Update: I Dyed the hoods • HOW TO: DYE Your Rubbe... Some exploration on changing the color of your bikes shift / brake lever hoods. Support the channel! www.thebikesauce.com/
Check out some of the instructions for customizing crocs- similar materials but there's a process- clean it with the isopropyl alc and then spray it down with super77 or another spray adhesive and let it dry, then you can spray paint it/ plastidip it. I've never done it but some of the kids I work with customize their crocs and that's what they do.
I was going to suggest this or a slightly more "consumer grade" upholstery spray paint which can be purchased at some auto parts stores. I refinished a vinyl upholstered floor console for a pickup I had years ago and it came out great with a very durable finish.
I have a similar problem but a different solution. I’m building a pair of vintage bikes as a his and hers for my wife and I, but for the classic look I wanted to do a lot of brightwork and brown leather. I wanted the shifters to match and since I’m doing Sora 9 speed I decided to use Sensah Ignite silver shifters with brown hoods. They’re a perfect match for the Brooks saddles and Ritchey leather-look bar tape.
@@TheBikeSauce yeah they shift just like the Empire set, but they’re compatible with Shimano road derailleurs. Reflex -> Claris Ignite -> Sora Quantum -> Tiagra 4700 Phi -> Tiagra 4600, 105 5600, or Ultegra 6600 Team Pro -> 105 R7000, Ultagra R8000
@@TheBikeSauce in my experience it holds up really well. I tossed the hoods in my ultrasonic last time I redid my bar tape, and then gave them a refresher hot bath in more dye, but that was after about a year and 6000+miles.
I have been looking for those TRP levers for ages...never been in stock here. They look absolutely fabulous!!! Also, Bike Sauce asking existential questions is precisely why I subscribed years back!
If you want the 2 different rubbers to adhere, youll need to either weld them together or put a layer of adhesive. A solvent of some kind (experimenting might be the only way to figure out what) to soften the rubber hoods and potentially allow it to join. Or a layer of adhesive, like contact cement.
Considering that there are so many hoods which are inexplicably not being produced any longer and also are being ignored by the aftermarket, a way to refurbish them would be very helpful.
i wonder if you took something like scotchbrite to the surface to increase surface area for better tackiness pretty unusual to be painting rubber in the first place but idk might ruin the shifter hoods as well.
105 mechanical works with grx? if that is the case, i know there are sensah brifters that are supposed to work with 11spd road shimano. they're called "team pro." I've seen both black and silver lever options. Don't know if the pull ratio is right for your brakes, though. I know for sure that aliexpress has brown hoods for sensah brifters. All that info is 2nd-hand info, based on internet "research."
My 11spd 105 mechanical brifters work brilliantly with my 11spd grx. During the pandemic, my older well-worn rim brake road bike groupset finally gave up the ghost, and finding a 46-30 double crankset was quite challenging. So I worked with my LBS and we concocted a Frankenbike solution w/ 105 7000 series & GRX from their parts bins. The bike has clearance for wider tires, so....all-road bike conversion for not a lot of coin. Had fun putting it together too.
Back in the day, I loved my bar-end shifters because I was still in contact - somewhat - with the handlebars when shifting. However, once I discovered brifters, there was no going back, presuming I continue to embrace indexed shifting.
I'm the same, I love the manually feeling of shifting bar ends but constantly shifting with all the rollers where I live I quickly realised I love brifters
Exactly this! I'm always awake night cause of stuff like this ! You could also go wits a thumb shifter top mounted ! Looks classy and it's way easier to reach . I'm a lot in the "flat bar" position and then it's Evan easier ! Think about it
you could also try dying them if you can find a white one. Fabric dye works fine on rubber but you need to heat it all up in a pot and leave for a while.
I personally like Gevanalle Audax lavers for a silver build. They can be mated to silver bar end levers, and I find them much more usable than shifters in the drops.
I would try adding an adhesive middle man, but the comments have opened my eye to several sprays and dye's which are interesting ideas. You should do a video now comparing all the different methods and let us know how they compare and how reliable they are when facing the pressure from hands, elements such as rain, heat, dirt, i'm really curious now. lol.
If you're careful enough with the flow of the silicon when puring it and having the right consistency it should be OK. Also considering the end result is elastic as well it doesn't really matter if it comes out of the mold not completely straight, it will flex to the right shape when installed. I didn't make shifter covers before but made quite a few flexible parts before... It does take some experimentations but you can get it right
Bar end Vs Brifters: I guess you should look out for the new universal mechanical GROTAC EQUAL BRIFTERS, their spec sheet is insanely promising. Will shift apparently nearly everything you like either in friction or indexed mode, in an awesome variety of configurations, even hub shiftings like Rohloff, don't know about Pinion. 😋🤷🏽♀️Black rubber hoods though ...
Look into 'diy faux leather chair' videos on youtube. Maybe using the same process that people use to give fabric chairs a faux leather look might work for rubber hoods.
thx for the input. The grey is weird, but I couldn't do the all black 😆. I'll revisit this; there's a lot of suggestions to dye it (which I had originally ruled out)
You can use dye but it'll look like shit after a while thanks to the sun and the fact that you're literally handling it constantly, lol. For all the trouble you'd go through to dye it, you might as well make your own hood out of hardened leather.
Have you tried making a mold and casting it out of silicone? Spraying it wouldn't really work, use hair dye and rub it in. You can even rough the surface for better dye adhesion but be careful of uneven surface.
@@tariqkamil7853Yep, i've used it to dye keyboard keycaps and the colors are still on after continual use for 8 hours a day, for 5 years. That's on PBT plastic, but i'm sure rubber can deal vaguely as well.
why not just final mount everything with the 105 levers in its original black hood covers. Then go ahead and mask everything off: levers, handle bars+tape, front end of bike, etc and then go ahead with the painting process ?
When I saw the title, I thought you were going to plasti-dip the hoods themselves, not the rubber cover. This might work better, after it's built and wrapped, just mask and tape the edges and put the plasti-dip directly to the hoods, as the product is designed to be on a rigid surface.
@@TheBikeSauce Yes, I really hope the Steel, Aluminum, Titanium and Magnesium frames plus/minus the paint jobs are not cancer inducing. Old Brooks saddles or leather bar tape. Probably my Lizard Skin tape is 😂
Check out some of the instructions for customizing crocs- similar materials but there's a process- clean it with the isopropyl alc and then spray it down with super77 or another spray adhesive and let it dry, then you can spray paint it/ plastidip it. I've never done it but some of the kids I work with customize their crocs and that's what they do.
Oh dang. Will explore. Thanks!
Automotive upholstery dye for vinyl dashboards. An auto refinishing store should be able to source multiple colors.
Yes! Thx
I was going to suggest this or a slightly more "consumer grade" upholstery spray paint which can be purchased at some auto parts stores. I refinished a vinyl upholstered floor console for a pickup I had years ago and it came out great with a very durable finish.
@@aaronbehindbars the "pro" level is also aerosol. It's more durable based on my experiences.
At least you tried! Grey with brown bar tape and saddle... mhhh 😅
Silver is silver
I haved the same problem in the pass with oder parts
I hope the bicycle industry return making silver parts
Lmao, “these are the problems that keep me up at night” so funny!
What I would do:
-Sensah Team Pro (11sp Shimano compatible) with the silver lever
-OEM rubber hoods are available on AE in like 7 different colors
Man, that bike is so clean! I love the details you committed to
I have a similar problem but a different solution. I’m building a pair of vintage bikes as a his and hers for my wife and I, but for the classic look I wanted to do a lot of brightwork and brown leather. I wanted the shifters to match and since I’m doing Sora 9 speed I decided to use Sensah Ignite silver shifters with brown hoods. They’re a perfect match for the Brooks saddles and Ritchey leather-look bar tape.
How's the shift action though? Is it double-tap style?
@@TheBikeSauce yeah they shift just like the Empire set, but they’re compatible with Shimano road derailleurs.
Reflex -> Claris
Ignite -> Sora
Quantum -> Tiagra 4700
Phi -> Tiagra 4600, 105 5600, or Ultegra 6600
Team Pro -> 105 R7000, Ultagra R8000
I dyed my white hoods lavender. Use a poly-dye and heat, it’ll look great. Rit “polymore” worked well for me!
I’ve heard about this, but I haven’t seen evidence that it holds up. Thanks, will do some experimenting
Is it called RIT ‘dyemore’? Can’t find polymore
Is it called RIT ‘dyemore’? Can’t find polymore
@@TheBikeSauce yep, that’s the one, my bad!
@@TheBikeSauce in my experience it holds up really well. I tossed the hoods in my ultrasonic last time I redid my bar tape, and then gave them a refresher hot bath in more dye, but that was after about a year and 6000+miles.
I have been looking for those TRP levers for ages...never been in stock here. They look absolutely fabulous!!!
Also, Bike Sauce asking existential questions is precisely why I subscribed years back!
💯❣
I have a set I’m planning to sell…
Thanks for giving it a try! It's great info to have out there
"These are the kind of issues that keep me up at night" Same Brother! lol
😆
Outstanding review.
If you want the 2 different rubbers to adhere, youll need to either weld them together or put a layer of adhesive.
A solvent of some kind (experimenting might be the only way to figure out what) to soften the rubber hoods and potentially allow it to join.
Or a layer of adhesive, like contact cement.
Considering that there are so many hoods which are inexplicably not being produced any longer and also are being ignored by the aftermarket, a way to refurbish them would be very helpful.
Love that Ritchey button. Great experiment. Not all of them work and that's fine.
i wonder if you took something like scotchbrite to the surface to increase surface area for better tackiness pretty unusual to be painting rubber in the first place but idk might ruin the shifter hoods as well.
Also thanks for the future shock replacement, it works great on my 2018 Peter Sagan super sport specialized s-works.
Jamie
I wonder if duplicolor vinyl car paint for interior fabric would work? It is supposed to be bendable for seats.
105 mechanical works with grx? if that is the case, i know there are sensah brifters that are supposed to work with 11spd road shimano. they're called "team pro." I've seen both black and silver lever options. Don't know if the pull ratio is right for your brakes, though. I know for sure that aliexpress has brown hoods for sensah brifters.
All that info is 2nd-hand info, based on internet "research."
My 11spd 105 mechanical brifters work brilliantly with my 11spd grx. During the pandemic, my older well-worn rim brake road bike groupset finally gave up the ghost, and finding a 46-30 double crankset was quite challenging. So I worked with my LBS and we concocted a Frankenbike solution w/ 105 7000 series & GRX from their parts bins. The bike has clearance for wider tires, so....all-road bike conversion for not a lot of coin. Had fun putting it together too.
Back in the day, I loved my bar-end shifters because I was still in contact - somewhat - with the handlebars when shifting. However, once I discovered brifters, there was no going back, presuming I continue to embrace indexed shifting.
I'm the same, I love the manually feeling of shifting bar ends but constantly shifting with all the rollers where I live I quickly realised I love brifters
Doesnt Sensah make the "Team" Shimano 11 speed compatible shifters in silver? They also make brown hoods.
Any chance to 3D print those ?
Got same issue with 70's oldschool Campagnolos, might be interesting to fins a 3D printed solution don't u think? 😊
Did you check into Hydro dipping?
Exactly this!
I'm always awake night cause of stuff like this !
You could also go wits a thumb shifter top mounted ! Looks classy and it's way easier to reach . I'm a lot in the "flat bar" position and then it's Evan easier !
Think about it
how about dyeing or bleaching then dyeing?
you could also try dying them if you can find a white one. Fabric dye works fine on rubber but you need to heat it all up in a pot and leave for a while.
+1 on dying. With a light color, I think it'd be very easy
How about lavender.. 😆
I personally like Gevanalle Audax lavers for a silver build. They can be mated to silver bar end levers, and I find them much more usable than shifters in the drops.
Definitely thought about those too
@@TheBikeSauce a less talked about feature with them is you always know what gear you are in just by feel, from the hoods.
Gevenalle Audax, and replacing the hoods with brown Tektro R200 would look sweet.
100% agree about bar end shifters, it's kind of a first world problem but it's a pain reaching down to the drops to shift all the time
Agree.
I would try adding an adhesive middle man, but the comments have opened my eye to several sprays and dye's which are interesting ideas. You should do a video now comparing all the different methods and let us know how they compare and how reliable they are when facing the pressure from hands, elements such as rain, heat, dirt, i'm really curious now. lol.
Same!
And now your bike is perfect! Almost. (there's always just one more thing...)
If you are willing to experiment, try brushing the hoods with a thin coat of a 2 part silicone rubber mix and see if it bonds wwll with the old rubber
Sand paper first ? What are you loosing ?
Can you make them by moulding tan coloured silicon?
I’m sure you can, I just don’t know how (yet)
You can make a silicon (rtv) mould out of your existing ones and cast new ones in any color you want
How do you make the mold when the part itself (hoods) are so flexible?
If you're careful enough with the flow of the silicon when puring it and having the right consistency it should be OK. Also considering the end result is elastic as well it doesn't really matter if it comes out of the mold not completely straight, it will flex to the right shape when installed.
I didn't make shifter covers before but made quite a few flexible parts before... It does take some experimentations but you can get it right
Bar end Vs Brifters: I guess you should look out for the new universal mechanical GROTAC EQUAL BRIFTERS, their spec sheet is insanely promising.
Will shift apparently nearly everything you like either in friction or indexed mode, in an awesome variety of configurations, even hub shiftings like Rohloff, don't know about Pinion.
😋🤷🏽♀️Black rubber hoods though ...
Well, there is one guy here ir Brazil that makes hoods in leather. SRD Bikes
What was the sale on meat at Smart & Final for $0.88/lb? The people want to know!!!
Look into 'diy faux leather chair' videos on youtube. Maybe using the same process that people use to give fabric chairs a faux leather look might work for rubber hoods.
Maybe a fabric or hair dye would be effective for coloring your hoods!
I’ve heard this, but concerned about getting color on my hands/ gloves over time
I think black is better than gray man. Anyway, the bike is sick. I have the sunset fade one
i agree aswell. black is a safe one to pick because it always looks good
thx for the input. The grey is weird, but I couldn't do the all black 😆. I'll revisit this; there's a lot of suggestions to dye it (which I had originally ruled out)
Maybe white hoods ? Or some kind of sram blip hack on the TRP levers like people have done with the Hylex.
Did you coin the word brifter?
Definitely not
Why not hydro dip?
I thought you find something can dye the silicon before watching the vid.
Testing products... so you don't have to!
Nothing on Aliexpress?
I definitely searched there. They have hoods, but not the right color
I would go with black….😂😂
Retro grouch-ism stops at sti shifting.
There's a product called plasti coat... try it.
You can use dye but it'll look like shit after a while thanks to the sun and the fact that you're literally handling it constantly, lol. For all the trouble you'd go through to dye it, you might as well make your own hood out of hardened leather.
Have you tried making a mold and casting it out of silicone?
Spraying it wouldn't really work, use hair dye and rub it in. You can even rough the surface for better dye adhesion but be careful of uneven surface.
Try leather dye.
What about hydrodip or ceracote?
RIT dye
Just looked into it more. Sounds like it might work
@@TheBikeSauce i replied in another comment. Rit dye synthetic might work better. Just remember that it can only go to a darker colour
@@tariqkamil7853Yep, i've used it to dye keyboard keycaps and the colors are still on after continual use for 8 hours a day, for 5 years. That's on PBT plastic, but i'm sure rubber can deal vaguely as well.
why not just final mount everything with the 105 levers in its original black hood covers. Then go ahead and mask everything off: levers, handle bars+tape, front end of bike, etc and then go ahead with the painting process ?
Thought about that, but I wanted to ‘wrap’ the spray around to the inner edge to reduce the chance of peeling
good try
yup.. good try.
When I saw the title, I thought you were going to plasti-dip the hoods themselves, not the rubber cover. This might work better, after it's built and wrapped, just mask and tape the edges and put the plasti-dip directly to the hoods, as the product is designed to be on a rigid surface.
Is Plasti Dip cancer free?
is anything?
@@TheBikeSauce Yes, I really hope the Steel, Aluminum, Titanium and Magnesium frames plus/minus the paint jobs are not cancer inducing. Old Brooks saddles or leather bar tape. Probably my Lizard Skin tape is 😂
tedious video for a blahhh issue
0:58 can’t say I didn’t warn you 😆