Originally Posted by
Chombi1
It's a bit ironic that things we did not value too much back in the days like brake lever hoods are turning out to be the hardest things to find when restoring a C&V bike.It's just their very perishable nature and the fact that many brakeset makers from back then are long gone, means we eventually hit dead ends in our search for these parts...... Heck, even brake hoods made by the biggest companies that are still around are becoming unobtanium, like Shimano's 7400 series brake lever hoods. Shimano made lots and lots of those brakesets and you can find them easy enough......but it would be a different story for the lever hoods.
It makes me wonder if a future development in 3D printing might be if/when they create whatever the raw material is... in pliable materials resembling rubber and "gum". There must be myriad applications, not just bikes. Imagine not only brake hoods but shifter covers and bar plugs all "panto'ed" with DeRosa, Colnago or whatever brand of bike you want.
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Larry:1958 Drysdale, 1961 Gitane Gran Sport, 1974 Zeus track, 1988 Masi Gran Corsa, 1974 Falcon, 1980 Palo Alto, 198? Vitus 979. Susan: 1976 Windsor Profesional.