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Leather bar wrap?

Old 08-17-20, 04:40 PM
  #1  
Thruhiker 
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Leather bar wrap?

First I would like to state I searched this forum even useing the advanced search. I would of thought this subject had been covered. I'm sorry if it has I couldnt find anything
I was wondering what your opinions on leather bar wrap/tape are? I would like to hear opinions from individuals who use it while touring without wearing gloves. I dont usually wear gloves due to the fact that either i left them at the last stop 17 miles back or there in my tent in its stuff sack in the pannier. Is perforated better or is solid? How is it in cold weather (20⁰ F) or so?
I raise my own beef and have a few hides I've tanned . I'll be making the wrap myself so the cost doesnt matter. I appreciate anyone's opinion who has had experience with leather wrap.
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Old 08-17-20, 05:50 PM
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(Two quick comments, first I've often found the search function here frustrating, so it ain't you. Secondly, some bike gloves have sufficient and well placed gel sections that really do help with long day, bumpy road comfort, so don't completely give up on them"--- although i sure as heck can't help you not losing them! )

hope you get some experienced comments. I've never used it, figuring the cork type stuff with so many options with different cushioning would be more comfortable. I've also wondered how leather bar tape is after being in heavy rain, tacky? Stay wet a long time? Yesterday I rode through a few hours of torrential thunderstorms, would it still be wet today?
Am curious to see what folks who use it say.
cheers Mr hiker
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Old 08-17-20, 06:01 PM
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You are free to choose this , I chose differently but I wont sway your curiosity ,
you can even go to a bike shop in the middle of your trip and put something else on.

I have been the guy in the shop doing that for other people.. who wanted something else..
not necessarily leather..
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Old 08-17-20, 08:24 PM
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Haven't yet wrapped bike bar but I love leather grip tape on my tennis racquets, only the top end racquets get leather & they're many more times more expensive than synthetics.

Leather grips are made to be absorbent to soak sweat. Need to be airdried afterwards to avoid mold & stink.

But if you want leather to be more weatherproof, wax/oil it like a hiking boot...?
(Or be like the Brooks boys who cover their saddles with plastic bag if there's ever any chance of rain.)
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Old 08-17-20, 09:00 PM
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Originally Posted by djb
(Two quick comments, first I've often found the search function here frustrating, so it ain't you.
I'll often let Google search for me by adding "site:bike forums.net" to the search, so it comes out like:
https://www.google.com/search?q=leat...bikeforums.net

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Old 08-17-20, 09:04 PM
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https://www.renehersecycles.com/shop...andlebar-tape/

If you can make something like that, I will be impressed (and a potential customer).
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Old 08-17-20, 09:47 PM
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I use leather tapes for golf grips made by Gripmaster. The tapes are parafin infused so they stay tacky and don't absorb water. I normally get them from the Sewell's in Conroe, Texas. They are not cheap but they do the job better than most options. JMHO, Smiles, MH
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Old 08-17-20, 10:25 PM
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Originally Posted by Mad Honk
parafin infused
A handlebar tape and a chain lube.
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Old 08-18-20, 02:19 AM
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Just wanted to add I used Brooks leather bar tape and while it looks the part, it is a pain in the ass to wrap because it doesn't stretch without breaking or delaminates if you remove the tape to move it around a bit leaving ugly marks.
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Old 08-18-20, 01:25 PM
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I have been using the same Brooks bar tape for nine years so far. It has been removed and rewrapped numerous times, and has been on two different bars. I have no complaints. There are other brands offering leather bar tape as well. Use leather conditioner on it once in a while. I probably do it once a year or when I think to do so. It has held up well.

If you want it cushier, get two sets of the leather bar tape, and wrap the bars first with some cushy bar tape of your choice, then wrap over that with the leather. You would have to use more than one set of leather bar tape to cover the underlying tape, but it will be comfortable, just more pricey.
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Old 08-19-20, 01:40 AM
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recently bought some brooks leather tape. so cool. love it. can't speak for the longevity yet.

search function did not work for me until axolotl was kind enough to pass on the following:

I only do searches in these forums using the "Advanced Search" option.

Search->Advanced Search->Keyword(s): "C&O" (select: Search Titles Only) search in "Touring" forum only: Voila, 127 discussions in this single forum with "C&O" in the title. They should keep you busy for a while.
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Old 08-19-20, 04:46 AM
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How suitable leather is will depend on how it is tanned, how it is treated, and what animal it comes from. The leather bar tape I tried years ago I did not like. It was slippery when wet, took forever to dry, and wasn't anything special comfort wise to start with.

Other leather bar tape may be much better, but I suspect that the average cow hide as it is usually tanned won't be great unless you figure out a treatment to use on it that enhances it's properties in wet conditions.

Personally I wear gloves pretty much any time I ride, but I find cork tape comfortable with or without gloves. Ditto for some of the synthetic tape, but they are more hit or miss.

As far as gloves go, I raced off road motorcycles and mountain bikes for years and had a pair of much prized deer skin gloves that I really loved. They were soft and stayed that way after much abuse even in wet muddy conditions. I never found another pair like them. They had no padding (other than hard rubber guard strips sewn on the backs of the hands) and were not intended as bicycle gloves, but I'd love to gave a pair of bicycle gloves made from that leather.

Most of my bike gloves seem to have the leather treated somehow for wet conditions and the nice ones all seem to cost a bundle.
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Old 08-25-20, 06:10 PM
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I use the Brooks leather bar tape on my Trek 520, but the bike is used mainly as a commuter bike. So I can say it is fine for shorter rides (11-16 miles). The longest ride I've done on this bike is 55 miles. It is not as cushioned as synthetic bar tapes, but I now have some bar specific gel pads under the leather. It's a little better. I do find the leather tape to last a lot longer than the synthetic wrappings. Besides, if you have a Brooks saddle, then you can match the leather bar tape with your saddle. Sweet!
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Old 08-26-20, 08:50 AM
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Comments after riding the rainy season, using leather tape ?
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Old 08-26-20, 11:10 AM
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I had tennis racquet style wrap on my Mooney for many years and a lot of miles. Loved it. Crashed and ripped it early on. I just wrapped the repair with waxed polyester twine in a sailor's whip. Those three whips were just part of the wrap. I loved the grip. Now, it wasn't thick enough to be "padding" and I never went more than a mile bare hands. but it was certainly up to it.

I envy you, having access to leather. I go to Portland Leather to have them cut me strips to re-leather toestraps.
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Old 08-26-20, 11:13 AM
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Originally Posted by fietsbob
Comments after riding the rainy season, using leather tape ?
I have no issues in the rain with my leather bar tape, in fact, I prefer it over other materials, it doesn't get slick like others. It's held up for nine solid years of rain and sun.
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Old 08-26-20, 11:15 AM
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Originally Posted by fietsbob
Comments after riding the rainy season, using leather tape ?
Treat it with lots of SnowSeal and it will survive just fine. If removing the bars (or bars and stem) is easy on that bike, I'd just treat the leather with a lot of SnowSeal in the fall and remove the "cockpit" and set to by a radiator or over a heat duct for a week. I do this for my mittens and to new leather strapping I buy for toeclips.

Ben
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Old 08-26-20, 11:52 AM
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I'm on the coast , I just use something else that is cheaper.. synthetic foam decent grip when wet
[Bee's waxed leather likely not so good a wet grip]

2 layers on Trekking bars..

in my cycle rain cape when the marine squalls come ashore with sheets of heavy rain..
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Old 08-26-20, 03:56 PM
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My Raleigh Sojourn touring bike came with Brooks leather tape. I don’t ride with gloves (habit from triathlon days) either. I ride mostly on the hoods with an occasional change in position to the flats. The tape is seven years old and doing fine.
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Old 08-26-20, 07:06 PM
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OP, have you considered making something like this:

https://walnutstudiolo.com/products/...ther-bar-wraps

I'm curious about trying sew-on leather bar wraps, but I'm a little hesitant to take the plunge. If you are tanning & cutting the leather yourself, maybe a sew-on wrap would be easier to deal with instead of a regular "tape" design?
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Old 08-26-20, 07:12 PM
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Originally Posted by fietsbob
Comments after riding the rainy season, using leather tape ?
I've ridden my bike with leather tape numerous times and have not had a problem with it. It does take longer to dry than the ruber-ish materials.
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Old 08-27-20, 08:47 AM
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Originally Posted by 79pmooney
Treat it with lots of SnowSeal and it will survive just fine. If removing the bars (or bars and stem) is easy on that bike, I'd just treat the leather with a lot of SnowSeal in the fall and remove the "cockpit" and set to by a radiator or over a heat duct for a week. I do this for my mittens and to new leather strapping I buy for toeclips.

Ben
SnoSeal is probably the worst thing you can put on it. It will not be as nice for the hands, and won't soak up sweat as well. The leather won't breathe. It is also unnecessary. Simply treat it with a decent leather conditioner, one that allows it to breathe. I use Proofide, since I already have it.
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Old 08-27-20, 10:16 AM
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Proofide has oils & waxes in it too. but if it works for you, great..






...
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Old 08-18-21, 07:53 AM
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Walnut Studiolo also makes a leather bar wrap (not the sew on kind). https://walnutstudiolo.com/products/...wraps-bar-tape It's expensive, but it should last for years with some care, and may be cheaper in the long run since conventional bar tape doesn't last very long. It's made from full grain vegetable tanned leather, (the most durable type except for bridle leather, which would not work for bar wraps). The company says you can switch it from bike to bike, which I believe, but since you have to trim the end to fit flush when wrapping, (just like any other type of bar tape) you may end up a bit short if you try putting it on another set of bars. I made my own following their design and it's beautiful, although less padding than cork.
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Old 08-18-21, 11:44 AM
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I've toured with unperforated leather from Deda (not wearing gloves). Looked and felt great but needed to be rewrapped every now and then when it was very hot or very wet. Stopped using it because the black dye gave off and I had to scrub surprisingly hard to get clean hands.
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