Should I skin this Pivo Motobecane randonneur cockpit?
 

Should I skin this Pivo Motobecane randonneur cockpit? The bars are different from the other vintage rando bars I've looked at. I think I would try them with the ramps horizontal. The drops extend realy far back and theres not a lot of flare which is what i like about the Gerry B bars. The rubber faux rubber I'm fine with asteticaly, but I'm a little concerned that there might be corrosion underneath. They don't look like the lived outside much.
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...025d647c58.jpg
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...48a097a622.jpg
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...6dea0bd727.jpg

Eerps...
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...360d9ca9c7.jpg

Is the clamp area 25.0 or 25.4? You could skin them and use a different stem. Of find a nice old Motobecane frame...

That original rubber tape is just gross.

Sorry/not sorry. ymmv.

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...8be6aaf1f2.jpg
double errps..there is a super mirage in the attic though. Bars are heading back to the when and if pile.

Perhaps a layer of cloth on top of the rubber? Adjusting the lever position might be a deal breaker though.

I've removed that stuff before and would do it again. Not a fan.

But, you can carefully cut around the hoods and have yourself a decent pair of branded hoods for your ride.

I'll adopt a contrarian viewpoint. I think you should leave it alone and find someone who wants it for their Motobecane restoration. Just build yourself a new cockpit. I did that with our Motobecane Grand Touring mixte. It didn't take long to find someone who wanted it.

I'm with smontanaro Everybody needs/wants a bar stem with turkey levers wearing a rubber right? I'll bet it protects the handlebar from rust and Covid.

Someone will want this for a French build.

Every time I see those, I think "bring out the GIMP!"

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...437edc0e0.jpeg

If you have compressed air and some soapy water, those should be able to be removed intact. I'd probably try to save them if possible, only because it was the late 70s Motobecane thing, and there's not that many left.

I had those on my Super Mirage as a kid, and they were fine. Did my first century on them, no gloves of course, and my hands didn't fall off or anything. I prefer cotton tape and actual rubber hoods though. Obviously these slip on covers were an imitation version of stitched on leather bar wraps and hoods.

As I recall, there are no clamps for the brake lever housings, only a hole in the bars, a reinforced and threaded hole, mind you. But that hole, makes it impossible to install a new stem.

Now, I might be wrong about what I remember, but were I you, I would first feel for a clamp band. If none there, I would keep the bars as they are and find something else.

I looks/feels like there's a band under the rubber. I'm not sure how that would effect the idea of getting the grips off on one piece. I'll hold on to the set up as is with the intention to try them on the Super Mirage.

My one-time experience with this "Moto onesie" is that it would not come off in one piece (without major struggle) and ended up frustrated so used the Stanley knife. That got it off.

I think they'd come off quickly with compressed air. Without compressed air, it would be a struggle. Honestly though, I always thought they were kind of tacky and kitschy compared to cotton tape. Nowadays they are rare and vintage kitsch, and a bit nostalgic for some of us. My first good bike had them...

For anyone that hasn't used air to remove grips, you simply stick the air nozzle in one end, use your thumb to plug the vent hole at the other end, and squeeze the trigger. Something is coming off, and quick. Might take a little more trouble to do this with Motobecane onesies, on account of the big leak holes around the brake levers, but I think it would still work. Sneaking some soapy water in there will help.

BTW. Those are just regular Weinmann brake levers. They have a band. I'm pretty sure the levers could be removed without moving the onesie grips. The band would stay obviously, and the turkey levers need to come off first.

Don't know if OP's rig is any different; speaking of my 78 Grand Jubilé, the wraps come off with little effort if you shoot some WD40 underneath at the top and work it down to the closed end. There are posts for the brakes but the rubber stretches over them.
I've changed the stem multiple times, the opening in the stem fits around the post.

There dose appear to be some sort of adhesive squeezed out from under the ends of the grips.

That looked like leather bar covering at a glance. If it feels comfortable, and if you're ok with the brake lever placement, and the aesthetics, why get rid of them? The bar is alloy, so there shouldn't be corrosion concerns.

I had a bike with those, and covered the rubber with cotton bar tape. That was a pretty nice setup.

I used to think the same about aluminum bars until I heard a few horror stories. Those stories are quite rare.

Aluminum will corrode with the best of them. Depends on conditions of course, but to say alloy won't is inaccurate. Here is a set of bars that came on my Colnago, and had what I presume was original, or very old hand stitched leather covers.
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...b92c28241c.jpg
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...7b8b36b689.jpg

Note the deep pitting just under where the brake clamp was mounted. It goes nearly all the way through the tubing wall. There are several pits just pike that all over these bars. I replaced them immediately with brand new 66's.