Here are my Shimano Dura Ace 7400 brake hoods, they are in that no-man's land, still a little flexible, a crack in one but small, and not yet hard as a rock or turning into brake hood goo. They are really hard to find replacements for, nearing unobtainium status?, so are there any products that could restore some of the flexibility, preserve what I have left in them?

My thanks.

So not a restore preserve per se, but I had a Campy 9 speed hood that was cracked and chunked out at the top where the brake cable used to come out and I filled with ultra black silicone, let it dry a bit, covered with damp clear plastic wrap to smooth and mold as it dried, came out good and is holding up ok, definitely getting a lot more mileage out of it this way.

Thanks merziac, non-areo brake hoods do come up for sale, time to time, so this might be a work around of filling in the hole and shaping it.

I've got a couple of sets of Mafac Competition levers with full black hoods that are hard and cracked already. I'm going to inject and fill to glue them to the bodies and see how they last and hold up. Might try shoe goo at some point. Might make a mess but should keep em going if their glued in place.

303 Aerospace Protectant is highly recommended for this application.

I 303 all my brake hoods. It's not slippery and it provides good protection.

Since we're on the subject of hood resto/protection. Will the 303 help with removing the white ashy stuff off Shimano 600 gum hoods?

merziac-

Just replace the the Mafac hoods with Rustines repros: https://velo-orange.com/collections/...nt=50653854983

Why is it that some Record/SR hoods dry up, melt down, or remain viable for 40 years (comments on other brands welcome too). What makes the difference (besides having used a solvent to clean them, or leaving them exposed to UV excessively) or are those the main factors??? I'm talking about originals, not repro, though I realize a lot of "original" hoods are not.

How does it work on white hoods? It looks like the product itself is white, but does it yellow or stain them at all?

I'm not sure how it works on white as the only white hoods I have are on a bike I got a couple of months ago and they were old and dirty/stained.

They may be an option at some point if I figure out a way to fill in the logo so it isn't so visible.

merziac-

If the need for a Mafac branded set of black hoods is desperate, I have a pair of Mafac branded Reciclone reproduction hoods. Contact me if you need to. I have a pair of amber ones from Reciclone in use and they are good. https://bertinclassiccycles.wordpres...oods-a-review/

Any updates on this subject, and/or any practical experience with respect to vintage Modolo anatomic gum hoods specifically?

I’ve just acquired a pair of Master Pro levers and NOS gum hoods for my protracted Gazelle Champion Mondial project, and would like to safely install the hoods, and protect or condition them for the future.

I’ll remove the lever clamps and install the hoods from the handlebar face of the lever body, as that seems to involve less stretch than over the lever and then backwards. I was thinking silicone spray and warming the hoods. Any other tips?

As for preservation, I guess 303 is similar to Armor All Original silicone-based spray. I was also just thinking beeswax as an inert natural product…?