Classic & Vintage - Velo Orange Elf Hide - any tips?

Edit: Whoops... Elk hide, not Elf!

I have a new set of black elkhide grips ready to be installed. The Velo-Orange instructions look pretty good. I thought there might be extra advice from those who have suffered this installation before me.

I was going to say... the hide of Elves is too thin to work with. ;)

I was going to say... the hide of Elves is too thin to work with. ;)


They might be able to sell it for 2x as much though.... I mean how many elves do you see around? I'd guess that skinning an Elf does not happen everyday.

I wouldn't want to be the guy that tried it.

I have no direct experience sewing elk hide onto handlebars Matt, but a bit of experience with leather. My only tip, FWIW, would be to not pull the stitches too tight. Elk and deer is soft stuff and will stretch. Nice even tension.

Say, can you post a pic or two of the product before you stitch it on, please? I'm curious what shape they cut it in. Thanks

I've done it on a couple of bikes and really like the result. One challenge, besides the boredom (http://simplecycle-marc.blogspot.com/2011/12/relacing-leather.html) of double cross stitching anything by hand, is making sure the seam is where you want it. Make sure all the levers and accessories are "dialed" in exactly where you like, and tape the bar first with cloth tape(it will keep the leather from "crawling around.") Patiently using the holes that are prepunched is really important and don't miss any holes with either needle. That will create a nice, even seam, hopefully opposite your hand positions on the bar.

261527

Marc

If I may, that sounds like a great tip Marc. Do you completely wrap the bars with cloth? Looks like in the pic you applied some strips on the tops of the bars?

I did not wrap mine with cloth first. The adhesive strip on the inside keeps the cover from creeping.

I tape the brake clamps in the proper place and cut a small hole in the cover for the bolt to poke through when I get to that point. That way the cover stays smooth around the levers.

I tie off the cover at the end of the bar, put some glue between the cover and the bar end, tuck the cover and insert plugs deep enough to hold it. The next day I pull the plug and run an Exacto knife around the inside of the bar to remove the excess leather and reinsert the plugs. I've done the same with Barcons. It looks neater than leaving the cut edge of the leather showing. At the top, you can hide the edge by starting the cover up aganst the sleeve if there is one,

http://inlinethumb39.webshots.com/41766/2168420150068014369S600x600Q85.jpg (http://rides.webshots.com/photo/2168420150068014369gCrAWC)

I think elf hide is something Rivendell would sell, not VO. ;)

and tape the bar first with cloth tape(it will keep the leather from "crawling around.")


+1 on wrapping the bar in cloth tape first. The adhesive backing will prevent your work from moving around while you wrap it but the elkhide will not fit snugly and will move around on the bar afterwards.

261560

Say what?

261560

Say what?

These have softer hides:

http://www.myteespot.com/images/Images_d/img_HACOTM.jpg

I ONLY use Keebler elves for my Elf hides.

Mkeller - BEST TYPO EVER!

I think elf hide is something Rivendell would sell, not VO. ;)


:roflmao::roflmao::roflmao:

If I may, that sounds like a great tip Marc. Do you completely wrap the bars with cloth? Looks like in the pic you applied some strips on the tops of the bars?
On that particular job, I learned that wrapping the bars was a good idea. This is what I meant and it does help a lot. Cork is too slippery and the leather will crawl around on it a great deal (something to do with Elves and immortality I think).
261571

Marc

I have had good luck using Marc's techniques - I tried once without taping first and the covers immediately got loose on my first ride. I use hockey tape as it's cheaper than cloth handlebar tape.



Also: You can also get coloured waxed cord at craft stores - I used some blue recently to match the decals on my celeste Bianchi.

edit: +1 to greatest typo ever. Particularly for a guy who has an elf for an avatar.

I think MKeller needs to change his avatar to a picture of P.T. Barnum.

Elf hide is a little like Mink oil. Makes you wonder who harvests the stuff.

We all can't be Gardeners

Of course now we know why this guy always looks so displeased?,,,,BD

http://www.fanzone50.com/Hugo/Elr/Elrond1_sm-b24.jpg

Particularly for a guy who has an elf for an avatar.


Wait one minute... What!?! No way, that is a Brownie. The Cleveland Browns REAL mascot, not that dog that some people seemed to have adopted. Are you from Canada? If so, you get an pass in NFL knowledge.

Sorry I haven't been able to keep up with the thread, but thanks for all of the suggestions. I read an old thread where Robatsu wiped his bare bars with shellac, then put Toshi leather directly on top.

With the cloth, can you see that wrapped look? I'm hoping to keep it smooth looking if possible.

Looks like you wrap the bars with cloth Matt, but don't overlap the cloth tape. Just wrap it side by side so you don't get bumps. I think the shellac idea sounds great. Just enough tack to keep the leather from slipping, I would think.

And, what's the difference between a Brownie and an Elf? You don't see any pro teams named the Elves, do you? ;)

The guy who wrapped the bars on my Centurion said the laces cut his hands pretty good. For his wife's bike, he got some kevlar gloves to do the lacing.

Skin of Elf. Kevlar gloves. This thread is taking some strange turns. I like it.

You're on Santa's naughty list for sure now.

You're on Santa's naughty list for sure now.

That's ok. The older I get, the less his list means for me anyhow. If I have nothing to lose, I might as well grab an Elf or five.

This thread could not have come at a better time. My black elf skin just arrived in the mail yesterday :D

I've found Oompa Loompa skin to be more durable and stain-resistant (especially chocolate stains.)

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ksivqqWIEDQ/TxkvMiYIDII/AAAAAAAAAw8/ZiQm7m1DKpo/s1600/Oompa+Loompas.jpg

What I figured out after about 25% of my first time was: You can move the handle bars in the stem and the stem on the bike to make it easy to reach, it is embarassing to admit that I started to lay down on the floor to try to reach up:o

I finally got some time to stitch that elf hide onto my bike over the weekend. I'd say it took me 3 hours.... maybe 3.5. It was fairly easy, but also a giant pain in the butt. I got a headache halfway through, who knows why.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7119/7732490550_6722ce77b5_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/30894973@N04/7732490550/)
DSC06725 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/30894973@N04/7732490550/) by mkeller234 (http://www.flickr.com/people/30894973@N04/), on Flickr

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7253/7732490228_16ced5c1d0_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/30894973@N04/7732490228/)
DSC06724 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/30894973@N04/7732490228/) by mkeller234 (http://www.flickr.com/people/30894973@N04/), on Flickr

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7248/7732491258_3586e86d0b_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/30894973@N04/7732491258/)
DSC06729 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/30894973@N04/7732491258/) by mkeller234 (http://www.flickr.com/people/30894973@N04/), on Flickr

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8428/7732489346_3af3bbe093_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/30894973@N04/7732489346/)
DSC06722 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/30894973@N04/7732489346/) by mkeller234 (http://www.flickr.com/people/30894973@N04/), on Flickr

Looks like you did a great job, but I shudder to think how many elves were sacrificed to prettify your bike.

That said, I had a terrible experience with VO elk hide wrap. My near vision is not good, and I literally got a headache trying to stitch it on. The VO stitching directions were horrible and I probably was doing it all wrong. I finally gave up and took it to my bike shop to see if they were willing to give it a shot. Big mistake. They figured it out, but it cost me $40 in labor. I quickly learned that you need to wrap the leather over bar tape because my leather wrap did not have much padding, plus it kept rotating on the bars. Finally, it did not age well and started looking crappy after a few months --mine was the natural color that is supposed to approximate honey brown but looked more like babyshoot brown. I finally removed the elk hide last week and replaced it with good old tan cork tape, which looks much better.

Troll hide is tougher, the skin is not so thin -but it doesn't seem to conform to the contour of the bars as well.

I dunno. Seems like a lot of work. It looks ok IMO it I'm guessing it's not very comfortable w/o gloves? I'm interested in your thoughts on it once you start using it more.

Great work Grand Bois and mkeller234!

I've been thinking about doing this with a pair of Lauterwassers on my new Competition GS. I like the idea of doing it over cork tape, though. Now, a week or so ago, I picked up a load of Picolite 135A; this is an amalgamated, homogenated, purified and crystallized pine resin. There was a good bit of spillage around the warehouse, so no longer foodgrade, and I got a gallon Ziploc bag full of the stuff. I imagine that if I dust the cork pretty liberally with this, and sew the hide on over the top, that should keep it in place pretty good, huh? I know it took some doing to get the dust off my arms, and I don't know what else to do with it. Make my own vernish, maybe.

Nice work, Matt! Your stitches are much straighter than mine were.

Personally, I found the sewn on elk hide to be just as about as comfy as wrapped leather from Brooks or VO.

Looks great! Did you skin and tan the elf hides yourself? I have heard that is the best way to get good results and as an added bonus you control the population of elves in your trees. You need bell shaped from the skull of a Keebler elf.

Looks great! Did you skin and tan the elf hides yourself? I have heard that is the best way to get good results and as an added bonus you control the population of elves in your trees. You need bell shaped from the skull of a Keebler elf.

Ha, that would be awesome.

I've been thinking about doing this with a pair of Lauterwassers on my new Competition GS. I like the idea of doing it over cork tape, though. Now, a week or so ago, I picked up a load of Picolite 135A; this is an amalgamated, homogenated, purified and crystallized pine resin. There was a good bit of spillage around the warehouse, so no longer foodgrade, and I got a gallon Ziploc bag full of the stuff. I imagine that if I dust the cork pretty liberally with this, and sew the hide on over the top, that should keep it in place pretty good, huh? I know it took some doing to get the dust off my arms, and I don't know what else to do with it. Make my own vernish, maybe.

I think the pine resin sounds like it would do the trick. I decided to use nothing other than the elk hide and see how well it stuck. VO added a tacky strip on the underside and the say that it should be enough. I figured I would give it a try.

I'll say this, ANYTHING underneath the elkhide will show. I used electrical tape to hold my cables in place, only about two wraps, and it is visible.

Nice work, Matt! Your stitches are much straighter than mine were.

Personally, I found the sewn on elk hide to be just as about as comfy as wrapped leather from Brooks or VO.

It seems nice so far. I photographed the best side, which is the 2nd side. One the other side, I cut the knot at that very end and had to use some string remnants to keep the thing together.... I was pretty mad at myself for that one.

Looks like you did a great job, but I shudder to think how many elves were sacrificed to prettify your bike.

That said, I had a terrible experience with VO elk hide wrap. My near vision is not good, and I literally got a headache trying to stitch it on. The VO stitching directions were horrible and I probably was doing it all wrong. I finally gave up and took it to my bike shop to see if they were willing to give it a shot. Big mistake. They figured it out, but it cost me $40 in labor. I quickly learned that you need to wrap the leather over bar tape because my leather wrap did not have much padding, plus it kept rotating on the bars. Finally, it did not age well and started looking crappy after a few months --mine was the natural color that is supposed to approximate honey brown but looked more like babyshoot brown. I finally removed the elk hide last week and replaced it with good old tan cork tape, which looks much better.

I have good eyesight and I literally got a headache too. Mine came about halfway through. I think it's from a mix of concentrating and bobbing your head around so much trying to see the needle holes.

You guys might not want to mention ELF too loudly, lest the FEDS come impound your bikes ! I did a quick check and you may be in violation......

The Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA; 7 U.S.C. (http://www.bikeforums.net/wiki/Title_7_of_the_United_States_Code) § 136 (http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/7/136.html), 16 U.S.C. (http://www.bikeforums.net/wiki/Title_16_of_the_United_States_Code) § 1531 (http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/16/1531.html) et seq.) is one of the dozens of United States environmental laws (http://www.bikeforums.net/wiki/United_States_environmental_law) passed in the 1970s. Signed into law by President Richard Nixon (http://www.bikeforums.net/wiki/Richard_Nixon) on December 28, 1973, it was designed to protect critically imperiled species (http://www.bikeforums.net/wiki/Endangered_species) from extinction (http://www.bikeforums.net/wiki/Extinction) as a "consequence of economic growth and development untempered by adequate concern and conservation (http://www.bikeforums.net/wiki/Habitat_conservation)."


Even though the skinned Elves are likely from overseas, their importation (or the skins thereof) still constitute a violation.....


......Just sayin' :lol:

I dunno. Seems like a lot of work. It looks ok IMO it I'm guessing it's not very comfortable w/o gloves? I'm interested in your thoughts on it once you start using it more.

Oh, it definitely is work. I don't want to do this again for a long time. I don't like the added pressure of not being able to adjust the brake housing after you stitch it on.

I've ridden it a total a 2 miles. So far, it feels similar to the fizik microtex on my Mercian, which I like a lot. I have gloves, but I never really wear them. Either way, I can't see myself riding this bike as much as the Mercian because it's in too nice of shape. The Mercian has been great because I don't ever worry about it.

Which handlebar did you end up with, the B135 in 45cm? I'm looking forward to hearing how you like them.

Which handlebar did you end up with, the B135 in 45cm? I'm looking forward to hearing how you like them.

I think that is what I ended up with, the one with less flair. I got a really sweet deal on the stem, so I chose the bars based on the clamp diameter. I've ridden them a little bit with the foam noodles stuck on them. My initial feelings is that they feel really good. They are plenty wide, and that was my biggest worry. I like them better than the noodles on the top half, but I like the drops on the noodles better. I think that has more to do with the reach and height than it does with the bar. The noodles are on my Mercian, which is more stretched out and the bars are higher. Anyhow, I have the bike trailer hitched up to the Lotus and i'll get a couple hours on them today.

Thanks again for all your input. It's just so difficult to make a decision based on photos and reviews. I wish one of the local shops stocked this stuff! I do think a lot of your opinion, because I think you are capable of being unbiased.

Can anyone make any comparisons to the Elk Wrap and the old quasi-leather Motobecane handlebar wrap?

This stuff :

http://i.ebayimg.com/t/MOTOBECANE-STEM-HANDLEBAR-BRAKE-LEVERS-/14/!B0u005Q!mk~$(KGrHqEOKikE)RFWBYUqBMbkfF2FiQ~~_35.JPG

http://i935.photobucket.com/albums/ad193/Raznox63/HANDLEBARS/MOTOBECANE024.jpg

http://i935.photobucket.com/albums/ad193/Raznox63/HANDLEBARS/MOTOBECANE021.jpg

I ask just because I love the feel of the old Moto stuff , and mkller 'rs photos made me think they might be similar in feel. Anyone used both?

Nice job Matt. Looks great.

Can anyone make any comparisons to the Elk Wrap and the old quasi-leather Motobecane handlebar wrap?

This stuff :

http://i.ebayimg.com/t/MOTOBECANE-STEM-HANDLEBAR-BRAKE-LEVERS-/14/!B0u005Q!mk~$(KGrHqEOKikE)RFWBYUqBMbkfF2FiQ~~_35.JPG

http://i935.photobucket.com/albums/ad193/Raznox63/HANDLEBARS/MOTOBECANE024.jpg

http://i935.photobucket.com/albums/ad193/Raznox63/HANDLEBARS/MOTOBECANE021.jpg

I ask just because I love the feel of the old Moto stuff , and mkller 'rs photos made me think they might be similar in feel. Anyone used both?

Ever use Fizik Microtex? I think the elkhide feels very similar, just not wrapped like the fizik.

Just got home from a nice ride. The elkhide didn't fall apart thankfully. Everything felt good and I did wear gloves today, which is unusual for me. This is the first longish ride on the Lotus and it was wonderful. The saddle felt pretty good, that surprised me.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8423/7736542242_9bb8038646_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/30894973@N04/7736542242/)
IMG_0254 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/30894973@N04/7736542242/) by mkeller234 (http://www.flickr.com/people/30894973@N04/), on Flickr

I love that your daughter is enjoying these rides! I'll be emailing you for some tips on trailers later.

I've found the Avocet Touring saddles really comfortable as well, it's just that a Brooks feels just as good and looks a lot better. Still, I wish I hadn't given my old Avocet away.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8423/7736542242_9bb8038646_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/30894973@N04/7736542242/)
IMG_0254 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/30894973@N04/7736542242/) by mkeller234 (http://www.flickr.com/people/30894973@N04/), on Flickr

Look at that cute 'lil Elf back there. ;)