# Racycle grips- made



## vw00794 (Dec 17, 2013)

Here are the first 3 (workable) pairs of experimental grips out of the mould. The mould only holds one grip, so it will be slow going. 

Working  on both a hard sand-able eurathane, and a soft, plyable rubber. Problem is that the original Racycle catalogue says that the grips are rubber and yet the one we are using, which looks practically NOS, is hard as a rock, kinda like bakelight. ... 100 years of curing time perhaps?

The black ones are hard and sand able, the grey ones are a little softer and the burgundy ones are very soft and bendable.

They fit perfectly on a pair of Kelly bars ( in the photo).

Have to work out the cure time, proper vacuum, etc. to get it right, but they will look nice, or I won't sell them. 

... A few more tries...


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## Obi-Wan Schwinnobi (Dec 17, 2013)

I will buy some just because!.. I have no ray ray but those are Nice!


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## fordmike65 (Dec 17, 2013)

Nice work Blue! I vote you post pics in the Cool Grips thread


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## fordsnake (Dec 17, 2013)

Put me down for 2 sets


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## catfish (Dec 17, 2013)

Very nice. Do the grips have the Racycle script on each side of the grip?


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## vw00794 (Dec 17, 2013)

The grip has the Racycle logo four times around the grip, two facing one direction and two facing the other.


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## fat tire trader (Dec 17, 2013)

fordsnake said:


> Put me down for 2 sets



Add one pair to Carlton's order so we can save on shipping.


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## 1898Columbia (Dec 17, 2013)

*Very cool!*

Beautiful!  Would love to have these for my currently grip-less Racycle.  Please keep us posted as to how to order!


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## vw00794 (Dec 17, 2013)

1898Columbia said:


> Beautiful!  Would love to have these for my currently grip-less Racycle.  Please keep us posted as to how to order!





A Grip-less Racycle is very sad.

I  need to get them just right and hopefully consistent. Soooooon.


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## willswares1220 (Dec 17, 2013)

Hi Blue,

Looking Good!!!
Are they going to be a low luster satin or a high gloss appearance as in the case of the black ones mounted on your kelly bars?

Thanks, willswares


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## vw00794 (Dec 17, 2013)

willswares1220 said:


> Hi Blue,
> 
> Looking Good!!!
> Are they going to be a low luster satin or a high gloss appearance as in the case of the black ones mounted on your kelly bars?
> ...




Thanks.

Not sure yet. The original one was high gloss, and I can cut and polish the hard eurathane ones to a nice luster, so I am leaning toward high gloss. When I try to sand and buff the rubber ones, it doesn't"t look so good.


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## npence (Dec 17, 2013)

Count me in for 2 sets please.


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## Obi-Wan Schwinnobi (Dec 17, 2013)

npence said:


> Count me in for 2 sets please.




I wil start my ray restoration with a pair of these... Now I just need everything else !


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## willswares1220 (Dec 17, 2013)

Hi Blue,

Maybe you can supply the hard eurathane ones in either the "unpolished lower luster" for those original worn patina machines or the "highly polished" ones for those immaculately restored machines.
I'd be interesting in a lowerluster pair for my original "worn nickle" kelly bars that I'm going to put on my Racycle someday.
Either way would actually be fine! "Beggers can't be choosers" !! :o

Thanks again, willswares1220


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## Andrew Gorman (Dec 17, 2013)

The originals could have been vulcanite or hard rubber- it was a pretty common grip material at the time.


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## bricycle (Dec 17, 2013)

Celluliod?


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## thehugheseum (Dec 17, 2013)

nice! blue please count me out 2 sets


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## GiovanniLiCalsi (Dec 17, 2013)

I'm wondering if an RTV black rubber would be ok?


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## bud poe (Dec 17, 2013)

These look great!  What diameter bar do these fit?


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## supper15fiets (Dec 19, 2013)

...can you make some mead grips to ?.?


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## vw00794 (Jan 2, 2014)

Two more pairs of the moldable rubber grips are done, but I do not like the parting line being still visible, so we're going to re-make the mold and do some slight modifications. Coming along though.


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## kermit (Jan 2, 2014)

*racycle grips*

Blue.... Great work!!! Put me down for a set..... Thanks Dave Wightman


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## radsonne (Jan 5, 2014)

*Grips*

Hello from Germany
 For which period do this grips fit
 Where they used in 1898?


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## filmonger (Feb 20, 2014)

Any luck with the grips?


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## vw00794 (Feb 26, 2014)

radsonne said:


> Hello from Germany
> For which period do this grips fit
> Where they used in 1898?




I have a 1910 catalogue which shows these grips....


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## vw00794 (Feb 26, 2014)

filmonger said:


> Any luck with the grips?




Yes they are coming along. I have just been super-fine tuning the original for the mould by eliminating the cracks and imperfections.

 I'll be making another mould based on my perfected grip to use for the final mould, then I can just start making them without any further modifications.


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## Columbia Down Under (Feb 27, 2014)

*Off Topic*

Hi Blue

I Love your work with the Racycle grips.........sorry to get off topic, but I also loved your pictures of the "Secret Stash" of bikes & parts that you purchased last year and posted pictures of. At the moment I have a Columbia Model 50 scooter, because it is missing the front gear / crank set. I seem to remember your pictures showed a few bevel gear sets amongst the parts you had. The Model 50 has a 4" & 1.5" (outside diameter) gear pair with a ratio of 2.66:1. Can you help with supply of one of these?

Elliot


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