Originally Posted by borobike

Another mini update, I rewrapped the handlebar to cover up the bare space left by the old shifters. I also took it a step further and wrapped the brake cable shrouds completely within the handlebar wrap to keep them out of the way and give it a cleaner look. The whole result turned out really well, and it's shaping up to look like a real roadie now.





Brake cables aren't visible...

I wrapped it a little better than the factory did and it seems to have a little more cushion in some critical places (like up by the brake hoods). Additionally I have a ton more room on the bars for my accessories and also for my hands to rest in the upright position. This is in stark contrast to before where I had to really struggle to find a place to mount my accessories (and they often got in the way of the shifters) and with the accessories in place, I had nowhere to rest my hands in the upright position if I felt like it. Now I have as much room for stuff as any other road bike.

IMO, Kent should seriously consider making the bike this way from the factory. As I mentioned in my last post the difference between stem friction shifters and the MTB shifters it came with is like night and day...it's a joy to ride...

Stem shifters (or downtube) are cheap to manufacture and can be very durable, and aren't as finicky with the derailleurs when it comes to less expensive components. Friction shifters and a normal roadie handlebar with room for hands and accessories drastically improve the bike without adding much cost, if any at all.

115 miles now, after a trip to the bike store to get some grip tape. I'll post back here with another update at the end of next week...
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