I have some Shimano bar end shifters that are starting to show cracks around the grey plastic boots that cover the shift paddles. Rather than trying to tack them on with some sort of removable glue (Shoe Goo or similar) I was thinking about removing them and dipping the levers in a few coats of Plasti-Dip. I've had good luck with the stuff on tool handles an such but nothing that would be used as heavily (and exposed to the elements) as much as a barcon would be.

Has anyone tried it? I've seen some threads around the Internet involving people spraying it on various parts of automobiles for protection, so I suspect it's pretty tough, but I just thought I'd ask in case there were any gotchas I haven't thought of. Ideas for alternate approaches would also be welcome.

I'm curious. Do you know what the bare levers look like? I'm thinking I might like them naked and polished.

I've used it on brake levers, it holds up well. If it gets ratty looking it can be peeled off and redone. I used the spray, not the dip. The spray requires several coats to get coverage thick enough. I assume the dip would work the same way. And it comes in colors, so you can match or contrast your paint.

If you're talking about the old-school dunk-it-in-the-can stuff for tool handles; I would say that the barcons are an ideal application.
Just remember to do multiple coats for maximum durability. We use it at work on tools used on assembly lines, and it lasts for years, even at hundreds of cycles a day.

The spray-on stuff is similar, but the layers it makes are much thinner, and it's easier to remove.

I'm not sure about how it would hold up on bikes but on cars it invariably peels and looks like crap.

I think it looks like crap the moment it goes on, but that's just me.


-Tim-

You can find the original Suntour covers on Ebay occasionally. I bought a bag of them for not much $.

These should work, but they are expensive: Rustines Downtube Shifter Covers - Small Parts and Accessories - Shifting - Components

I haven't taken the covers off in a while but my vague recollection is that the bare levers don't look terrible -
more of an old school textured look rather than sleek and shiny like, for example, Dura-Ace 7900 downtube levers. I prefer the feel and extra scuff protection of the covers, but unless Shimano has changed the 9 speed levers in the last ~10 years I think they'd look fine naked. I have no idea what the 10 and 11 speeders (if any) look like underneath.

I used it on the Campy head for the Silca pump.
[IMG]P1010818w, on Flickr[/IMG]

Yeah that's what I had heard as well. In a lot of those cases though, you're spraying it onto a flat surface so the only thing holding it on is pure adhesion to the surface, which it isn't great at. In the case of a handle, you're forming a boot that surrounds the piece. To get it off not only do you have to overcome the chemical adhesion to the underlying surface, but also there's an element of mechanical captive retention because the boot has to stretch to pass over obstacles. For example if the lever is thin near the pivot and flares out at the end, that would tend to hold it on. In this case I believe that's what holds the existing covers on, since they have no adhesive.

That's my theory anyway.

Here's an example of a tool I've used it on successfully, a Park SW-20 Master Spoke Wrench. A really poorly thought out handle finish with no texturing whatsoever. It's like holding on to a block of ice if you get any grease at all on it, which you will if you're building a wheel and have grease on the threads and nipples. And it's heavy too, to make matters worse. Notice how the "wings" taper near the head. I dipped it so that the coating ends about 3/4 of the way down. I have a couple of coats on it and it has held up for several years, though with not nearly as much use as barcons would get.

Great idea. There are a bunch of them on eBay right now, so maybe I'll give them a try before I dip.

Sounds like you have it all thought out.

The good thing about plastic dip is that you can peel it off, especially a small bike part, so there is little downside apart from time.

I say go for it. Please post pictures.


-Tim-

At least one other forumite used rubber boots from an old SunTour stem shifter, so I think the odds are pretty good you can find something that'll work.

https://www.bikeforums.net/bicycle-me...ter-boots.html

SunTour went out of business 20 years ago. While metal parts can work forever, plastic parts have deteriorated.

SunTour may be long-defunct, but plenty of their rubber/plastic shifter covers live on in surprisingly good condition. I've got three bikes whose SunTour barcons have intact covers in great shape. I just sent a set of SunTour stem shifters to someone else and those had good covers, too. SunTour shifter covers can regularly be found on eBay in good shape or even NOS.

Any pics of the levers? Curious about doing this.
Thanks!

Curiosity is easily satisfied.

PlastiDip is dirt cheap and peels right off if you don't like it.

If you have old levers of any sort in a box of crap, the sleeves would probably transfer over also. Running some hot water over the sleeves should make them supple enough to slide right off.

I've used the spray-on Plasti-dip on the bike but I was disappointed that it broke down after a year or so, probably from UV. I'd go the extra effort to find the UV protected plasti-dip were I you.

Off label uses I found for Plastidip, is replacing coating inside Cordura fabric when the original stuff peels off, and stiffening up Nylon Webbing Toe Straps ..

hmm i'm looking at plasti-dip metalizer for my cargo rack/wheels, and reading this thread makes me think i'm crazy...

( UV is particularly something i didn't conside, was more worried about tire levers and pannier rack scraping off bits, then the rest peeling)