securing cork grips
 

I got some cork grips to go on a set of nitto promenade bars for the bike I'm building for my wife. The package said to wipe the bars down with Isopropyl alcohol, slide the grips on, and let it all dry. A couple days later, the grips seem slightly more secure than they were originally, but they still spin on the bars pretty easily. Any other suggestions for bonding material, or should I just go with epoxy?

Hairspray

Are you sure the grips are the right size for the bars?

Hairspray doesn't work. I've heard spray glue or rubber cement work.

They slide onto the bar with a slight resistance, and the description of the grips on www.Benscycle.net even mentioned them being a good combination to go with the nitto promenade bars. Hairspray seems like it would be a good idea, although I guess I can always give rubber cement a shot.

[QUOTE=seely]Hairspray doesn't work. I've heard spray glue or rubber cement work.[/QUO

I know a guy who builds custom motorcycles, and he uses hairspray on the inactive grip.

I use 3M Super 77 spray adhesive and let it dry overnight. Elmer's would probably work. Rivendell suggests Gorilla Glue.

I found a contact adhesive called Seal-All at the hardware store that works pretty niftily. If you find it, it says to let it dry (solvent evaporation) for 10 minutes before you put the things-to-be-stuck-together together, but I've found that, in the case of grips, it's best to just let put them right on and then hands off.

I don't know how the stuff works with cork, though, and furthermore, it's some hyper-permanent artillery. Only way off is cutting 'em off.

[QUOTE=bedian]I use it for rubber grips, but cork grips do not fit tight enough. They tend to hold and then pop off at a really bad time.

I found that wraping the bars in cloth tape then screwing the grips on looks swell and works well

Hairspray works well for rubber grips...

Until you get them wet. Take that from a guy who lives in Washington (the state, you jackass) and used to engage in the occasional lake jumping (a pursuit that I wish I'd never given up, too fun!).

I can't speak to hairspray with cork, though.

if you use epoxy you're going to be really upset when you decide to change the grips and have to deal with it.

air compressor

Hairspray has been working just fine on cork grips for me, I've done 2 pair that way. They have been holding up fine.

+1

How long did you let it sit, how much did you spray? I sprayed a light coating on the inside of my grips last night and let them sit until this morning. Stickier, but they still came off. I left them off for a minute and stuck em back on, hopefully that'll solve it.

wow, this came back from the dead. Anyways, what I ended up doing was wrapping the part of the bars that would be covered by the grips in tape (hockey, medical, painting... any sort of tape with a rough outer side). After that, just had to twist the grips on and now they don't budge.

I think rubber cement would be the best...

Gorilla Glue seems to do the job, but it's a PITA to clean up if you ever want to take the grips off.

Yep. I used Gorilla Glue to secure my cork grips and really wish I hadn't. They need to be replaced and I'm dreading the removal/cleanup process.

razor blade will do

since these are cork grips (I'm assuming real cork here) shouldn't there be a way to get them to shrink onto the bars, like soaking them first and letting them dry?

Also, for hairspray, it's important to use something really simple. The traditional brand is Aqua-Net. It's basically alcohol, butane, propane, and nasty sticky goo.

also makes a killer potato gun propellant. . .:)

My incredibly scientific measurement was two squirts each. I let it sit long enough to put my bike duds on to go for a ride, so like 5 minutes, but they were holding well enough be fore I even walked away. If your grips are sliding off that easily, they may just be a little bigger than your bar. Are you using those Dimension grips that are everywhere? Mine were very slightly larger than a regular mtn size bar, but not as big as a road bar. They fit my Dimension moustache bar perfectly, and it's a weird in between size.