How To Cushion Handlebar When You Can't Replace Handgrips?
 

I have a 1970s three-speed bike that has a twist grip shifter and matching handgrip on the non-shifting side. I want to add cushioning to the handlebars because the stock grips offer minimal cushioning. I also need to retain the original twist shifting mechanism. Would a foam grip expand enough to fit on the 31 mm diameter shifter? The non-shifting handgrip is approximately 28 mm in diameter. Maybe cushioning tape over the shifter and the non-shifting grip? Thanks for any ideas on this.



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Have you tried gel-padded gloves?

I used to use weightlifter's gloves before I eventually padded my bars. the weightlifting gloves had more padding than cycling gloves.

For the last dozen years I have been padding my bars with foam pipe insulation. I get the kind that looks like grey "pool noodles" but it is not as thick. The only issue would be if would grip the existing grip enough to twist, and if it would hold up to the torquing, and if it could be gripped enough to twist the shifter.

One other thing I did for a while before padding the bars was to stuff a dr.sholls heel pad (or two) in my bike gloves. I also did that with my batting gloves for softball.

You may also want to look at non-slip advesive drawer and shelf liner from the hardware store. It's the kind with soft little rubber bumps. You could cut it to shape and wrap it as many times as necessary...that might work well for twisting the shifter.
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Got an old tube that could be cut and slipped over the grips?

Thanks for the ideas, you've given me some options to try. In an effort to reduce pressure on the hands, I already had raised the handlebars. The rider said that helped reduce pressure on the grips, but feels some sort of modern handgrip cushioning is still needed.

nice hydrangeas!

Thanks for noticing the hydrangeas. Two weeks ago they were at their brightest. Now starting to fade. Wish the white lasted longer.

RE: the handlebar cushions, I jury-rigged some cushions on to the existing handgrips. The cost for the cushions used was $10 for a weighted jump rope from Walmart, which was my donor for the cushions. I could have gone with cushions from a $5 weighted jump rope from Dollar General, or cushions from $4 hand weights from a thrift store, but those two options were damaged as I learned how to do this. Things I learned were:

1. My neatest, but not perfect was achieved by using a sharp bread knife. If anyone knows the secret to getting a perfectly straight cut in foam, please share the secret.

2. I soaked the cushions in hot water (200 degrees F) for about 1 minute before installing to make them more pliable

3. I tore cushions by overstretching. This was a prestretch to loosen the cushion prior to installing. I got too enthusiastic and ripped the foam. I think warming the cushions in hot water instead of pre-stretching was the best way to go.

The cushions from the Dollar General jump rope were styled with indented colored rings in the black foam. The indents look nice, but the foam is thinner at the indents, and that's where they tore as I pulled the cushions over the existing grips. I did not warm these grips in hot water prior to installation. They may have installed fine if they had been warmed first.

Here is what the cushions look like on the bike. From the back, you can still see the original white grips, but I am not going to attempt to conceal them. The rider is happy with the bike now, saying the previous hand/wrist discomfort while riding the bike is gone. That was the goal with this experiment, so I am going to quit while I am ahead.

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Htfu!

I have wrist neuropathies that annoy , and while your solutions are more elegant, I have been known to use pipe insulation and pool noodles
as padding.
They are good for trials when seeing what makes a difference

Hadn't thought about pipe insulation, and I have some laying around, too. Another option would have been padded grip tape like the type at https://esigrips.com/

In the long run, this rider will probably end up with a comfort bike where the seat tube is lower than the head tube, like a Giant Cypress DX. The raised handlebar design looks like it would minimize stress on the wrists. I'm guessing a suspension fork would help, too.