Elkhide wrap from Velo Orange
 

Only because I have the correspondence between Scott and I preceding the discovery am I posting this heads up.
Velo Orange does not get into specifics when listing what exact size bars the wraps will fit..and they should.
The wraps are made specifically for bars with a 26.0 center section and 23.8 remainder of the handlebar.
Anything larger, you can't draw the wraps up tight.
I asked originally and was told the wraps would fit a 26.0 bar
I assumed we were talking about the bar diameter where the wraps went on.
I was wrong
Figured I'd share the insight in case anyone else was planning on purchasing the bar wrap.:notamused:

You can wrap a roll of cloth tape underneath and fit them to any bars you'd like..

That makes no sense.

you're saying your bars are too thick in overall diameter for the wrap to stretch over and wrap tight? that's odd, as the website says they'll stretch over cable housing too. what bars do you have?

what if you had a different problem where the wrap is too long for your bars and you wanted more bar exposed and less of the hide wrapped. is it easy to cut the wrap to length like any other bar tape?

I guess I mis-read what was originally posted, assuming the wrap was too loose and not too tight.

The stuff is so stretchy that I would think that it would fit any size bar.

It will always need to be trimmed. You start at the top and trim it when you reach the end of the bar and have tied it off. I found a way that I could tuck it in the end using some glue and then trim it. I've done it with both Velox plugs and Barcons.

Where are the photos?

I don't understand the problem. What bar do you want to use the wrap with and why do you think they're not compatible?

I think some responders are thinking of traditional bar tape in leather (which VO also offers), but the OP is talking about the VO bar wrap that is stitched on, baseball or cross-stitch style. It can be used on 22.2 bars with cotton bar tape underneath, and will stretch a little to fit over cables on 23.8 bars, but anything larger is probably too much.

That's part of what I'm not understanding. What handlebar has a diameter larger than 24mm?

Pictures please. I'm confused too.

Clamp diameter is irrelevant to the problem. Sheldon Brown lists the largest and smallest grip diameters as 23.8mm and 22.2mm. That's a 1.6mm difference in diameter. If these stretchy elk hides are able to accomodate brake housing, surely there is enough give for an extra 1/16".

http://store.velo-orange.com/media/c...full_grips.jpg
http://store.velo-orange.com/index.p...ar-covers.html

I understand exactly what he's talking about and I believe that the elkhide will stretch enough to fit any size bar. I've done a couple of handlebars with the stuff and both of them have cables under the wrap. You want to stretch it very tight or it will move.

I know that the suggestion to wrap smaller diameter bars with cloth tape first is on the site, but I'm sure it will show through. I found out the hard way that even a piece of masking tape under the wrap shows through.

Do tell.

And, yeah, even thin tape underneath will be evident through the leather wrap.

I would think that a layer of the cheap cotton tape, wrapped so the edges butt together but don't overlap, would be unnoticeable underneath the leather, especially after treating it with neatsfoot oil or Proofhide to plump it up a little. Thin strips of tape used to hold the brake lever clamp in place definitely do show, though it's more evident in photos than in person.

That might be a different issue than what the OP is trying to highlight. Still, it is a matter of expectations. I have a feeling that most people who buy the elkwrap are wanting their bars to look and feel like a smooth pair of sausages under grip. (Mmmm) Adding any type of under-wrap will create an additional surface texture to the leather. Therefore any cotton tape that is added must be applied with the same attention to detail for evenness and consistency as anything else.

I did, and I was referring to Cross Creeks comment. It was obviously referring to my post.

I probably should have altered the 'lead in' to read:" For folks looking at installing Velo Oranges elkhide wrap on their rides"
Here's the word for word response I got from Scott at Velo Orange.
"Rich; On bars with the center grip being 26.0 the grip area (on ours)is 23.8.
The grips are cut to fit 23.8 diameter bars.
They were designed to cover the 23.8 bars only but there might be enough stretch to cover aero style cable setups, I can't be certain.
IF the bars are of the 31.8 (as with my Salsa shallow drop PRM3)center grip then the y go down to 26.7 (which is standard for 31.8 clamps but not for 26.0 clamps)that is too big for our grips to fit"
Simply put; I was just sharing the experience in case others were looking at Velo Oranges elkhide wrap for their vintage rides.
The wraps won't fit newer bars with the 31.8 center grip
The wraps won't fit if you plan on going with an aero wrap on the brake cables.
Sence the wraps are unreturnable (for obvious reasons)and unuseable in their oem form on anything I have, I'm thinking of cutting the wrap in half lengthwise and seeing if (with doublefaced tape on each strip) the two strips can be wrapped onto the bar.

I see now why I was confused. I assumed you and Velo Orange (Scott) knew what you were talking about.

False.

False.

False.

Can we see pictures of your bars? I'm still a little confused.

Is the problem that you want to wrap your bars all the way up to the stem, but because you have the newer, fatter clamp size you can't?

Vintage bikes and vintage style bikes, the type VO caters to, tend to use the smaller diameter bars.

I put these on my 23.8mm porteur bars over both cotton bar tape and a brake cable without a fit problem. It's leather; it stretches. And that's why I wouldn't want to put it on bare 23.8 or 22.2mm bars despite the adhesive strip. I think it would get too loose on the bar over time. Besides, the cloth tape detail coming through looks rather nice.

They say to squirt some adhesive on your bars prior to stitching the leather on...

The leather on my '74 Moto GR has been on close to 40 years & has held-on. Only recently has it begun to twist on one of the ends.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...ecanefront.jpg

For another bike, when I inquired VO about their Stitched Elkhide fitting over cables for ergo, they said it most likely would not fit. Instead, I went w/ their Gran Cru Leather Wrap.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...ps291b8990.jpg

Did you actually try fitting them, or are you assuming based on the email you received that they won't fit?