Fitting interesting new bartape....

salsarider79
salsarider79 Posts: 828
edited November 2014 in Commuting general
I sold my old fixed wheel bike last year and have wanted another one ever since. So, last week on a day off work and with nothing better to do, I had a little rummage around my garage (my garage resembles a junk shop of old bikes...). I found an old fixed rear wheel and pulled my Dawes Shadow frame down, and started to build up a fixie bike. I built it with a flat bar just to ride it to work (a bike shop!). While at work I picked up a lovely set of drop bars which I fitted. So far this bike has cost me nothing. It really was built from parts I had laying around in the garage!
Of course with fitting drop bars, I needed to find some bar tape. With the only rule I set myself was that the bike should cost me nothing, so I now needed to find some bar tape for free. I'm all for re-using old bar tape, but we didn't have any to hand. I searched around to see what I could use to tape the bars....then I figured out an answer - Cut the valve out from an old inner tube, then cut along the length, Voila, free bar tape! 8) (Hopefully the link works. I don't do computers... :cry: )
http://506094094635580956.weebly.com
BTW, skinny racing tubes work best. Two wraps of that is enough to provide a comfortable handlebar, suitably hardwearing, waterproof and best of all, free!

Anyone else come with a different idea like this....?
jedster wrote:
Just off to contemplate my own mortality and inevitable descent into decrepedness.
FCN 3 or 4 on road depending on clothing
FCN 8 off road because I'm too old to go racing around.

Comments

  • desweller
    desweller Posts: 5,175
    This isn't really a forum for the more 'fringe' members of the cycling community. I get my fix over on YACF.
    - - - - - - - - - -
    On Strava.{/url}
  • salsarider79
    salsarider79 Posts: 828
    DesWeller wrote:
    This isn't really a forum for the more 'fringe' members of the cycling community.
    I work as a bike mechanic, I fix bikes, I sell bikes, I try to get people excited to ride bikes. I commute to work by bike, I ride bikes for fun...Does this really make me a 'fringe member' of the cycling community????? Maybe I should wear a gimp mask when I ride just to keep you happy.....
    jedster wrote:
    Just off to contemplate my own mortality and inevitable descent into decrepedness.
    FCN 3 or 4 on road depending on clothing
    FCN 8 off road because I'm too old to go racing around.
  • cookeeemonster
    cookeeemonster Posts: 1,991
    Love this idea!!

    But I'd be worried in case I got a handlebar puncture. You carry a spare tube for this?

    :P
  • andrewc3142
    andrewc3142 Posts: 906
    salsarider79 wrote:
    DesWeller wrote:
    This isn't really a forum for the more 'fringe' members of the cycling community.
    I work as a bike mechanic, I fix bikes, I sell bikes, I try to get people excited to ride bikes. I commute to work by bike, I ride bikes for fun...Does this really make me a 'fringe member' of the cycling community????? Maybe I should wear a gimp mask when I ride just to keep you happy.....

    I think (hope) DesWeller was being tongue in cheek.

    Personally, it's great to see things being reused rather than just dumped in landfill and also bikes being used as a practical means of transport rather than delicate carbon uber-expensive status symbols.

    Plus anything fixed gets my vote.

    On the bar tape I think I'll stick to Fizik Micro, but looks a whole lot better than I was expecting.
  • desweller
    desweller Posts: 5,175
    salsarider79 wrote:
    DesWeller wrote:
    This isn't really a forum for the more 'fringe' members of the cycling community.
    I work as a bike mechanic, I fix bikes, I sell bikes, I try to get people excited to ride bikes. I commute to work by bike, I ride bikes for fun...Does this really make me a 'fringe member' of the cycling community????? Maybe I should wear a gimp mask when I ride just to keep you happy.....

    Hey, I'm all for the fringe. I was just mentioning that this forum is pretty vanilla in that respect. It's certainly not the only one I visit!

    Anyway, riding for fun, commuting by bike, fixing and selling bikes doesn't make you a member of the fringe round here, but creative recycling does. Things like telling people how you made your own dynamo lights just doesn't happen in this neck of the internet
    - - - - - - - - - -
    On Strava.{/url}

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