Having a rather modest government type paycheck I am always on the prowl for a bargain.... This is this weeks instalment of "Cheap [censored] works on his bike."
I was cruising Meg-A-Low mart placing myself in various situations that could possibly lead to a personal injury law-suit... No action cooking so I meandered over to the fabric and craft type area (you can usually find the place chocked full of robust women weilding scissors.) Still no luck on the personal injury but I did find some polyester tape in black, available in various widths. It was only thirty-once cents a yard so I grabbed a couple of dollars worth.
Back at the Muschmann compound with my booty I grabbed a can of clear spray enamel, some Elmers spray adheasive and a cold beer. I sprayed the adheasive on the bars, stuck some old cork wrap on the drops for padding and went to wrapping. When I was finished I soaked the polyester tape down with the clear enamel and hung everything up to dry overnight. I drank the beer and a couple of his buddies. The next morning I sontered over to check the job and it looked great.
Anyway, This is a cheap twist if you are a cloth tape type of guy.
Having a rather modest government type paycheck I am always on the prowl for a bargain.... This is this weeks instalment of "Cheap [censored] works on his bike."
I was cruising Meg-A-Low mart placing myself in various situations that could possibly lead to a personal injury law-suit... No action cooking so I meandered over to the fabric and craft type area (you can usually find the place chocked full of robust women weilding scissors.) Still no luck on the personal injury but I did find some polyester tape in black, available in various widths. It was only thirty-once cents a yard so I grabbed a couple of dollars worth.
Back at the Muschmann compound with my booty I grabbed a can of clear spray enamel, some Elmers spray adheasive and a cold beer. I sprayed the adheasive on the bars, stuck some old cork wrap on the drops for padding and went to wrapping. When I was finished I soaked the polyester tape down with the clear enamel and hung everything up to dry overnight. I drank the beer and a couple of his buddies. The next morning I sontered over to check the job and it looked great.
Anyway, This is a cheap twist if you are a cloth tape type of guy.
Having a rather modest government type paycheck I am always on the prowl for a bargain.... This is this weeks instalment of "Cheap [censored] works on his bike."
I was cruising Meg-A-Low mart placing myself in various situations that could possibly lead to a personal injury law-suit... No action cooking so I meandered over to the fabric and craft type area (you can usually find the place chocked full of robust women weilding scissors.) Still no luck on the personal injury but I did find some polyester tape in black, available in various widths. It was only thirty-once cents a yard so I grabbed a couple of dollars worth.
Back at the Muschmann compound with my booty I grabbed a can of clear spray enamel, some Elmers spray adheasive and a cold beer. I sprayed the adheasive on the bars, stuck some old cork wrap on the drops for padding and went to wrapping. When I was finished I soaked the polyester tape down with the clear enamel and hung everything up to dry overnight. I drank the beer and a couple of his buddies. The next morning I sontered over to check the job and it looked great.
Anyway, This is a cheap twist if you are a cloth tape type of guy.
Harvey - Ameritard at Large
Another cheap option is to use old innertubes. They are suprisingly comfortable (for the cost) and you can add a layer of cloth tape on top if you really want to spoil yourself.
Another cheap option is to use old innertubes. They are suprisingly comfortable (for the cost) and you can add a layer of cloth tape on top if you really want to spoil yourself.
You know, I ALMOST did that, But I didn't want to junk up my bike..... with the fresh Krylon paint job and all. 😉
On Tue, 03 Aug 2004 16:18:01 GMT, "Har-VEE" <[email hidden]>
Quoted message said:
Quoted message said:
Another cheap option is to use old innertubes. They are suprisingly comfortable (for the cost) and you can add a layer of cloth tape on top if you really want to spoil yourself.
You know, I ALMOST did that, But I didn't want to junk up my bike..... with the fresh Krylon paint job and all. 😉
Ugh.... Don't wrap the frame, just wrap the handlebars [G]
Another cheap option is to use old innertubes. They are suprisingly comfortable (for the cost) and you can add a layer of cloth tape on top if you really want to spoil yourself.
Old innertubes are pretty handy for a variety of things. I've used them to make "hoods" for old, non-aero brake levers, or to wrap sections of bars. I don't like the smell of rubber on my hands, and it can be slippery, so I wrap a layer of regular bar tape over it.
While I like nice bar tape like Cinelli, it's pricey, fragile, and tough to unwrap without tearing. I've found that some of the cheaper look-alike stuff is almost as comfortable and much more durable, making it a better choice for utility bikes.
Old innertubes are pretty handy for a variety of things. I've used them to make "hoods" for old, non-aero brake levers, or to wrap sections of bars. I don't like the smell of rubber on my hands, and it can be slippery, so I wrap a layer of regular bar tape over it.
With a sharp pair of scissors, split a blown-out 700c inner tube into two pieces. This makes a pretty comfy bar wrap, i did it on a huffy bike for only one summer of usage. Inner-tubes are flexible enough that they could be wrapped across the brake levers (extensions removed) to make pseudo-hoods and then you may continue wrapping the rest of the bars with the same innertube.
A good choice when normal handlebar tapes costs 25% of the value of the (huffy) bicycle.
[email hidden] (Donald Gillies) wrote in message [...]
Quoted message said:
With a sharp pair of scissors, split a blown-out 700c inner tube into two pieces. This makes a pretty comfy bar wrap, i did it on a huffy bike for only one summer of usage. Inner-tubes are flexible enough that they could be wrapped across the brake levers (extensions removed) to make pseudo-hoods and then you may continue wrapping the rest of the bars with the same innertube.
A good choice when normal handlebar tapes costs 25% of the value of the (huffy) bicycle.
Indeed. On my beater bike in grad school, I used inner tube as the handle bar wrap and then stuffed corks into the bar ends to hold the inner tube wrap. It looked pretty cool.
The problem is that inner tube degrades with exposure to the elements, it eventually gets gummy and leaves black residue on your hands. It also dry-rots and peels off the handlebars. You have re-wrap much more frequently than if you use regular tape.
Its not a surprise that inner-tube-wrapped bikes in NYC look so damn ugly.
