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Wood Grips or Wraps for these bars?

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JoeBass

Look Ma, No Hands!
One more question for today! The bike I'm building up is a 1915-1925 French race style bike (Delage). The bars show about 3 inches of pitting where wood grips would normally go, but in photos of these bikes in races around 1923, the bars are wrapped up to the brake levers. So what do you think, put wood handles on the end or wrap them?
Thanks again!
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Ahh! Yes, you're right! I guess they used the wood grips and wrapped!
Thanks for the sharp eye!
 
wrap it like what you have on the bike from your profile picture ..... it's your best bet IMO

in the picture, it does looks a lot like leather wrapped wood grips ($$$) then the bar is wrapped with bar wrapping tape ...... You could just do a thick wrapping at the tip coming to a thinner wrapping closer to the stem ..... Could look cool and be comfortable (less expensive option)

i like the long John Bull rubber grips (like the red and black grips in my pic), not 20's but they kind of look right even for early bikes and they are comfortable and easy to use

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Yep, it's strange that folks didn't wrap up to and across the top of the bars in the old photos I've seen. The top of the bars is a natural place to put your hands.
 
These style wood grips can be very cheaply made on a home wood lathe. (pennies) Thin guage leather is available at Hobby Lobby and can be stained dark.
 
These style wood grips can be very cheaply made on a home wood lathe. (pennies) Thin guage leather is available at Hobby Lobby and can be stained dark.

Yes. Anything can be homemade for cheap.
I was obviously saying that NOS originals are expensive.
 
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