Power Kite Forum

Bar grip replacement?

Kamikuza - 16-2-2011 at 04:12 AM

Is there such stuff?

carltb - 16-2-2011 at 04:43 AM

i recoated my nav bar in handle bar grip tape from a cycle shop. i couldnt get a colour match so went with black.

Kamikuza - 16-2-2011 at 06:36 AM

I'm trying to avoid that kind of solution - everything I've read seems to suggest it's a bad idea for the water ...

The Nav bar advertises EVA bar grip ... there's adhesive backed stuff like that around - on the interweb :(
This looks like it could be the ticket! http://www.sailboats.co.uk/Product~ProGrip_Self_Adhesive_150...

... and I saw some place that offered cutting service, like I imagine is needed for the bars colour detailing ... but now I can't find it again :no:

indigo_wolf - 16-2-2011 at 06:38 AM

Google the materials used for grips on fishing rods. Hypalon is one of the better materials. The come in different lengths, internal diameters, profiles (round, oval, octagonal, etc.), and materials.

The upside is that because of their intended use, they are generally well suited to salt water/UV environments.
Comes in
Hope that helps.

ATB,
Sam

Kamikuza - 16-2-2011 at 06:47 AM

Not really :lol: the ends of the bar are still on with no visible ways of removing them ie. no rivets :dunno: how you'd get a tube over it all with adhesive on the back :o
Will have a troll through a fishing store though ...

This'd be cute :lol: zebra bar :D
http://www.foamorder.com/neoprene.html#colors

but that's 3mm neoprene sheet ...

Oh WHAT do they really use and where do they get it?!?!?!

carltb - 16-2-2011 at 07:13 AM

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Kitesurf-Bar-Soft-and-Easy-Hands-Ergon...

i knew id seen them somewhere!!

indigo_wolf - 16-2-2011 at 11:24 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Kamikuza
Not really the ends of the bar are still on with no visible ways of removing them ie. no rivets how you'd get a tube over it all with adhesive on the back

I was afraid of that. If you have bar ends that can't be removed, it's still doable. The Hypalon tubes can be very carefully sliced and glued to the bar. You need to be careful not to use too much glue/contact cemet and use one that has a reasonable set time. Wait for everything to fully cure. To address the seam, you can cover the hypalon in heat shrink. Fishing supplies stores sell a unique kind that office have a "flocked" grip pattern on them. Diameter shrinkage is generally around 50%, with little of no decrease in length. Shrinking temperture is around 150 degrees farenheit, so you don't have to worry about slagging other bits, although it wouldn't hurt to remove leaders and go slow.

Quote:
Originally posted by Kamikuza
Oh WHAT do they really use and where do they get it?!?!?!

If "they" is kite manufacturers, most use EVA foam tubes that are custom made and branded. They generally have the advantage of being able to assemble the grips before the bar-ends are installed.

ATB,
Sam

zero gee - 16-2-2011 at 12:13 PM

I found some thin (2mm) EVA foam sheets (about 14"x17") in a variety of colours at a dollar store in the crafts section. I saw the same stuff at a bigbox craft store too.

I cut it slightly over sized so one side overlaps the other, glued it with a waterproof outdoor contact cement to an aluminum bar I made. Trim the overlap off with a sharp knife to achieve a nicely butted up fit at the joints.

bobsalinas - 16-2-2011 at 12:13 PM

Try Chinook,
They make windsurf booms and sell re-grip or if you ship your bar to them , they can re-grip it for you.

Kamikuza - 16-2-2011 at 05:44 PM

Yes "they" are kite bar makers :)

I'd like to avoid glue ... as with electronics, I have a very poor success-rate with glue :( and it ends up absolutely everywhere, don't ask me how. Hence the desire for self-adhesive stuff :D tape I do ok with :lol:

What ZeroG found sounds like what I've found - on the net :( personally, I'd rather pay to have stuff glued though :lol: Looking at Chinook now ...

zero gee - 16-2-2011 at 09:16 PM

I think I went the route I took because at the time Chinook grip needed to be glued on and I was having trouble sourcing a better solution too.

Here are some illustrated instructions for glueing (it's technique and tips would apply for tape too)...
How to regrip a boom

Kamikuza - 19-2-2011 at 07:17 AM

How about this stuff? 2mm medium density EVA foam ... self adhesive tape ... won't ever find out if it feels right without just buying some though :o am betting i get raped on shipping but :(

indigo_wolf - 19-2-2011 at 09:38 AM

If the bar is eventually bound to the water, make sure the adhesive is marine grade. Some adhesives don't maintain their integrity in salt water environments and the result in not pretty.

ATB,
Sam

Kamikuza - 19-2-2011 at 06:50 PM

Bought from a boating site, they're used as deck grips for optimists and things ... I have a spare bar to test on too :) we'll see - I've blown more money on stranger tests :D

http://www.shopsoundboatworks.com/420prnota.html

indigo_wolf - 20-2-2011 at 05:15 AM

Yeah.... I really liked some of your organizational mods. :thumbup: :smilegrin:

ATB,
Sam

Kamikuza - 20-2-2011 at 06:39 PM

Say what?

Houston AirHead - 20-2-2011 at 08:03 PM

I’ve thought about this issue/problem allot. I’ve come to pretty good conclusion.

Step 1 Dissemble depower bar
Step 2 dip in a latex/poly-blend paint of your choice. (this will be up to you) I’m not going to do your research.
Step 3 reassemble and have fun

Kamikuza - 20-2-2011 at 08:25 PM

Good idea! But how do I get the bar ends off? :lol:

indigo_wolf - 20-2-2011 at 09:54 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Kamikuza
Say what?


You were bored one night and posted pics of a container that you found/modded for storing something... forgot what exactly, but you had basically created a little niche/compartment for all the related things.

ATB,
Sam

Kamikuza - 20-2-2011 at 10:19 PM

Might have been my GoPro case ... have outgrown it though and now use a camera bag with a few plastic boxes :D

Houston AirHead - 21-2-2011 at 08:00 AM

i guess you leave them on?:dunno:

Kamikuza - 21-2-2011 at 06:10 PM

That was the plan ... I'll ask FSer too though

Kamikuza - 2-3-2011 at 06:51 PM

Got them the other night - looks just like the real thing! Did a trial mount onto a pole thing - worked fine, looks good ... should be the shizzle! Now, to figure out how to get the bar ends off ....

indigo_wolf - 2-3-2011 at 07:40 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Kamikuza
Now, to figure out how to get the bar ends off ....


Use the Force, Luke....





:lol:

Seriously, I believe you said there was no screws or rivets, so I am assuming it is epoxied on.

ATB,
Sam

Kamikuza - 2-3-2011 at 11:47 PM

Jesus!

lamrith - 30-9-2011 at 10:50 AM

Diggin this one up..

Did or has anyone tried that Ebay repair kit? I do not need water compatible for this bar, but it never hurts.

I may try the Cycling tape for short term and keep that ebay kit in mind as a back-up plan, so please let me know!

Proletariat - 28-7-2015 at 05:57 AM

Reviving :)

Just ordered some Wilson tennis overgrips to re-wrap a bar. Will post the results. If that doesn't work, I will probably just use hockey tape or see if I can find some EVA foam and Aqua seal.

volock - 28-7-2015 at 07:17 AM

I've done tennis grip and bicycle grip (the non-cork) with success in the past. Depending on the size of tear or if I'm replacing the whole thing. I love that bicycle grip comes in so many colors, and has worked out a bit better for me than tennis grip. Let us know how the overgrips go Proletariat, that stuff is always so thin, I can't see using it as the bottom layer.

Proletariat - 28-7-2015 at 10:40 AM

Cool. I'll post before / after pics. The factory grips on the north 5th element are totally trashed. Seems to be a theme with these kites (as is valve failure?). I'm peeling the whole damn thing off and starting over. The bar is pretty thick so I was just going to wrap it as is.

Should I use cement, aquaseal or something else on the wrap or just wrap it tight and secure the ends?

rtz - 28-7-2015 at 02:01 PM

Just an idea. Might try this:



Or find some silicone tape that fuses to itself. Just run a search for silicone tape to find the stuff:


3shot - 28-7-2015 at 02:32 PM

Or some industrial heat shrink. A supply company. Not thay cheap Home Depot stuff. Comes in many colors. Jut take the ends off the bar, and slip the pieces over the existing foam. It won't be foamy feeling, but will give good grip. Just another idea...

Proletariat - 30-7-2015 at 11:13 PM

Jacked up bar in all its original glory.

It was pretty easy to tear off the foam. Glue was basically brittle and falling off.


Wilson tennis over grip was about $7 or something. It comes with 3 per package. I used one of each (one grey, one red).


There is a little offset curve on the inside of the bar near the depower line. I cut this to wrap around near there


The finished inside bit (before I wrapped over this).



The finished red wrapped side (before taping)



I ended up taping both the inside (black electrical) and the outside (white tape that came with the wrap).



And the finished product. I think it looks nice. I just hope it's durable. Will update after some use.

3shot - 31-7-2015 at 04:16 AM

Looks good bro!

volock - 31-7-2015 at 08:19 AM

Looking good. Did the over-grip have enough cushion to it like the original?

PHREERIDER - 31-7-2015 at 03:51 PM

nice stuff !

Houston AirHead - 31-7-2015 at 07:33 PM

Nice... Good stuff

Proletariat - 31-7-2015 at 09:45 PM

It's pretty thin, but I didn't want too much padding. I can always add more later.

Proletariat - 1-8-2015 at 08:02 PM

First day out. Worked like a champ (landboarding). One BIG lesson learned. Next time, wrap from the outside in. I wrapped from The inside out towards the ends. Since you typically "pull" on one end of the bar or the other, you want the ridges to be facing towards the outside of the bar. I could see accidentally rolling up some of the edges the way I did it. Otherwise, it seems perfect.

Proletariat - 9-8-2015 at 10:52 PM

Had it two days in the water and it held up fine. Wish I had wrapped it the other way, but it's a minor annoyance. Dried out pretty quick, too. Seems like a solid $14 / 3.0 solution.

Proletariat - 23-8-2015 at 10:37 PM

Pulled out the bar today and it was split in a couple of spots. Apparently the tennis over grip doesn't like getting wet then drying out. I might try that rubber bar solution next.

Kamikuza - 24-8-2015 at 01:32 AM

That's what I figured would happen :(

rtz - 10-9-2015 at 07:17 PM

Just saw this on another site. Foam replacement tutorial: http://upkites.blogspot.com/2013/12/grip-de-la-barra-como-ca...

The foam kit: http://www.upkites.eu/epages/64436211.sf/es_ES/?ObjectPath=/...

indigo_wolf - 10-9-2015 at 09:32 PM

Quote: Originally posted by rtz  
Just saw this on another site. Foam replacement tutorial: http://upkites.blogspot.com/2013/12/grip-de-la-barra-como-ca...


Google Spanish -> English translated version of "GRIP BAR How to change it?" article:

http://tinyurl.com/pwdryql

ATB,
Sam

indigo_wolf - 10-9-2015 at 09:38 PM

FWIW: Life would much easier if manufacturers properly treated bar grips as wear/consumable items and made bar ends removable for maintaining the bar.

Otherwise, it's like buying kites with the flying lines spliced to the kite and control handle leaders.

More from the "School of Good Enough."

ATB,
Sam

rtz - 10-9-2015 at 10:07 PM

On Proletariat's bar pictured above; the head of that large rivet can be drilled off and the end removed if it's not glued on also. Just be sure to replace the rivet with one of the same size and stainless and not aluminum(for shear strength).

If you've never drilled out a rivet before; set one in something and practice on it and not the one on the bar. Don't drill through the rivet; just down far enough the head of the rivet separates from the stem.

Good example video:



Really long bike grips could be used if the inner diameter is the same:

http://flatlandfuel.com/flyfinogrips.aspx

rtz - 12-9-2015 at 10:06 AM

Amazing. This new bar has a screw instead of a rivet. He mentions using to it cut the bar down if one wants a shorter bar:

(@7:50)

TEDWESLEY - 13-9-2015 at 08:48 AM

I like the idea of the self amalgamating silicone tape. We use a lot of it in the marine world. The tape has no adhesive. To apply
it, you unroll it while stretching approx. 3 times it's length and overlapping it. You can put as many layers as you like on top of each
other. After 45min to an hour it was welded to itself forming a solid rubbery skin. The skin can be removed by slitting and peeling off
the now solid material with no adhesive to deal with should you want to change it. Comes in a variety of colors. Rescue Tape is one of the
brands,

Proletariat - 17-10-2015 at 11:26 AM

Yup. I ended up using that self-amalgamating tape and it works great. Again, you should wrap from the outside-in so you're not pulling on the ridges, but it's rock solid and comfy on the hands.

Let me know if you wanna see pics.

rtz - 17-10-2015 at 05:47 PM

I'd like to see the silicone wrapped bar.

Apparently; this new bar is wrapped in leather. Wonder how well it will hold up in water over the long term?

Bump this video up to 1:21 to see them gluing it on:

Proletariat - 18-10-2015 at 07:58 PM

Ask and ye shall receive :)



rtz - 18-10-2015 at 08:29 PM

Looks real clean and the colors match with the rest of the bar. :thumbup:

shortlineflyer - 19-10-2015 at 05:41 AM

dont forget, red on the RIGHT:evil: