Wooden Bicycle Handlebar Grips.

Hello.

Have you ever thought of having wooden handlebar grips ?

I thought about it a lot; I didn't think that it would be possible but I tried and was amazed by the results.

So comfortable and tactile and very beautiful.



PS
I used these grips on my 1930's path racer project; Please feel free to check it out.
https://www.instructables.com/id/Assembling-a-path-racer-with-a-1930s-budget/

Step 1: Step 1. the Tools and the Materials.

Materials-

The wood that I used was an old curtain pole that had been in my neighbour's garden for about two years; it was rotten at the ends but that was no problem as I only needed about 8" of it. ( I chose it because it was just a little bit wider diameter than my handlebars; I also looked through my firewood but nothing was uniform enough.)

I used UHU contact glue. (Update: I used Two Part epoxy resin glue because I wanted to be sure of the grip).

Tools-

The tools that you need are a drill and a 22mm spade bit.

(A drill press would be good and a lathe would be untold but I have neither of these.)

I also used a file,  a rasp and some sandpaper.

Step 2: Step 2- Drilling and Filing.

I held the wood in a vice and drilled; It was too rotten but I sawed the end off and started again.

i tried to keep it straight but the first two attempts split because I drilled off-centre and came through the side  . . . without a pillar drill it seemed impossible but third time lucky, it worked.

The fourth was off-centre but the fifth was another success.

I left about a 1/4" undrilled.

I think that it is a matter of luck but it worked.


They were too tight for my tester bars so I filed and rasped them out so that they could slide on and off the tester bars without too much fuss; I did not want to risk splitting them.; loose is OK because I want to use glue to secure them.


I gave them a quick sanding and slid them on my real handle bars..

Step 3: Step 3- Glueing Them On.

I simply used a contact adhesive.

This is an important step.( I made sure that these were really stuck fast before riding; I also check them periodically).

UPDATE- I decided to upgrade to  two-part epoxy resin glue just to be on the safe side.

Step 4: The Finish.

At first I used some furniture polish but it seemed to be absorbed too much and they still felt very dry and I was still worried about them cracking or being affected by the weather; the walls are only about 2mm thick.

I used a clear stain ; I checked to see if it had any nasties in it because I would be gripping it a lot but it was mainly linseed oil and tung oil with some varnish


After much riding I can report that these might just be the most comfortable grips that I have ever used.

Happy Riding.