Fancy grip-making (starring my bike!)

[Joe Bernard]

I dropped my Cheviot off with Grant after seeing his grip-stylin' on the Clem L he built up. Now I have a nifty pictorial of how he did it for my bike!

https://www.rivbike.com/blogs/peeking-through-the-knothole/grips-the-hard-way-how-to

Joe Bernard
Novato CA.

[lum gim fong]

These woolies looks like some comfy, beefy grips!! Nice!

As for the others briefly mentioned:

I don't think I would use the plasticy/rubber Dutchy grips though. I remember as a kid getting blisters from my rubbery/plasticy grips.

I would not use solid cork grips either - no cush. Rock hard, at least the Meisha ones i had on me Albas.

[Joe Bernard]

I used the Dutch Grips for bit. Comfy but short even for my itty bitty hands. They probably work better on the flat bars they're designed for.

I don't like cork, either.

My favorite are the paddle Ergons also mentioned in the article. I'm only replacing them on my Chev because I wanted some funky Grantliness on my new bike 👍

[Deacon Patrick]

I love the look of these! Good call, Joe!

I find the cushion of bars fascinating. I have the opposite experience from most. My bars are wrapped with a single layer of cotton (no shelac). My hands fall asleep sometimes when I wear my boiled wool mittens (equal to a very thick layer of wool felt), but never when I am bare handed. Am I somehow gripping harder to compensate for the cushy feel? I’ve no idea. But my hands stay warm, so it works. Shrug. Grin.

With abandon,
Patrick

[Scott McLain]

Do you know how thick the wool felt is that he uses?

Scott

[Joe Bernard]

I've had a similar experience with padding/cushion, although more in the clothing area than grips. After many years of trying to get comfortable with padded shorts and gloves, I discovered that my body was struggling through the cushion barrier to get to the contact point on the bicycle, creating much pain. Once I removed those barriers the pain stopped. That doesn't mean I want to ride a bare handlebar - and hard cork doesn't work - but I can't ride a massive, cushioned grip, either. Grant's wrapping job looks like a reasonable compromise between the two extremes..I'll holler after I get the bike back and go for some rides.

[Joe Bernard]

Scott: I don't know, but the finished grip we see in the pics doesn't look super huge. I'll give feedback on it when I pick my bike up.

[Deacon Patrick]

Scott, it looks to me similar to craft weight felt, like can be bought for making felt projects with kids. Pretty thin.

With abandon,
Patrick

[Ann L]

Joe:

I love it!!!  I had thought before that your bike needed a cool bar wrap job to complete the look.  I like how Grant used different color combos on each handlebar.  I also really like the olive color.  I will keep it in mind for future projects.

[ascpgh]

I think the softness/pliability of your wool mitts is pushing into the valley at the base of your palm, pressing the Palmer nerve enough to result in a bit o’ impingement and result with some temporary numbness. Those gooey gel saddles sold to new cyclists do the same thing to their rear ends.

My hand issue catalog comes honestly from a year and a half on crutches. No way around the damage, just glad th neuropathy and sores healed, and that I can walk.

Andy Cheatham
Pittsburgh

[Joe Bernard]

Another note on that Blahg entry: I dig the "straight-bar" fork on the HHH. It looks like a fancified old Raleigh 3-speed fork.

[Clayton]

I have had three carpal tunnel surgeries and suffer from permanent pain and numbness, sometimes so bad I can't squeeze the brake, which almost caused me to wreck once. I also have had three back surgeries, so trying to get comfortable on a bike had been an all consuming project.

 

I finally tried (in desperation) Grab On foam grips for drop bars, wrapped with padded tape. My grips are huge!  It cut my numbness down enough to use the brake though. I can ride. I have a loss of feeling anyway, so road feel is not an issue. I run my drops a little high, due to back pain and it also puts less weight on my hands. 

 It works for me, but it is not beautiful like the custom grips...

#DirtDance

Clayton B.

 

 

[Joe Bernard]

I say use whatever let's you ride. If you ever found the time and the whim you could always do a fancy wrap with cloth over what you have now.

[Kainalu V.]

Here's my solution for comfort grips, at least what's going on underneath. They're now wrapped in green to further solidify the rope's placement and hide the ugliness (the ends have been trimmed, but the dangles could be fun if left). 

-Kai

BK NY 

[Joe Bernard]

Keep the dangles!

[Surlyprof]

Kai,

Love that solution! I run my bar end shifter cables on the underside of my albastache bars so they line up with where my fingers bend. I like that it feels similar to our cooking knives from Japan. Always wanted a little more bump. Next time I’ll try your rope trick. Thanks.

John

[Joe Bernard]

I got my bike back and the grips are awesome! As I expected it's not a super huge handful - good because I have small hands - and it's not overly cushy either. The ballcocks thing is a revelation: I expected the "hand stop" feature, but not the way you can rest your hands over them kinda like a hoods position. There's that air gap over the levers which relieves pressure when you transition from the grip. I never in a million years would have thought of trying this. See pics here!

https://photos.app.goo.gl/NmXCbvDKbxuxwrmL2

[Ann L]

Joe:

I love the look of the bike.  The seagulls also seem impressed :)

Thanks for the pictures.

Ann

[tc]

That bike looks so awesome!  Roman's post says you have a flipped Albatross bar, but it's a Choco bar, right?

I have decided to first try a flipped Albatross bar on my S1.  I was waffling, but saw some pic's, and this article on Lovely Bicycle:

[Joe Bernard]

Oh wow, I got a full pictorial spread! From now on it will be known as my Cheviot Scorcher, a great name from a great old Ibis I've always wanted.

Yes, it's a flipped Choco with an inch lopped off the ends.

[RichS]

And the copper cable ends to boot? Love the profile image with the water background. So serene:-)

Regards,

Richard

[Joe Bernard]

Yep yep, I asked Grant to do the copper ends, too..another neat touch I never would have thought of.

That's a lovely pond down the street from me. It indeed is a very serene place to stop and put the brain on pause for a few minutes.

[Ann L]

Joe:

I just saw the pictures on the BLUG.  The Paul Melvin looks sharp.  It's one of more unique set ups I've seen.  Congratulations on a one of a kind bike :)

Ann

[Joe Bernard]

Thanks, Ann! I have a real affection for bikes that have a well thought out, idiosyncratic look, but my own rides always lean towards practical, standard builds. I was determined to give this one a vibe of "he wanted this to look and work specifically this way", if that makes sense. Now that it's back home I need to put the headlight and Woody's Chop Chort fenders back on, then she's good to go. I have some narrower Speedblend Nifty Swiftys that I'll be mounting closer to summer for more funkiness. I'll post a pic later when it's set up that way. It's such a cool bike!

[Ray Varella]

Joe,
You’re welcome to ride my Scorcher sometime.
They are nice riding bikes and definitely worth snagging if you see one for sale.

Your bike looks great.

Ray

[Joe Bernard]

You have one?? I've never even seen a Scorcher in person!

[Ray Varella]

Yes sir, I’ve had it for years.

[J Imler]

I attempted to replicate the fancy grip on my JA. Here's the look:

Needs another 'lac coat. 

Also, here's a link that helped me with the surgeon's knot. Prior to viewing I'd had no luck.

http://www.facetjewelry.com/fiber-cord/videos/2016/05/tying-a-surgeons-knot

[Joe Bernard]

Nice! Where/how did you find the felt part? Grant mentioned it on the Blahg but I forgot to ask him where to buy that stuff.

[Deacon Patrick]

Joe, any craft shop will have wool felt.

With abandon,
Patrick

[R Shannon]

Looks nice! Well executed too. How do you like the way it feels?

Regards,
Richard

Sent from my iPhone

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[J Imler]

Should have gone with one more wrap around of the felt. Purchased felt from local hobby store, on the thinnish side. Overall a quality comfy grip that looks good and no doubt should last awhile.

BTW, to nail the surgeons knot follow the video instructions and add another through the loop on the final left over right.