cranky old road 

Bought a used Terry Classic for the wife several years ago but she thinks it's too big. I bought a Handsome Mixte frame that I want to build up for her as a hybrid. The Terry has Campy 8 speed components with Campy thumb-shifters on steel riser bars. I'd like to buy alloy bars and transfer the shifters to them but I don't know how to remove the grips. They seem to be hard plastic with a foam tube around them. They are kind of nice and in good shape so non-destructive removal would be cool but any suggestions would be helpful. I can take photos when I find my camera if that would be helpful.

wschruba

Compressed air blower underneath the edge of a grip, or in the hole in the end of the grip (plug the other with your free thumb).

dabac

noglider 

Compressors are not easy to come by.

Use a thin, long screwdriver and a bottle of spray cleanup fluid such as Fantastik. Pry the grip up a little and spray in as deeply as you can. Then move the screwdriver to the opposite side of the grip. Keep working the screwdriver in deeper so you can reach deeper with the spray. Eventually, you will lubricate the surfaces enough to be able to twist the grip off.

You can really use any liquid, even water. Oily things will take longer to dry, and some won't ever stop being slippery. Some claim that hairspray is best because it goes on slippery and turns to glue, but I have not found it to be better than water. Fantastik is really fine.

cranky old road 

Thanks guys. I do have a compressor and will give it a try. I'll try Tom's method if the air doesn't work. Can't try it tonight, the compressor and I will scare my wife's cats out of the garage.

2cam16

I always use some isopropyl alcohol. Poke a thin screwdriver, pour a bit, wait a few seconds and should come off easily. For tough installs I do the same.

CliffordK

I have a Novara that has a hard plastic covered with what is now slime. I just tossed the bars aside as they didn't meet my needs. But, perhaps I'll play around with them later, although the "slime" is bad.

I think the problem with several of the methods suggested above is that they require space below the grips, which the hard plastic prevents. Shoving in a screwdriver would be more likely to crack the plastic.

The alcohol might help.

Baboo

EdwinHeadwind

Unnecessary. Just use a can of compressed air.

noglider 

I find those to be so wasteful and expensive for what they are. For dusting out computers, I got a plug-in blower.

Andrew R Stewart 

This! My co workers like compressed air but I think it's because they can make noise with it. I slide a 2mm hex wrench shaft under the grip and spray Clean Streak. Andy

JonathanGennick 

The hex wrench is a great idea. Trying that next time.

Jeff Wills

Compressed air works great. BITD, we'd remove BMX grips by sticking an inflation needle in one grip and pressurizing the handlebar. The opposite grip would blow off, usually at high speed. Teenage bike shop antics...

Good to know you're nice to cats.

rseeker

I was just thinking that exact thing: great idea. Less likely than a bladed screwdriver to gouge the inside of the grip. I'm trying the hex wrench next time.

Crankycrank

Hard plastic grips may come off with some heat from a hairdryer or pour boiling water over them. Heat also helps to soften up most adhesives.

zebede

hex wrench and window cleaner. It has many uses in the shop.

hhk25

If you use compressed air, make sure you wear eye protection. I've had old grips explode with bits of plastic shrapnel flying through the air.

Shimagnolo

When I replace motorcycle handlebars, I just dip the left one into a glass of boiling water for a few minutes to soften it up, then pull it off by hand.
(The righthand grip unbolts with the throttle mechanism.)

cranky old road 

Tried drilling a hole in the end of one grip and then putting 100 psi through it with no movement. Then was able to get the grips to rotate after injecting first alcohol and then silicone spray under them using a very small screwdriver. Still couldn't pull them off until I put the air nozzle back on and blew the opposite grip across the garage. I used a washer to block the now open end of the bars and put the air nozzle in the washer's center. The second grip came off after repeated air and rotation by hand. Thanks for all of the suggestions. I had considered using heat prior to reading those suggestions, but didn't follow through: no hair dryer and concern that boiling water would ruin the foam.

DimplePimple

Multiple plastic zip-ties works good too.

Jeff Wills

If you've used silicone on the grips, I would throw them away. There's no way you'll get them to stay on handlebars now. In fact, you should clean the handlebars thoroughly with alcohol so grips will stay put afterwards. Having a grip come off while riding is not a good thing at all.

JoeTBM 

JoeTBM 

I never had to resort to using air but decided yesterday to try it on some extraordinary stuck grips that I wanted to salvage off a junker bike so I tried my 3 gal 100 psi compressor.

The grip flew so far I had trouble finding it

I'll never struggle again, thanks

cranky old road 

Thanks. I never intended to reuse the steel handlebars. The alcohol and 100 psi didn't get me anywhere, so I used the silicone judiciously hoping it wouldn't penetrate far under the grips and that I might be able to re-use them after some cleaning. I'll proceed with extreme caution.