OEM Foam Handlebar Cover
05-14-22, 04:03 PM
#1
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OEM Foam Handlebar Cover
No laughing please. May not be the vintage item everyone thinks of but some rides came from the shops with this on. Ugly as it is, this stuff is sure easy on the hands. And miserable to install or remove. YMMV Went for a spin on old Super Sport with this stuff. Starting to disintegrate with age. Black stuff everywhere
05-14-22, 04:09 PM
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There used to be similar stuff on eBay, I bought a couple. It was not as durable as the old stuff. Cracking in only a couple of years.
05-14-22, 05:29 PM
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Probably the biggest manufacturer of those grips was a company called “Grab On.” They had several styles: Ultrathin, Maxi and Comfort. Maybe this info will help for an eBay search.
05-14-22, 07:26 PM
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Is Hypalon (fishing rod grips) similar? You know? For a restoration.
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05-14-22, 07:52 PM
#5
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Grab On foam handlebar wrap made in Walla Walla, WA used to be very visible in bike stores and magazine advertising. I think they even sponsored a bike racing team. Then they branched out in other industrial products and I don't know what eventually happened with them. They had both a thick touring and then racing versions.
They weren't so hard to put on if you used some liquid soap to lubricate the process before application. Also compressed air could work well.
They weren't so hard to put on if you used some liquid soap to lubricate the process before application. Also compressed air could work well.
05-14-22, 08:08 PM
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The Grab-ons did feel quite good on the hands when I had them on my bike in the early 80's. Thing I did not like about them was they soaked up water when I rode in the wet and the bike gains like 2 pounds in weight and they took like days to totally dry out.
IIRC, Grab-on did come out with thinner lighter weight foam bar covers, but padded vinyl bar tape eventually killed off Grab-on when everyone went that direction for their handlebars......
IIRC, Grab-on did come out with thinner lighter weight foam bar covers, but padded vinyl bar tape eventually killed off Grab-on when everyone went that direction for their handlebars......
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05-14-22, 08:30 PM
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I've bought a couple of bike in the last year or so with Grab-ons. They smelled like every one that rode it back in the 80s.
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05-15-22, 05:30 AM
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Grab on is still around, more into MC, but still do bicycle.
Bicycle Grips | Grab On Grips, LLC
Bicycle Grips | Grab On Grips, LLC
05-15-22, 10:44 AM
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Grab On foam handlebar wrap made in Walla Walla, WA used to be very visible in bike stores and magazine advertising. I think they even sponsored a bike racing team. Then they branched out in other industrial products and I don't know what eventually happened with them. They had both a thick touring and then racing versions.
They weren't so hard to put on if you used some liquid soap to lubricate the process before application. Also compressed air could work well.
They weren't so hard to put on if you used some liquid soap to lubricate the process before application. Also compressed air could work well.
