element-82

Ha, i had a thin strip of it cut before i posted, figuring i am not the only one who dealt with it.
pb

element-82

Thanks all, for the great suggestions. I have enough info to be dangerous now! I think new clamps and some tape or plasti dip with be great!

Pb

anixi

If you have an old tubular/sew-up tire that should work also, and make for a firmer grip.

Dreadlocker

Yeah, I bet tubular tire has more grip than inner tube, but tubulars have always been quite rare stuff in Finland. Oh, btw, when using inner tube it's very important to clean the rubber from dust and talcum powder (or whatever it is they use inside the tubes to prevent sticking), otherwise it will slip quite easily. And yes, I have a feeling that I'm being Mr.Obvious here but since nobody suggested this I thought I'd say something. Sorry.

dddd

Inner tubes tend to dry out and crack from exposure to smog chemicals, which can progress into the space that is being compressed by the clamp.

Out in the country, that might take a long time. Clear tape to the inside of the clamp does the job, preventing scratches during installation.

rootboy 

But a paint on "piece of inner tube" is so much more nice looking, IMO, as there's no chance of seeing the edges of it once the clamp is mounted, unless you're very careful of course, which I know most of us here, are. Plastidip works very well, as does Marine Goop. As long as you let them dry very thoroughly.

Dreadlocker

Oh, we don't have any smog-problems (yet) so that was kinda news to me, actually quite logical when you think about it. But yeah, they do dry up even without the smog and start to slip, it may take many years but still. And it's not an elegant way in any means, no arguing about that, I personally don't like any "kludge fixes" and try to find a way to avoid them but if I have to choose between tape and rubber I'll take the rubber and change it when it dries too much. But that's just me and I'm not pushing my opinions to anyone.

rootboy 

Aw, c'mon. Push your opinions. That's what they're for. And, it's de rigueur here.

Personally I was so relieved when I discovered liquid plastic for this purpose. No more trimming tape, trying to make it so it wouldn't show, etc. But everybody's got their own techniques, and opinions, and they're all good as far as I'm concerned.

Dreadlocker

So we can start the "tape vs. rubber"-war, sweet, is everybody ready..?
JK. Liquid plastic sounds interesting, care to tell newbies like me more about it? Oh, I've also used leather strips, it's a bit more elegant than rubber to my eyes.

rootboy 

https://www.plastidip.com/home_solutions/Plasti_Dip

They actually refer to it as "rubber", so it's the best of both worlds.

anixi

I just saw a modernized infomercial about this stuff. Great idea!

Dreadlocker

I'm familiar with liquid plastic, what I meant was how you use it. Do you make thin film out of it and cut it to size?

rootboy 

I bought a small can of the clear. Actually bought it for fly tying, but it's good for many uses around the house and shop. That's my distinctly non-modern infomercial

rootboy 

No. You clean the back of the clamp or whatever with spirits or alcohol, then just paint a thin coat of the stuff on and let it dry. Maybe two thin coats. Got to get the stuff in the can, however, not the spray.
You have to be just a bit careful when mounting something like clamp on shifters because it will peel off chrome, for instance. But once in place, it's good. Like I've said up there somewhere, let it dry very thoroughly before using. I give it two days, just to be sure.

Dreadlocker

Oh, that sounds neat and easy. Those liquid plastics I'm familiar with are closer to acrylic than rubber and I think they wouldn't work. Thanks for the tip, I must try that if I find it anywhere here.

Mace350

Don't you have a drill?

I am going through the same situation right now, my bike looks like element-82's except mines FG...wish i would have thought about braze on's before I restored it...I think i may get the Zefal method too. The black doesn't look bad since the frame is detailed in black anyway.

bobbycorno

BITD (early-mid 70's) we used a layer of (cotton) handlebar tape under the clamps. So if you want it to look period correct...

SP
OC, OR

dddd

Absolutely, Velox is the period-correct tape of choice, not only for cage clamps but for the Pletscher rack, too.

These tapes absorb water though, so high humidity or corrosive-salt environment make it a no-no.

I keep using clear Scotch tape or clear weatherstripping tape to "line" my bottle cage clamps.
It's thin and relatively rigid, so the clamp stays tight and it won't squish out. I trim away the excess before clamping so nothing shows.
Also, check for edge burrs first, and file any away. The clamps are sheared in the direction that usually leaves the sharp edges on the frame side of the steel sheet that the clamps are cut and formed from.

Lastly, I always position the cage clamps below the downtube brand decals, and am usually able to do this on the seat tube too if the need for two bottles arises. As long as the bottom of the bottle doesn't hit the chain when it's on the big chainring, but you can still reach it easily.

As for Zefal plastic clamps, these have a puzzling design flaw where the cage tabs contact the clamp body. I've had to use a 3/4" flat washer to make a solid interface between the cage's tabs and the open tops of the plastic clamp bodies. Puzzling, and I always struggle to find the right-sized washers, as used and seen here, with frame decals spared and unobstructed:

Chombi

I wonder if you can spray (IIRC, they came in spray cans too) "Plasti-dip" tool handle coating on the back of the clamps instead of tape that gets messy and gooey and sometimes, even slip, in the case of electrical tapes, over time..... The plasti dip coating will be mostly invisible too if you apply it carefully.
Although, one will need to check out if the "Plasti-dip" material might attack the paint after some time....

EDIT: Sorry I did not notice the mention of Plastidip above.....So I guess, +1 from me to try it out!

Chombi

clasher

I've taken off so many clamps stripping bikes at the co-op and it doesn't really make much difference what kind of stuff is used, the sun and ozone seems to ruin it all... I've had dried leather pull off paint, many plastics seem to go gooey and damage the paint. Cotton tapes wick and trap moisture under the clamps and that ruins the paint. The way to keep the paint clean is to stick the tape to the clamp and change it up every few years. I'd opt for riv-nuts and if you change your mind it's easy to plug them up, just use a grub screw and a dab of filler... do it carefully and no one would be the wiser.

Grand Bois

Slippery teflon tape and brake cable clamps are two very bad ideas.

A T.A. handlebar mount cage is probably the best solution, but they can be expensive. I spent way too much on a NOS one and a Peugeot bottle to go with it, but I really wanted them.