RFC

I need some inspiration.

Thanks

rootboy 

I hope I don't offend anyone here, not my intent, but, I personally think twine belongs on tomato stakes and macrame, not nice bicycles. I like to use something a bit finer, smaller diameter. This is some stuff called "crochet thread" I think.

RFC

That looks great. Yes, let's expand to all wrap finishing materials.

southpawboston

Very nice color combo, and it sets off the bike's color nicely! Well done. I was going to post a couple of my own twine jobs, but not after seeing this one! I think I need to rethink mine...

gomango

Fancy!

I like it.

Doohickie

With a twist: The tape is cork tape. With shellac it looks kind of like leather. Where I hold the bars, though, the shellac tends to wear off easily (looks like worn leather).





Matches my honey B17 pretty close, too.

Grand Bois

I'm at work, so I can't see the picture. I agree with your statement about twine.

kiwigem

What a great idea! I'll tuck that away for later.

ColonelJLloyd 

+10

The wired cable housing is also classy. That's why that bike is my desktop. It greets me every morning.

Where do I find this stuff, Rootboy?

jstewse

Pre-shellac


DSC_0073 by jstewse, on Flickr

Post shellacking


DSC_0164 by jstewse, on Flickr

ScottNotBombs

I forgot to put the corks back in the bar ends before the picture and I'm working on making leather hood replacements since there are no gum hoods for the tektro levers I have..
I also used gold hockey tape because it's way cheaper.
I think I need to redo mine and post a better picture because all your bikes put mine to shame.

Sigurdd50

I have heard that you can get white or maybe black cotton tape - the kind you'd use on a baseball bat or hockey stick - at yer local Ace Hardware store. Question for u dyed in the wool shellackers (not to be confused with slackers)... I'm a planet bike faux cork tape guy, the cushy tape... doesn't the nice shellacked thin tape get a bit... er, hard on your hands and palms after a while? Or does one adjust? My current project is a porteur barred town/commuter with no specific bar application (could be cork grips or could be wrapped). I like the look of the bar ends on this one. Plus I could hang my bar end shifter out of it.

jstewse

I've found that I prefer the feel of the cotton much more, and I don't really find myself desiring the extra cushion. I recently wrapped my bars in the cinelli faux cork on a whim, and found that I'm no longer fond ofthe thick and squishy feel, and especially the tendency of the edges to flip up.

khatfull

Not shellac sorry, but Bike Ribbon bar tape....BUT a twine job with waxed cotton twine from the beading department at JoAnn. Followed the directions at Rivendell. After wrapping the wax will have gotten all funky from dragging it through your fingers. Couple quick passes from my heat gun and it flash melts the wax and smooths it back out. I think it then kind of fuses a little too.

Sigurdd50

how does it feel on your hands... when the weather gets hot?
Cool bell. Where did you get that?

RFC

One method I have used is to first wrap the bars in a very tight, thin and nonoverlapping "cork" wrap. Old cork works well for this. Then to wrap a couple of layers of hockey tape. This keeps the bars from becoming too bulky.

khatfull

I always wear gloves too....I just like how easy the Bike Ribbon is to clean and how tough it is. I don't notice it when it gets hot.

Bell came from a local fixie-minded shop. I forget what kind it was but they're fairly common I think.

Talus

I used leather cord to wrap the ends....

southpawboston

Paul, that does indeed look like leather! I did the same thing with the white cork tape on this bike:



About five coats of amber shellac followed by some #0000 steel wool to take off the high-gloss, and it looked like leather. The problem is that the shellac became brittle after a month or so, and with the compressibility of the cork, developed cracks all over the areas where I typically rest my hands... Those cracks could be felt and were kind of tactually annoying. I ended up ripping it off and replacing it with Fizik Microtex, which I love!

Zaphod Beeblebrox 

I've always wondered as well. I don't usually wear gloves.

Zaphod Beeblebrox 

JoAnn Fabrics has it https://www.joann.com/joann/catalog/c...?CATID=cat2706

Doohickie

Yeah, that's what happened to mine, but I wear cycling gloves so I don't feel any of that. It looks like worn leather to me. I kind of like it.

rootboy 

Thanks everyone, for the compliments. And sorry for the delay in responding. What was going to be a simple window sill patch and paint turned into a marathon rip out and replace
Anyway, yes, Colonel, I think I used that Aunt Lydia's stuff shown in Zaphod's link. I got it at Michael's Crafts. If anyone happens to need some pale blue or pale purple, I've got plenty!
After my statement on twine, I might have to back-pedal a bit. There's some awfully nice looking jobs here. I like that leather cord idea. And, the waxed cord is a great look too.

rootboy 

Really nice looking !

rootboy 

RFC. By the way, if you happen to use something of fine diameter, like crochet thread or similar, I found it useful to; 1) try to make the last wrap of bar tape as clean and tidy as you can, finishing under the bars, and 2) put a coat or two of shellac on the bar tape first, let dry, then wrap the fine cord or thread finish wraps. The shellac hardens up the cotton tape and keeps the finish wrap from digging into the tape, giving you a firmer surface to wrap on. If that makes sense.