# Brooks leather bar tape??



## 89dk (Jul 31, 2008)

Anyone have experience with the Brooks leather handlebar tape? I'm thinking about adding it to my Miayta http://forums.roadbikereview.com/showthread.php?t=144124 Specifically I'm wanting to know about lifecycle/durability in the rain. I live in the Pacific Northwest and occasionally (Nov--May) we have rain. A leather saddle isn't an issue as my body and fenders keep it mostly dry, however the bars are out in the open unprotected. In the past I'd never pay so much for bar tape but the reality now days is that it's only the cost of a tank of gas and since I commute on the bike justifications can be made......


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## Dave Hickey (Jan 27, 2002)

While I don't ride in the rain much, I have 3 bike with the Brooks tape.
I love the stuff...I proof hide it and it weathers like the saddle.. 

You won't have any problems with it in the rain...It's extremely durable and will last a lifetime...


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## Touch0Gray (May 29, 2003)

I love my brooks bar tape, the cork and wood plugs on the other hand....not so much. They stick out an additional 1/4 inch and never did fit properly in my Nitto Randonneur bars..Well now, in the left, all I have left is a ork, the wood part wet missing. I am pretty irritated considering they are 12 fricking bucks a pair.

You guys know where I can get a set of vintage, bar plugs with the screw in the center?...preferably in brown?


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## PomPilot (May 17, 2006)

Well ToG, this may (or may not) work, depending on your stock of empties. I was thinking about trying to do something along the lines of the Brooks plugs, and realized that I have a collection of wine corks, sparkling wine stoppers and cork stoppers from Scotch whisky bottles. :blush2: Anyway, it looks like there are a few that might fit the bill for what I want to do. Only problem is the one that I really like, I only have one of. So it looks like a trip to the liquor store may be in order.


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## 89dk (Jul 31, 2008)

PomPilot said:


> Well ToG, this may (or may not) work, depending on your stock of empties. I was thinking about trying to do something along the lines of the Brooks plugs, and realized that I have a collection of wine corks, sparkling wine stoppers and cork stoppers from Scotch whisky bottles. :blush2: Anyway, it looks like there are a few that might fit the bill for what I want to do. Only problem is the one that I really like, I only have one of. So it looks like a trip to the liquor store may be in order.


Way ahead of ya' on that one. Favorite Chianti on the left, favorite Pinot Gris on the right. I left them sticking out a bit on purpose with the wine stained side out and still no one has noticed (or at least commented).


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## Touch0Gray (May 29, 2003)

too funny I gues i didn't catch that when I clicked on the link to the "reborn" thread.......So, if you get them in too far do you use a corkscrew to get them out?.....LOL


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## Reynolds531 (Nov 8, 2002)

Touch0Gray said:


> You guys know where I can get a set of vintage, bar plugs with the screw in the center?...preferably in brown?


I think that I have a pair of brown rubber bar plugs with a screws in the center. I took them off a NOS 1981 Centruion and installed barcons (and Brooks leather taper). I'm travelling for the next 8 days, but will look for them next week. I don't throw out much old bike stuff, but I will have to find them.


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## Touch0Gray (May 29, 2003)

Reynolds531 said:


> I think that I have a pair of brown rubber bar plugs with a screws in the center. I took them off a NOS 1981 Centruion and installed barcons (and Brooks leather taper). I'm travelling for the next 8 days, but will look for them next week. I don't throw out much old bike stuff, but I will have to find them.


thanks...'preciate it...either PM or re-post here with details....thanks


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## Reynolds531 (Nov 8, 2002)

Touch0Gray said:


> thanks...'preciate it...either PM or re-post here with details....thanks



PM your address to me and I'll put them in the mail next week. No charge.


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## Touch0Gray (May 29, 2003)

R-531.....Thanks, finally got here today, can't say without a hitch though....The US Postal service and their delicate handling of the package proved to be more than it could take, it had been torn asunder and re taped back together...one plug made it....one is somewhere between you and me....sigh....Thanks though, I still owe ya.....


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## buck-50 (Sep 20, 2005)

Velo-orange has their own leather tape- it's cheaper than brooks. 

http://www.velo-orange.com/hacoandta.html

Also, sewn-on leather covers. 

I've not used their leather tape, but I've had nothing but good experiences with VO so far.


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## bolandjd (Sep 12, 2008)

VO has old school screw-in-the-center bar plugs too. So does rivbike.com.


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## Dave Hickey (Jan 27, 2002)

I've used the VO sew on wrap...it's nice but not very thick..even so, it's still pretty comfy..if I can sew it on, anybody can.......I haven't used the bar tape yet...


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## Argentius (Aug 26, 2004)

*So far so good...*

A brooks leather saddle came on my Raleigh Sojourn. Only had it a few weeks, but it's seen some rain, and it just gets wet and dries. I think it'll last a long, long time, I'll just probably take it off and condition it after a season,...


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## Touch0Gray (May 29, 2003)

Ben's Cycle has Toshi tape as well....many colors


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## Touch0Gray (May 29, 2003)

wahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh....but these plugs were BROWN.......and brand new......and I have ONE.....wahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh....I don't want black...


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## Puchnuts (Oct 9, 2008)

Expensive is Brooks tape - but I love it! Note: I don't ever wrap my bars from the bottom's up. Always a few wraps at the top, then down around & in. Never had it come loose.


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## desert_koi (Jul 15, 2007)

I've been using Brooks "honey" colored bar tape for six months on my fixie/commuter and over a year on my geared road bike.

Here in the high desert (New Mexico) I've found it necessary to actually use the proofide stuff on them to avoid them drying out/cracking. I avoided this at first assuming it would cause them to become slippery, but this fear has not been realized.

I've had issues with the cork/wood plugs on both bikes. On the Fixie they come loose regularly so it's become a habit of mine to regularly press them into place when I hop on the bike. I'm pretty certain they will eventually fall out. I've assumed it simply is too dry here for the cork and that it is drying out (and hence shrinking slightly). In a more moist climate (such as England) the cork would stay moist from the humidity - but from the comments of others it sounds like my theory may be incorrect.

On the geared road bike, the wood cap separated from the cork on both plugs within the first few months. I glued them back on using wood glue and since then they've been maintenance free (about 14 months).

I brought the geared road bike with me when I spent a few months in Warwickshire England this winter. During that time the bar tape (and the saddle) experienced rain, snow, and even a little ice on a "freezing fog" day (this desert dweller thought that was quite an odd weather event). They also experienced more moisture than normal as I stored the bike in my hotel bathroom. I was initially concerned that all of this would have some kind of negative impact on the tape or the saddle but instead they had absolutely no impact whatsoever. I did proofide both lightly once each month that I was there, this may have helped but who knows.


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## Dave Hickey (Jan 27, 2002)

+1 on the proofide... I use it too...I've found that the tape will wear the same(color) as the saddle when I used proofide.


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## lousylegs (Jul 15, 2005)

I just put some Brooks tape on my road bike last week, and while I have not ridden it in the rain so far, I do love the feel of it over regular old bar tape.


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## 89dk (Jul 31, 2008)

Thanks for all the feedback. I haven't moved on this yet but I did order some Selle San Marco Lorica bar tape for my race bike. It's the same synthetic leather material that Sidi uses in their shoes. Once I get it installed and some milage I'll post a review.

dk


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## 89dk (Jul 31, 2008)

I wrapped the bars with the Lorcia tape last night. It seems to have a good density to the material and has no stretch. Cork tape allows you to stretch it and pull it tight around the bends in the bar. This material requires you to overlap the tape quite a bit in order to transition around the turns. This means more tape is used to go less distance and I barely had enough to finish. I have small "standard" diameter bars but someone with oversize bars might run out of tape. Ascetically the tape looks average and has been stamped over every inch with their log. I was able to get a 1.5 hour ride this morning and with full fingered gloves the comfort level wasn't any different than my previous tape. It's a good value for a non-cork look and I suspect will be very durable; but they're certainly not a substitute style-wise for the good Brooks stuff.


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## martinrjensen (Sep 23, 2007)

89dk said:


> Way ahead of ya' on that one. Favorite Chianti on the left, favorite Pinot Gris on the right. I left them sticking out a bit on purpose with the wine stained side out and still no one has noticed (or at least commented).


Your Brooks tape is a lot lighter than mine. I put mine on , then covered it with Mink Oil and it really darkened up. I like it, but it is a lot darker than yours. Does the tape come in different shades?


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## 89dk (Jul 31, 2008)

martinrjensen said:


> Your Brooks tape is a lot lighter than mine. I put mine on , then covered it with Mink Oil and it really darkened up. I like it, but it is a lot darker than yours. Does the tape come in different shades?


Mine's lighter because that pic is of the cork tape I'm considering replacing--not Brooks. But yes they have Honey and Brown shades.


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## poppo (Nov 4, 2008)

I don't understand the Brooks tape since it is really expensive and once you get it on, it just looks like you ripped the covering off someone's old steering wheel. Makes me think of an old Pontiac Forenza my mom used to drive. In fact I bet you could get the equivalent of this wrap from an auto parts store much cheaper. 

Brooks leather wrap H8ter for life!

Peace.


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## Touch0Gray (May 29, 2003)

huh?....









so this looks like an old pontiac?.......mkay


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## poppo (Nov 4, 2008)

yeah it looks like the stuff used to wrap around steering wheels, not the smooth wrap but basically the same thing on a car. I heard Brooks is coming out with a fluffy sheepskin cover too...


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## 89dk (Jul 31, 2008)

poppo said:


> I don't understand the Brooks tape since it is really expensive and once you get it on, it just looks like you ripped the covering off someone's old steering wheel. Makes me think of an old Pontiac Forenza my mom used to drive. In fact I bet you could get the equivalent of this wrap from an auto parts store much cheaper.
> 
> Brooks leather wrap H8ter for life!
> 
> Peace.


It's a well known fact that Detroit has been trying to be as stylish as the bike industry for years. Glad to hear your Mom's Forenza nearly pulled it off---they named it a cool Italian name and wrapped the "bars" with leather. But don't be a hater for life b/c someday you may own a bike worthy of the leather.


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## desert_koi (Jul 15, 2007)

I love this thread so much!

I like that Brooks is that it isn't for everyone. The style full on repulses some people and I greatly enjoy the random weird opinions I'll get out on the road from other cyclists.

One of the stranger opinions I get, though, is that the tape is expensive. People will even say that when looking at my more expensive bikes yet don't call out any of the other parts as expensive. It's more than paid for itself on all my cycles. One set has at least 18,000 miles on it and I expect to easily get another 20,000 out of it.


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## excellentadventure (Aug 19, 2011)

Has anyone tried the newer colored tape? does it differ at all form the original hues?


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