NAHBS 2010 – HandleBra was showing their true colors with more than 11 shades of real leather bar tape. Founder Ray Schmidt says his leather handlebar wraps are made in the U.S. and will last a long time, able to be re-wrapped and re-used. Their treatment method gives the leather real water repellancy, which he says many leather bar tape brands promise but few achieve.
The wide range of colors (shown after the break) should let you match just about any color scheme you’ve cobbled together, and they definitely lend an old world aesthetic…
The basic bar tape, shown wrapped on bars, is $70 per roll. The stitched tape, shown rolled up on the display, is $90 per roll. Schmidt says he’s working on a perforated version for release later in the year.
More colors.
The underside of the wrap shows the real leather origins, and the edges are chamfered to lay flat as you wrap it. Unwrapped, the leather is soft and supple. It felt a bit hard on the bars, but with use it would likely soften up like a good pair of leather shoes.
