HelluvaStella

Hi all. I recently completed a build of a French Stella road bike frame. I want to whip the cloth handlebar wrap ends with hemp twine. Rather than pay $5 shipping for a $3 roll of the stuff, anyone have ideas of where I can just walk in and buy it?
I'm in center city Philadelphia, willing to travel a bit for it, but the closer the better.

unworthy1

If you have a Pearl Arts shop in Philly, look in their beading section. otherwise find a local beading shop, many crafty shops that sell to the handicrafts crowd sell hemp cord for stringing necklaces. Often dyed in colors, too, and in smaller hanks than a big ball of it. One more tip; a high end goumet cooking shop will carry hemp twine in a thicker weight (which I prefer) for trussing up roasts and so forth, but that's often sold in a big ball and can be pricey if it's the typically high mark-up snooty cookery shop...but sometimes you luck out if they cater to professional chefs who don't buy to impress their neighbors. Funny little thing: most all of the hemp I see sold in this country (US) comes from Romania...

Little Darwin

While on the subject of twine...

I like the twine look for finishing, but I prefer cork tape.

Has anyone tried twine with cork tape? I would imagine it would work well, but am curious if anyone has had any negative experience with it.

imabeliever1

Walmart here (Texas) carries it in a roll in the sewing / arts and crafts stuff.

unworthy1

I did that on a CX bike with "natural" uncolored cork tape....so far so good...also shellac'd the whole thing and no bad effects so far, looks good 'n' golden brown to me, too.

BearsPaw

If you walk far enough west on Lancaster you should be able to find someone willing to sell you all the hemp you want. You'll have to weave it yourself though.

Seriously though, any of those "alternative" stores on the touristy end of South Street will probably have it. And if unworthy1 is right about Pearl, I think there is one on South, somewhere between 4th and 5th on the north side of the street.

HelluvaStella

I'm on my way this afternoon. Thanks all. If I had the spare $60 for Brooks leather wrap, that's what I'd be tying. As it stands, it's just brown cloth tape.