Improvising grip removal

I set about to swap shifters on my hardtail today. The stock Deore's were no good anymore. I had a set of OEM takeoff LX pods to swap them with. First thing was to pull the grips...just some basic rubber Yetis, but they were on SOLID. I racked my brain trying to figure out what to do about them and then it hit me: CANNED AIR. You know, the stuff you use to clean electronics?

I pried a little with the flat screwdriver to make a gap between my brake lever and the grip, then I put the little straw under the grip and in a couple puffs of air, the grip was off! It worked quite well instead of an air compressor. I'll be remembering that trick when I upgrade my wife's bike after she opens all her presents on Christmas. I'll be getting rid of the crappy 8spd integrated levers her bike came with in favor of newer LX shifters and some Avid brake levers. She's already got disc brakes (BB7's), so she's getting a nice new 9spd cassette to go along with her new shifters.

Mostly what I want to gain from this is a smoother brake lever action. There was nothing inherently wrong with her shifting before...just a heavy cassette and the junky shifters/brake levers. But to upgrade brake levers, I had to do the shifters, too. And doing that meant a new cassette and chain. At least the derailleurs are 9spd compatible and the wheelset will fit the cassette.