removing old handlebar tape adhesive - tip

[Bugbear]

Recently the (Cinelli cork) handle bar tape on my tandem trike gave up (the cork is comfortable, but
fragile in the long term)

Unwinding the tape left a large amount of nasty, sticky gunge. I tried to pick it off, but
it's - sticky.

I tried alcohol (metholated spririt). This softened it, and over the course of 15 minutes, I managed
to semi-clean one side of the bars.

I asked my local LBS, and they use some kind of "buffer compound", sold for cleaning inner tubes
prior to applying a patch. Sniffing this suggested something familiar.

When I got home, I snuck the (superdrug own brand) nail varnish remover (main ingredient acetone,
which is what I smelt in the LBS) out of the bedroom.

I wiped a rag wet with acetone over the adhesive; waited 30 seconds and wiped again.

Almost all the adhesive came off in one wipe. A coupla' minutes later, the entire bars were clean,
bare, shiny, scratch free metal.

Summary: nail varnish remover works very well on old Cinelli handlebar tape adhesive.

BugBeasr

 

[Just Zis Guy]

"bugbear" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...

> Summary: nail varnish remover works very well on old Cinelli handlebar tape adhesive.

I find that lighter fuel also makes a good cleaner for sticky stuff. And I have a pot of stuff
called "sticky stuff remover" which is the product par excellence

--
Guy
===
I wonder if you wouldn't mind piecing out our imperfections with your thoughts; and while you're
about it perhaps you could think when we talk of bicycles, that you see them printing their proud
wheels i' the receiving earth; thanks awfully.

 

[Pete Biggs]

WD40 does the job if don't have or want to use anything stronger.

~PB

 

[Bugbear]

"Just zis Guy, you know?" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:<[email protected]>...
> "bugbear" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>
> > Summary: nail varnish remover works very well on old Cinelli handlebar tape adhesive.
>
> I find that lighter fuel also makes a good cleaner for sticky stuff. And I have a pot of stuff
> called "sticky stuff remover" which is the product par excellence

Well, the reason I posted is that I've always used Meths or isopropyl alcohol (the stuff you use for
tape heads etc) to get price label residue off. Both work well on label glue.

Neither worked on the tape residue, to my great frustration.

BugBear

 

[Tim Woodall]

On 12 Jun 2003 03:51:13 -0700, bugbear <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> Well, the reason I posted is that I've always used Meths or isopropyl alcohol (the stuff you use
> for tape heads etc) to get price label residue off. Both work well on label glue.
>

You don't want to be found with isopropyl alcohol in this day and age and certainly don't want to
try and buy it. After all, the BBC has recently had an article on how nerve agent precursors can be
bought by mail order using only a credit card. Why on earth would anybody want to buy them?

They will probably start on choline next. After all it can be used to produce nerve agents far more
toxic than sarin.

http://www.supplementwatch.com/supatoz/supplement.asp?supplementId=81
http://www.iraqwatch.org/wmd/chemical.html

OK so iraq had it in ton lots while you probably shouldn't take more than about 1 pound per year as
a supplement.

Regards,

Tim.

--
God said, "div D = rho, div B = 0, curl E = - @B/@t, curl H = J + @D/@t," and there was light.

http://tjw.hn.org/ http://www.locofungus.btinternet.co.uk/

 

[Ian]

You can buy it at boots over the counter, it is also known as video head cleaning fluid. The best
stuff I've found for cleaning off adhesives is unleaded petrol.

> From: Tim Woodall <[email protected]> Organization: TJWSoftware Reply-To:
> [email protected] Newsgroups: uk.rec.cycling Date: Thu, 12 Jun 2003 12:56:42 +0000 (UTC)
> Subject: Re: removing old handlebar tape adhesive - tip
>
> On 12 Jun 2003 03:51:13 -0700, bugbear <[email protected]> wrote:
>>
>> Well, the reason I posted is that I've always used Meths or isopropyl alcohol (the stuff you use
>> for tape heads etc) to get price label residue off. Both work well on label glue.
>>
>
> You don't want to be found with isopropyl alcohol in this day and age and certainly don't want to
> try and buy it. After all, the BBC has recently had an article on how nerve agent precursors can
> be bought by mail order using only a credit card. Why on earth would anybody want to buy them?
>
> They will probably start on choline next. After all it can be used to produce nerve agents far
> more toxic than sarin.
>
> http://www.supplementwatch.com/supatoz/supplement.asp?supplementId=81
> http://www.iraqwatch.org/wmd/chemical.html
>
> OK so iraq had it in ton lots while you probably shouldn't take more than about 1 pound per year
> as a supplement.
>
> Regards,
>
> Tim.
>
>
> --
> God said, "div D = rho, div B = 0, curl E = - @B/@t, curl H = J + @D/@t," and there was light.
>
> http://tjw.hn.org/ http://www.locofungus.btinternet.co.uk/

 

[Bugbear]

Ian <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<BB0E37C0.4D16%[email protected]>...
> You can buy it at boots over the counter, it is also known as video head cleaning fluid.

Agreed, although boring, mundane Isopropyl Alcohol becomes much more expensive when packaged and
branded for this purpose.

A bit like the tiny little bottles of expensive "cricket bat oil" you can buy in sport shops,
compared to the nice big, cheap bottles of raw linseed oil you can buy in (proper) hardware stores.

BugBear

 

[Ian]

That's why I suggest the pharmacy counter at Boots, vets buy it to clean their examining tables
apparantly.

Ian

> From: [email protected] (bugbear) Organization: http://groups.google.com/ Newsgroups:
> uk.rec.cycling Date: 16 Jun 2003 02:42:11 -0700 Subject: Re: removing old handlebar tape
> adhesive - tip
>
> Ian <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<BB0E37C0.4D16%[email protected]>...
>> You can buy it at boots over the counter, it is also known as video head cleaning fluid.
>
> Agreed, although boring, mundane Isopropyl Alcohol becomes much more expensive when packaged and
> branded for this purpose.
>
> A bit like the tiny little bottles of expensive "cricket bat oil" you can buy in sport
> shops, compared to the nice big, cheap bottles of raw linseed oil you can buy in (proper)
> hardware stores.
>
> BugBear