Originally Posted by
Salamandrine
Anyone remember the loop around the brake lever method that used to be used when many levers did not come with hoods? It was sort of a variation of the figure 8 method, and it also worked well with mafac half hoods. It's been so long I've forgotten how to do it. I remember some people hilariously still trying to wrap bars that way when thicker tape came out.
These days I always use cut strips for the gap, and don't bother with a figure 8. It's not needed if you're careful. Besides, there isn't enough tape on a velox roll to do a Cinelli
#66 bar if you do that extra loop.
BTW, yeah it's true. In vintage days many bikes were sold brand new with no brake hoods at all.
Yup, I remember that. My 1976 Motobecane had naked metal brakes. I got some thick rubbery bar wrap used to tame vibration on power tools, etc., and used it with that convoluted wrap around the brakes. I don't recall the technique, just something I picked up from a magazine article and trial and error.