Tips for Removing Cork Grips?

[Deacon Patrick]

I'll be giving the bull moose Bosco bars a try, shifting from Albatross bars. Any tips for removing the cork grips in one piece so I can reuse them? They were installed by Riv when I bought the bike a year ago and are glued on.

With abandon,

Patrick

www.MindYourHeadCoop.org

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[Cyclofiend Jim]

I've never really had any luck doing that, as the glue I'd used was reasonably tenacious and I did not take the time.  They broke up pretty well both times.

You'd need something slender and sharpened, reasonably flexible to work around between the grip and the bar to separate the grip from the glue before working them off.  Otherwise they do tend to break apart. 

You MIGHT (untested theory follows)....
- drill a hole in the end of one just large enough to take the business end of a compressor air hose nozzle - then see if air pressure will help you off.  That used to work for rubber grips
- the other option would be to slice the grip laterally and take each half off (easier to work the details with a flexible blade), then make a hollow at each end for a twine wrap when you reattach to the new bars.

- Jim "clearly, it's Friday..."

[Peter Morgano]

if you are careful you can use a heat gun and get them so the glue is gooey and pull them off, but one wrong pull and they will tear so have patience.

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[Matthew J]

VERY CAREFUL!  I've succeeded once out of maybe four tries.

[Robert Barr]

I am 0/4. The last two sets came off in small pieces. This time I used less Gorilla Glue!

[Andy Smitty Schmidt]

I suppose it depends what kind of glue you put them on with. I've taken cork grips off several times with 100% success. The glue Riv recommends has changed a couple times in the handful of years since I bought my first pair of Portuguese cork grips. I ran out of the stuff I initially bought last time I installed grips and am needing to get some more to put the grips back on the wife's Betty Foy after some lever/shifter upgrades. I was thinking to use one of the goops already on hand but love how the old stuff holds until you break it free. 

Basically what I do is hold the grip with both hands and gently twist. Gently is the wrong word... I squeeze it with a 2-handed death grip and with all my might I rotate it as smoothly as I can. It resists at first but I keep pressure until it slips. Then it just comes off. The old glue is easy to chip off the bars with a plastic scraper. 

What is this magical glue? you might ask... I can't remember the name off the top of my head. I'm optimistic I'll recognize it when I'm standing in front of the adhesives at the hardware store. I'll report back when/if I figure it out. 

Good luck.

--Smitty

On Friday, March 29, 2013 11:48:23 AM UTC-7, Deacon Patrick wrote:

[Matthew J]

When I used glue, Riv recommended Gorilla glue mentioned above.  Based on forensic analysis of the broken grips appears the glue did not adhere evenly between the cork and bar (user error a readily acknowledged possibility).  Rotating to remove caused uneven pressure leading to the breakdown.

I do not grip my bars hard in any event. I've since stopped using glue altogether.

[Deacon Patrick]

Thanks everyone! I'll plan on giving them up for lost and be joyously surprised if they survive. If not, I'll use tape till I figure out what bars I want to go with long term. I'm grateful for your help.

With abandon,

Patrick

[Andy Smitty Schmidt]

Matthew J... What do you use to put grips on now?

I poked around the web found what I used for putting on my cork grips... Permatex Farm-A-Gasket #1. Riv video confirms it... http://youtu.be/0VaUlzsDDvk

--Smitty

[hangtownmatt]

Deacon,

Why are you swapping out the Albatross bars?

Matt

On Friday, March 29, 2013 11:48:23 AM UTC-7, Deacon Patrick wrote:

[Deacon Patrick]

For budgetary reasons, I won't be now. But all this got me thinking about how to rework my Albatross bars a wee bit to create more room between my hands and the gear levers (MTB style on the bars) -- the primary reason for shifting to the Bosco bars, which have more room on the upper/back hand position. I'll test on a longer ride and see how it goes, but my short ride test was promising. I removed the cloth tape in the far forward hand position (which I don't use much), thus freeing up room to slide the gear levers forward, freeing up room for my hands at the top of the cork grips.

With abandon,

Patrick

[Matthew J]

Smitty:

 

No adhesive.  I wrap some tape around the bar in a few places to make it wider and presumably a tighter fit.  So far the grips are holding well without.

[Deacon Patrick]

Matthew,

Cloth tape?

With abandon,

Patrick

[Matthew J]

Yes.  Cloth. 

 

But not necessarily by design.  While back I managed to order a couple rolls of Newbaums from Riv is a color I did not want.  Riv no doubt would have taken them back but I did not want to be a bother given it was my error.  It seems to work well enough.

[Deacon Patrick]

Great! I'll keep this in mind should my cork grips need replacing in future.

With abandon,

Patrick

[Andy Smitty Schmidt]

Cloth tape under cork grips... I like it. 

--Smitty

On Friday, March 29, 2013 11:48:23 AM UTC-7, Deacon Patrick wrote: