[cohenfive]

i'm going to swap handlebars on my bike. it came with an itm alloy flat bar (approx 22 inches) and i would prefer a carbon riser bar.

are there any tricks to watch out for in swapping the bars or is it pretty much unbolting everything and putting it back on the new bar? also, suggestions on the easiest way to get the grips off and on would be appreciated.

i've been riding for a couple of years now but am just venturing out into the (for me) brave new world of upgrading parts...

thanks!!

 

[bulC]

the one possible major screwup

Don't overtorque the clamp bolt(s) to the point that you strip out the threads in the stem. Some have steel inserts that are hard to strip. Others have threads cut right into softer aluminum, which aren't that hard to wreck.
With removable faceplate stems, don't tighten one bolt all the way, then start on the other. Tighten both in increments, so you end up with an equal gap between the upper side of the face plate and the stem, and the lower side and the stem. With some stems, if you tighten just one bolt a good bit, then insert the second bolt, the second will go in crooked and cross-threaded. So start both bolts together and tighten them incrementally.
To get grips off, what I do is carefully work a thin long screwdriver blade betwixt bar and grip, roll it around to break the bond. It often helps to squirt a little soapy water in there, then kinda knead the grip, twisting it, till all at once the bond breaks and off it comes.
High pressure compressed air is another way to go, if you have accesss to a compressor.
When installing your shifter and brakes, bells, rifle racks, etc on the new bar, don't force them on while twisting. Any scratches, gouging, scoring of the bar can lessen its life, especialy with carbon, though true of any material.

 

[VT no 1 2 or 3]

Going from a flat bar to riser- watch the cable lengths- it is possible that what was just right for the flat bar could be too short when used the riser bar. For getting grips off I find that squirting some rubbing alcohol between the grips and bar then twisting the grips off works well.

 

[cohenfive]

thanks for the info..

do you use any kind of adhesive to reinstall the grips or just the rubber on carbon (aluminum)??

 

[FreeRangeChicken]

thanks for the info..

do you use any kind of adhesive to reinstall the grips or just the rubber on carbon (aluminum)??

I've heard of some people using hairspray as an adhesive. I've never needed it myself. If you make sure the bars and grips are absolutely clean you shouldn't have a problem unless you stretched the grips getting them off the old bars. I usually use rubbing alcohol (others use soapy water) when putting the grips on. Alcohol allows the grips to slide on easily and evaporates fairly quickly. After you get the grips on the bar, work out as much of the alcohol (or soapy water) as you can by working the grips around. This will allow them to dry quicker.

 

[SpinWheelz]

Hairspray works like a charm on the grips. They are as much a lubricant to get the grips on the bar as they are a pseudo-adhesive when they dry. Please, PLEASE, PLEASE don't go the straight rubbing alcohol method. That alcohol can do a number on the paint finish of your handlebar.

 

[peachy-B]

GRIP iT!

i would skip hairspray and alcohol and straight into double sided adhesive w/ some paint thinner. that's how the grips are installed on gold clubs... and u dnt see the grips on those babies coming loose do ya?

btw, i dnt know what kind of paintjob it is but normal isopropyl alcohol does NOT mark paint jobs. it's gotta be some extremely fragile coating that shouldn't be on a bike in the first place.

hairspray: if u ride in the rain, water will get inside and make it slippery again.

apply (carpeting) double sided tape on the bar. pour some paint thinner inside the grip and kinda shake it around inside covering the interior rubber w/ the fluid... pour the excess fluid on top of the adhesive (on bar)... it will soften the adhesive and make it very slippery. u now have myb 10 secs to slide that rubber in and position it to what u want.

ah, make sure u have the shifters and all already installed or at least slid on the bars.

For a maximum grip wait until the next day befire riding. the grip will not move.

or u can just get the ODI lock jaw grips.

 

[cohenfive]

thanks for the tips...

i got a monkeylite low rise carbon bar so shouldn't have an issue with paint. i'm going to try the soapy water trick first to get them off to see if there's any tape, etc. underneath the grips. if possible i'd like not to use anything to 'glue' the grips on the new bar but if i have to use double sided tape (sparingly so as not to build up the grips) i will.

any issues with using alcohol or anything else on a carbon bar?

 

[Ebo]

i got a monkeylite low rise carbon bar so shouldn't have an issue with paint. i'm going to try the soapy water trick first to get them off to see if there's any tape, etc. underneath the grips. if possible i'd like not to use anything to 'glue' the grips on the new bar but if i have to use double sided tape (sparingly so as not to build up the grips) i will.

any issues with using alcohol or anything else on a carbon bar?

Soapy water works fine, although I just use straight water and twist to break the bond. There won't be any tape underneath. I use hairspray all the time and never have a problem. Just let them dry overnight. Use it liberally. Spray the bar and the inside of the grip. Wipe off the excess once the grip is in place. Super easy. And no, riding in the rain will not loosen them.

 

[cohenfive]

Soapy water works fine, although I just use straight water and twist to break the bond. There won't be any tape underneath. I use hairspray all the time and never have a problem. Just let them dry overnight. Use it liberally. Spray the bar and the inside of the grip. Wipe off the excess once the grip is in place. Super easy. And no, riding in the rain will not loosen them.

got the bar swapped no problemo today--used a screwdriver (covered in tape so as not to scratch the old bar) with some soapy water to get it off, then used a few drops of rubbing alcohol to get the grips on the new bar....

now if i could only get the disks to stop rubbing! for that we go to the shop...

 

[Fuelish]

. And no, riding in the rain will not loosen them.

I dunno, I've used hairspray for grips for what seems like forever, now ...and I've had grips get loose after riding in torrential downpours while commuting to/from work ( it SUX getting caught in a bad bad thunderstorm on your bike in rush hour traffic with 4 miles still to go to get to work on a freaking Monday !!!! ) .....not frequent enough to make me use any other method of slipping them on, though. they dry out in a day or so. Not a biggie, but it can and does happen.

 

[Padge]

Tricks

There are a couple of tricks for removing/installing grips and bars.
1) You can use compressed air and insert a nozzle into the hole at the end of the grip while sealing the opposite hole. Hit the air and off pops the grip. Move to the other side and repeat only this time put your hand over the end of the bar.
2) I use this one. Obtain a syringe and fill with alcohol, poke into grip and release the alcohol. Off slides the grip. I use hairspray to put the grips back on.
3) To avoid scratches on the new bar (if you have a clamp style stem). Remove the allen bolt from the clamp. Thread the allen back in from the bottom till it reaches the slot. Place a penny (any little piece of metal will work) into the slot and tighten the allen a little bit to help open the clamp. Then remove the old bar and install the new one.