smd4

Thanks guys, I appreciate the feedback. If it turns out that I like leather I may spring for the Handlebra down the line.

smd4

I like those wheels better. Beautiful!

smd4

Can you give me your thoughts on each brand? Preference? Pros? Cons?

SurferRosa

Hopefully not the same sorta stuff, but the only time I used the Brooks microfiber is the very last time. It's so thick to the point of being incredibly difficult to wrap and made the cockpit look ridiculous.

panzerwagon 

Nice job! I wish white hoods were available for those ergos. Even gum would be fine. I worry the black and white would contrast too much...

but i might still try it.

Fahrenheit531 

Yep. I was one and done with the Brooks stuff. Wretched.

GarageAlwaysFul

Only other extraneous feature would be the temperature over time of the bars over long sunny rides. White reflects the best so in theory they could be "cooler"?

BMC_Kid

"will be using black Brooks leather handlebar tape on my Tesch rebuild."

I know nothing about microfiber anything- the discussion is about leather handlebar wrap, right?

SurferRosa

Fizik microfiber looks like leather, feels better than leather, and ages far, far better than leather. Several posts on page one are about this.

smd4

Any one have any tips or advice for using leather tape? I’m used to vinyl with adhesive backing, so I’m accustomed to being able to stretch the tape for best effect, and having it stay in place.

smd4

But...it’s not leather.

CV-6 

My original posts sums it up. It's over 10 years since I dealt with Handlebra. It is on two bikes that frankly do not get ridden much. So of course it looks great. I went with Leh this time because Handlebra did not have the color I needed. I only just got the Leh wrap. Install went smoothly. Leh included conditioner and twine to finish the wrap. Both went out of their way to get me what I needed. I would say quality is equal. Leh is/was cheaper and you get the extras I mentioned. Photo is the Leh wrap. I do not have a similar photo of the two bikes that have Handlebra.

20220502_141850 by L Travers, on Flickr

BMC_Kid

thanks for info. I guess I need to get with times. I’ve only been using leather since the 80s. Time for the new and improved pleather it seems. In the trash the Brooks goes!

SurferRosa

​​​​​​My reply started with "hopefully not the same sorta stuff." And I would hope that Brooks leather isn't nearly as thick as their microfiber. This Is my hope for all humanity.

I'm reminded of the one time I did buy leather tape for the bike that got me back into road cycling over a dozen years ago. This is before I had ever overhauled a bike. I found a one-man "expert" shop that was going to fully overhaul my french bike, rebuild the wheels, and make some upgrades. He was being incredibly slow, so I decided to stop by his shop one day. Surprisingly to me, he was actually working on my bike, taping the bars with the leather that I bought. But I couldn't believe, in plain sight, he was working with a bit of grease on his hands. Unlike with Fizik, it's really hard to remove a stain on leather like that. It got worse, but I'll spare you. Not only did I learn my lesson about leather, I learned that I absolutely needed to do every single bit of the work myself.

smd4

I’m lucky to have a son who works with and restores leather goods; keeping it clean shouldn’t be a problem.

Thanks for the feedback everyone!

smd4

The vinyl tapes usually have a couple 3-inch pieces that go around the brake lever clamps. Is something similar done with leather wrap?

smd4

Where can I get this?

genejockey 

Another fan of white Fizik Microtex Classic -

RustyJames 

I bought (opaque) fusing tape at Home Depot(!?) I love the idea of it but it sticks to itself so well that I couldn’t get a smooth wrap. No room for error and I need that. I’m going to try it again on my next wrap and if I’m not successful, in the bin.

Dfrost 

Amazon, like so many things these days, in several colors:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Here it is with Fiz’ik tape previously mentioned (more true white than this photo shows.)

BMC_Kid

Yes, both the Selle Italia leather that I used on my Zullo and the Brooks that I will be using on my Tesch have 3-4 inch pieces for use around the brake levers.

smd4

Received the Leh wrap today. Very nice. Came with thread (which I’ll never use), bar ends and a tin of leather conditioner. Smells immaculate, like a new ball glove. Seems a little slick—not much texture (compared to vinyl?). But very nicely packaged. Waiting for the Handlebra to arrive so I can compare.

Germany_chris

Leather tapes gets more tacky with use.

martl

i have an aversion to leather handlebar tape because it tries lo look vintage without being so; no one used leather because handlebar tape is a consumable. exception would be the Almarc bars which were used by dentists, not racers. still nice

BMC_Kid

Of course handlebar tape is a consumable. Plastic, man-made materials are more consumable in general. But good quality leather whether used to make shoes, specialized gear, and yes even handlebar tape, when taken care of lasts many times that of the man-made materials. The issue is that current society is a throwaway one, and the vast majority (most probably even on this website) do not want the extra hassle of the minimal upkeep of leather tape versus the convenience of disposable plastic tape, all other things being equal. I am not finding fault in this preference, just giving my opinion as someone that has used everything from cotton wrap in the late 70s, to the 80s trend of plastic Bike Ribbon type, to the 90s use of cork, transitioning to synthetic cork to some of the current stuff available, even leather. After all these years, I still prefer plain leather wrap that I diligently clean and preserve. It just works for me but not for the vast majority of cyclists for many reasons of their own preference - I get it. Just don't tell me it's trying to look "vintage without being so".