Smaller diameter handlebar plugs?
 

I'm working up a fixed gear bike with just a front brake and bullhorn handlebars. The plugs that come with normal tape are too big, while the tektro time trial brake fits perfectly. Are the right size plugs available somewhere? (I think the outside diameter is "normal" but the tubing is thicker walled...)

The plastic plugs that come with some brands of bar tape are pretty small since they are expected to be used to hold the tape end inside the bar. Try a couple of LBS's to see if they have some left-overs to try.

Try mountain bike plugs. They are commonly a little smaller in diameter. If you can't find some, let me know and I'll drop a few in an envelope and mail them to you. I'm a bit of a pack rat and keep bar plugs that come with grips and tape even if I'm reusing the ones I already have.

Wine corks - Classy and you can shave them to whatever size you need

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...ight=wine+cork

Bike co-ops frequently have boxes of plugs.

Amusing. That's exactly what I did on my mtn bike -- one of the bar end plugs fell out shortly after I had re-taped them a year ago, and I didn't notice. I came up with the same solution, although I had to shave the cork down quite a bit to get it to fit into the smaller diameter hole with the thick tape end inserted...

Thanks for the concept of mountain bike plugs. Doing some research on that now...

There are bar end plugs that expand with a screw, wrap tape around a too small plug.

Brandy and so forth have a small plug of cork attached to a plastic cap..

OK, so the ID of my mtn bars is 15mm; these aero/bullhorn bars have an ID of 20mm; an old set of SR road bars have an ID of 20mm; a newer set of Deda road bars have an ID of 22mm. Hmm...