no67el

Anyone have any experience removing and then re-stitching leather bar wrap?





I recently stumbled on a cool Fuji S-12s, one with seat tube decals reading "10th Anniversary" instead of S12-S LTD. It came with some nice upgrades including a triple crank and a Suntour BL long cage rear and Mountech front derailleur...... and some nice stitched leather bar wrap. This is my first experience with leather wrap, and I think it looks pretty cool--- the feel when riding is quite hard, but the touch is nice. I am using this to try out the 650b experience, and so far it's been pretty fun..... Tektro 559 calipers managed the change from 27" wheel down to the 650b (just barely), and they are working great with the old levers... brake feel is actually pretty lively and strong, so I'm happy.

Only wrinkle: I need about 1-2 cm longer stem to dial the fit better. Ordinarily this would be no big deal, and I actually have a Nitto stem which is perfect for the job... but how to install? Am I going to sacrifice the nicely burnished leather wrap, or can I get this off in a non-destructive way, and can I re-stitch the wrap back on afterward?

This is a lot more involved than just re-wrapping bars, so I'm kind of stymied at the moment. Thoughts or previous experience much appreciated!

N

jiangshi

Start by leveling the saddle. A Regal should be level. It's not a Brooks.

Restitching is a fools errand. It is a waste of time. Buy new leather if that's what you want. or try a different bar /stem combo and make sure of the fit before you commit.

tricky 

No harm in trying it, but be prepared to buy new leather. I'd put some proofhide on it before you remove it to soften it up.

no67el

Hey Jiangshi--- um, thanks for the saddle advice on my bar-wrap topic?

Or are you just trying to prove our boomer-trolling friend in the above thread correct? That would be a funny joke.

Bike fit is pretty personal, wouldn't you say? I've been riding Regals for 20+ years, and they are by far my favorite saddle, to the point that I buy them whenever I find them for a reasonable price. They work best for me with a veeeeery slight upward tilt. I'm still dialing in the bike above, and yeah maybe the tilt is too much--- but as I said, I'm dealing with a too-short stem which is definitely pushing me back a bit. I also don't love how far back the saddle is jammed on the rails. However, I did 35 miles on this bike yesterday and all felt pretty good--- I bet when I get a longer stem the saddle nose comes down, the saddle slides forward 1 cm, and things will sort out just fine.

Ultimately, no one has to ride my bikes but me, so if you want your Regal dead level, more power to you... I've tried it.

I'm not love with the leather to the point that I'd buy new stuff if re-stitching doesn't work. This is a $50 bike that I'd really like have a longer stem on, end of story.

Was just curious if anyone else had tried re-installing old leather wraps. If not, I'm perfectly happy to make my own way and pay the price of my experience-- all the best learning I've done has come the hard way, and we are just talking about handlebar tape in the end.

This bike has already been tons of fun. Going to take it over some Vermont Class 4 roads tomorrow...

Cheers,

N

nlerner

That bike looks like lots of fun. Nice job! I’ve never tried to reuse that old stitched leather tape, but I have removed some from bikes of that era, and it was really stiff and difficult to work with. Leather experts on BF, such as rhm might have advice on how to soften it up before trying to reinstall (I’d probably try spraying it with warm water).

no67el

Thanks nlerner--- it's been an interesting bike to get sorted so far, and the ability to ride smooth pavement at a decent speed combined with wider rubber to handle gravel and what Vermont likes to call "class 4 roads" (which are often just washed-out rocky stream beds) with a 38-year lower-level bike is just really, really fun.

I had to file down the upper limit stop tab on the Suntour BL rear mech to get it to travel far enough to cover the SRAM 8-speed cassette on the wheels, and it's using ALL the cable throw the Suntour ratchets have--- and even with that, it only comfortably shifts into the 32 sprocket when I'm on the little ring up front. Maybe a real 8-speed chain would help, but the one that came on the bike is so unworn that I hate to just take it off...

I know that some of the makers of leather bar wrap recommended wetting the leather before installing, so I may try that, thanks. I'm just the bane of vintage bar coverings lately--- I pulled some pristine Spenco rubber stuff off of a Motobecane earlier this summer. Tried to like it since it was so period, and in such good condition.... but no.

Tomorrow's ride plan:

rhm

I can't see the stitching on your photos (at least I can't see it on the screen of my phone, ) but I know that type of bar tape. I have not had the experience of removing (let alone reusing) it, but I'm sure it's worth a try. I did put leather similar to that on that old Drysdale I restored.

As ​​​nlerner suggests, get it good and wet, then carefully cut the stitching. Water should soften it up nicely.

Before you take it off, have your needle and thread ready. Take the leather off, take the brake lever off, change the stem, and get ready to put the leather back on. That's the tricky bit!

When you take it off, you have to put it back on before it dries out or loses its shape. Stitch up the whole tube, leaving the gap for the brake lever, without the handlebar. Leave the stitches very loose, like at least 1 cm extra thread on each stitch. Then slide it on, and slide the brake lever on in its place. Use more water as needed. When the leather is more or less where you want it, tighten the lever where it belongs. Now you start tightening up the thread, pull out the excess a little bit at a time while manipulating the leather back to where it was. Should be a fun project!

If the leather tears while you're getting it off, cut your losses. It may not be salvageable.

Good luck!

nlerner

Nice! A buddy and I were seriously considering coming up to VT to ride part of the Gravel Growler trail, but various COVID restrictions made it too difficult to plan. Hopefully next year. Speaking of class 4 roads, have you seen this? https://bikepacking.com/plog/diy-gra...ty-kanza-film/

no67el

Thanks for the guidance RHM! Great to hear from the leather experts here.... I will give it a try.

nlerner: yes, I saw Ted King's youtube film of his crazy long day..... pretty amazing. That route looks HARD---I was thinking I might try it but take 3 or 4 days, just bivvy camping at night. Ted is a pretty amazing rider--- I chase him on Strava and Komoot. (and by "chase" I mean I try to do about half the mileage he does, at half the speed). ;-)

Thanks all....

N

Lascauxcaveman 

Since it's not a saddle and won't be stressed, I'd be open to trying all the stuff that you shouldn't ever use on saddles. Neets foot or what have you, to go ahead and soften up the leather prior to restitching. Looks like it could use a re-dying too.

fadlinaya

nice bike

pastorbobnlnh 

Hello Vermonter across the Connecticut River!

Stitching up leather on bars is not difficult. Over the winter I made my own (along with hoods for Dura Ace AX levers) from goatskin and below are the results. I did not use rhm 's great advice above to pre-stich a tube and slide it over the bar end loose before tightening. I actually sewed mine directly to the bar and then came back and sewed on the lever hoods. The top photo shows the hood in an earlier variation. The bottom photo shows the hoods in their final form with all the stitching in place.




There are several different styles of stitching you can use. Probably the most popular is the baseball stitch (which as you can see I did not use). You can find many YouTube videos describing how sew this common and other stitches.

The key is to stretch the leather into place for a good fit. Since your leather is already (and has been for many decades) pre-stretched, I'd be conservative on using any kind of conditioner on the leather.

Best of luck on your project and IMO your saddle looks just fine!

USAZorro

Leather and elkhide are two different critters. Leather is going to be stiff, and some sort of soaking will be necessary. Elkhide will be quite pliable - possibly to the point that it wouldn't hold to any shape on its own, and if this is what you have, attempting to pre-stitch it in the manner rhm suggests could be a more challenging technique than would be stitching it all up while on the bar. Note that you'll be committed to placing the brake levers where they were - but from your posts, it didn't sound like that is an issue.

Good luck.

SurferRosa

My advice ...

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Fizik-Road-...oAAOSwWw9ctaY-
.

no67el

Thanks SurferRosa, that Fizik microtex is nice stuff! I have it on another bike and I like it a lot--- certainly gives a leather-ish look and feel with a lot less hassle. We'll see how the removal goes--- if the leather is still in decent shape when I get it off, I may try re-lacing just for the challenge.

Or I may get bored and decide to just go ride....!


Thanks all...