailed. Theoretical and experimental results are in good agreement. Although the elastic attenuation is significant, we show that acousto-optic coupling can be produced with a reasonably good efficiency. To our knowledge, it is the first experimental demonstration of acousto-optic coupling in optical fibers with robust protective coating.