Classic & Vintage - Painting Raleigh-style Rubber Grips: Is there a spray paint for rubber?

The classic Raleigh-style grips don't come in many colour choices. Is it possible to custom paint them using a special spraypaint designed for rubber? I know that there is a way to paint rubber objects, but don't know what products to look for. Could somebody advise?

The old Dare hand grips? Plasti-Kote (spelling?) can be used on plastic. Don't know if it would hold up well on grips...paint would give you a very thin coating over an area that gets alot of use. I do remember in shop class using vynl to make things. You would dip things into a vat of this stuff and then heat it until it solidified. "Creepy Crawlers" were you poured the liquid into a mould and then heated it to make rubbery "creepy crawlers" was a similar idea. Just "thinking out loud" on the keyboard here, but a vynl coating over the original grips...if feasible...would probably hold up better. You would most likely lose any writing and details embossed on the grips, however.

I don't think so. There is something in auto parts stores that called vinyl paint or something like that, but I wouldn't expect it to hold up on a grip; it would wear off. The other option is dye, but I bet it wouldn't color properly and would come off on your hands when you rode.

And.... if you insist on staying with classic Raleigh style (i.e., OEM) grips, maybe you should stick with OEM colors. If you want it to look different, don't constrain yourself to OEM grips. (Does that make sense?)

Any kind of vinyl paint will wear off.....in your hand.

Harris Cyclery sells the Raleigh style grips:
http://sheldonbrown.com/harris/handlebars/handlebar-grips.html

I like them because I find them very comfortable, so it is not about preserving the original look. The original grips on the bike are decrepit, so I need to replace them anyway. Aesthetically I prefer shellacked cork, but comfort-wise, those Raleigh-style grips fit my hands better. Several local shops carry them, including Harris, Old Roads, and the Broadway Bicycle School. But the available colours are black, white, and sprakly red -- neither of which fits the look I am going for with this bike. I was hoping to paint them some sort of matte bronze or pewter colour.

Krylon makes a spray paint called Fusion (http://www.krylon.com/products/fusion_for_plastic/) that will stick to just about anything plastic. We have painted some plastic bits and pieces with it and so far it has stood up to daily use.

Aaron:)

Krylon makes a spray paint called Fusion (http://www.krylon.com/products/fusion_for_plastic/) that will stick to just about anything plastic. We have painted some plastic bits and pieces with it and so far it has stood up to daily use.
Thank you, I'll have a look!