Sorry if this has been discussed, but I bought a 1985 Raleigh Super Course, and I would like to replace the white aero brake hoods. How hard is it to find something that will fit?

You need to provide the make and model of brake levers.

I bought these for my Dave Scott Centurion, and although not perfect, they are close, https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1.
One of the white ones on my bike was pretty beat up, had tears on the top of the hood. Unless those are that shot, just give them a really good cleaning, let them dry, and if they are still a little tacky after drying put some talcum powder on them.
I bought these to replace Shimano 105's, which are not on your bike, but they might work.

That's what i thought. They're Dia Compe AGC 300.

It's part of this set

Yeah, they're already gone. I had heard that brake hoods were tough to find, but I didn't know this tough.

Thanks

easier if newer ODI GRIPS - ROAD

You May be Just cleaning up what you have.

Cool site ! ---- some slick ways to spruce up some of my late model stuff in there

Simple green and a scrub brush. I use baby powder to keep them from getting gooey.

White hoods make you sexier, it's an irrefutable truth. I believe Grant Peterson proved it back in the late 80's. Jan Heine did a double blind study a few years ago confirming the "Sexy White Hood" factor and subsequently unearthed heretofore unknown documentation obtained from a 93 year-old randonneur wearing a raspberry beret that the French had known this since the 1939 technical trials.

Somewhere between slim and none...

The problem was that Shimano and Dia-Compe/Suntour brought out new model brakes and levers monthly; especially after the fantasy concept of Aero levers took over!

My 1987 Centurion Ironman came with a Shimano 105 gruppo. The white rubber brake hoods looked good when I got it.

I switched the radar array tri-bars to regular drop bars. When I attempted to clean the hoods a little they became gummy. Talcum powder doesn't do anything...

I found some NOS hoods on eBay but they look pretty dry...

verktyg

Chas.

I just cleaned up some white Shimano RX100 aero hoods this week.

Go to the auto parts store and get Black Magic Bleche White Tire cleaner (https://www.walmart.com/ip/Black-Mag...32-oz/19417551). Clean with a rag or paper towels. Rinse well. If the hoods are too tacky, coat them in talc (baby powder) as necessary.

Here's the after

Before? [IMG][/IMG]

"Clean with a rag or paper towels. Rinse well. If the hoods are too tacky, coat them in talc (baby powder) as necessary."

Been their - done that... The rubber is so soft and gummy that it smears off on my riding gloves. You can see the rubber smeared onto the bar tape in the picture below...

verktyg

Chas.

I to have these levers and by hoods are sticky and goo that smears.
Replacement is needed not nos.

Try a thumbnail size of waterless hand cleaner.

At some point, they just give up. They don't last forever.

Ok so Shimano slx hoods aftermarket who has suit·a·ble Replacements
Trying to fix goo is just silly who has the answer i cant find any

My white 105 hoods were pretty dirty. I used simple green. They were tacky after but not gummy. A few rides later they were fine.
There is a way to make those hoods last.......rotate your bikes.

I've found that seeking out replacement levers that already have decent condition white hoods is the way to go. Typically they've set me back anywhere from $15-25, which to me is perfectly acceptable if I've just gotta have white hoods.

The auction site and co-op are good for this. I once noticed a bike on CL with white hoods that just didn't work with the rest of the bike. I offered him a pair of black 105 levers plus ten bucks for his white ones, talking up the finished look and how it'd help his sale. Done deal. I got my white 105s, he sold his bike, win-win!

They can be found. But it ain't easy.