Bar tape : leather edition

[LordOpie]

I don't want to hi-jack Mr. Hankey's thread, so...

both thee the Wife and I have leather handle bar covering Similar to what Opie posted . Ours is ( discontinued ) Rhode Gear Handlebar hide , and we don't do any thing special to it , and it has lasted for years

heres mine

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b227/jgoeller/done.jpgSplat, why'd ya wrap it that way? What's your opinion on the result?

I've been thinking about where I want the seam.Well to get it to go around the brake hoods properly ( with out cutting the leather ) you have to lace it that way for the first 100 or so miles the seam is annoying , but then it wears down and you don't notice it any more.

As y'all already know, I'm not much of a bike mechanic...

I assume the STI levers have a clamp that goes around the bar, yeah? Is it possible to wrap the bars, THEN put the levers/clamps on OVER the wrap?

Thanks!

[BikeMike]

You can't clamp over the bar leather. You must to clamp directly to the bar. The doo-hicky clamp looks like this. (http://www.bikemannetwork.com/biking/p/COMPSHRDPRTSH/LD7749)
However, you can (and probably should) roll the rubber hoods up and get the bar covering up underneath where the hoods will cover when you roll them down (overlapping edges so you don't see any bare handlebar).

Edit: and how does the leather hold up to a little bit of wet weather and sun exposure? I kind of want some just to see what it's like, but it would go on the beater roadie...which will mostly see use as a commuter bike and a rain bike.

[LordOpie]

Edit: and how does the leather hold up to a little bit of wet weather and sun exposure?
Thanks for the install info.

As for holding up... I had Brooks leather tape on my other bike and that held up very well, granted, not a lot of rain here, but plenty of sun.

I was thinking of putting proofide (Brooks saddle treatment) on them, but not sure if that stuff is good for elkskin.

[splat]

The leather Holds up Great , When get softer , , but dries right up , actually it helps it because when it dries up it tightens up nicely , and I have been riding on this stuff for almost 20 years and have seen no adverse affects from the sun.

[splat]

Oh and I would avoid white . ( I have a set of white unusued ) , over time it will get filthy and really starts to look like crap

[H8R]

Sweet computer.

[LordOpie]

...dries right up , actually it helps it because when it dries up it tightens up nicely...
That's how I get my leather hiking boots to fit my feet. Get 'em wet, walk 'em dry.

[LordOpie]

Unless y'all can give me a reason to go with the black on my LHT, it's getting the brown. Then I'll put the black on my commuter :)

But here's the elkskin covers I got today along side my saddle.


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v148/lordopie/leather.jpg