Sticky brakes

ride_whenever

I've just recieved my 2nd hand pompino, and it's a dream. So much faster than mtb with slicks and effortless to accelerate. However, I have a couple of questions...

The cables are sticky so I'd like to replace them, ideally with a sealed mtb system. Is this possible with drop bar levers, and will I need to replace the bar tape?

If I need to replace the tape what is a good brand, currently It has cinelli (sp) but I'd like something with a little more give as my hands quickly get sore both on the drops and on the hoods.

What is the OLD of a tiagra rear hub?

Monty Dog

An MTB sealed cable system will be OK, but just make sure it comes with enough outer to fit with the drop bars - you'll need to use a road inner cable because of the different pear nipple type of the road levers. Removing tape depends on the condition of the tape and whether it's self-adhesive or not - cork tape like Cinelli is pretty difficult to remove without damaging it unless you've got an under-wrap of electrical tape or similar to stop it sticking too firmly. A more comfy tape would be Specialized's Bar Phat or similar. Finally, a Tiagra hub will have an OLN of 130mm.

ride_whenever

Sorry for the questions I'm a total road noob, how difficult is it to wrap bars neatly?

k-dog

It's not difficult - just takes practice.

Do it the first time without taking the backing off the sticky stuff - so you can work out how it goes around the brakes and everything.

redvee

Verging on territory covered by another topic, start at the ends of the bars and work towards the middle, clockwise on RH and counter on LH.