How To Wrap Handlebars With Safety/Extension Brake Levers

I show how to tape wrap handle bars on a vintage road bike with extension levers (aka "safety levers", "death grips", "suicide levers", "turkey wings"). I use modern tape and show how to wrap around the brake levers leaving a nice clean look.
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[@RJTheBikeGuy]

For more bike repair videos hit the subscribe button 🛑 and click the notification bell ► bit.ly/SubRJTheBikeGuy

[@codyherriot3672]

Hey! Thanks RJ. I fix up kids bikes and give them away to kids in my neighborhood. I came across an old Miyata kids road bike with those safety levers and hadn't wrapped bars like that before. This was the first video that came up and it is perfect. Short and to the point. Very much appreciated! And from 2015! BOOM!!

[@kumail246]

Followed the instrictions in this video and the results turned out great. thanks alot. Did and extra step though. i unscrewed the safety break levers and put them on again after wrapping the bar tape.

[@wolffirepaladin5]

how did u remove the safety levers?

[@joshdoeseverything4575]

@@wolffirepaladin5 there’s a screw on the inner facing side of each one

[@paulschmidt7473]

Mine were riveted on, so I am ordering a set of modern levers, I like the idea of the clean cockpit look, especially with the downtube shifters on the bike...

[@marcelfaber8318]

how do you have a video for every problem i have? props to you

[@denisehutton2703]

I appreciated seeing the instructions for a vintage bike like I ride.

[@lukehill6395]

I love how good your tutorials are, from the perspective of someone who does not have enough money to buy brand new bars, brakes, and everything when your tape gets worn out. You definitely deserve more subs. I especially like this video because i have an old road bike with this kind of brake that i was planning on turning into a fixed gear/completely overhauling so now that i know how to replace tape, i will definitely do that. Also, do you happen to know of any relatively inexpensive (~$30-40) track/two sided/flip-flop hubs? Thanks

[@RJTheBikeGuy]

+Luke Hill Maybe there are some on ebay. I have seen track hubs on there, but I don't know how good they are.

[@jessesands1]

Terrific video. Just did the bar tape on a 1976 Schwinn Continental and this video was the only one that showed me how to get them looking absolutely perfect. Thanks!

[@zacherywatkins9539]

🤘 Nice! I also have a black 1981 Schwinn Continental. The older vintage road bikes are so much better quality than new age road bikes. 🚴

[@tonyconnors1342]

I never had to go any further than your videos for all my bike repairs so far this video was very helpful hope i can get it as good as you did thank you.

[@davidleal7133]

Just picked up a 1974 miyata thanks again RJ

[@futureshock7425]

hEY RJ this is just what I needed, about to wrap bars like this tomorrow, THANK YOU!!

[@kts8900]

Perfect for my bike. Alteration - I was able to wrap the other direction, too, to get the pattern on the tape the way I liked it.

[@JoshuaHall1]

Timely upload!. Just today I got sick of the fabric tape on my old bike and ripped it off while trying to figure out how to do this. I'll have to run down to the bike shop this weekend and get some tape.

[@JazzApe]

Thank you for putting up this tutorial specific to vintage bars / lever setups. I had an idea how I might go about replacing the foam padding that came on a vintage Schwinn I bought and found this to be a welcome template to work off of.

[@JcIngal03]

Thank you so much for this video, I'll be wrapping the handlebars of my old vintage bike this Sunday. Can't wait, cause I've been riding without bar tape since my grandfather gave me the bike.

[@wilyamiyoo]

Hey RJ thanks for this, I was able to do a decent job of wrapping the dropbar of my Dad's old roadbike with extended levers. I wish I could've done better but since it's not for a show bike I'm pretty much satisfied. Cheers!

[@sparky5519]

You ROCK MAN! You helped me soooo much with my 1974 Schwinn Le Tour(cool lemon yellow) refurbish project. I love my bike! THANKS!!!!!!!!!!!

[@thekev506]

Just what I was looking for, my non-aero brakes don't have hoods that pull back and I was wondering the best way to wrap the tape. RJ you have saved the day yet again!

[@sir_jerhyn]

RJ, you're pro, man!

[@Nastaliss]

Very helpful video thanks RJ

[@michaelstomiany3396]

great tutorial, my only add would be to stress the type of electrical tape you used. 3m Super 33+ is the only choice for the stretch, hold and lifespan. You'll find it in most every electrician's tool bag.

[@PaddleDogC5]

Excellent thanks 👍

[@jacobbagasevich4468]

Dear RJ the bike guy, can you do a video on how to adjust center pull brakes?

[@IsraelMagalit]

Awesome video! A friend just recently gave me an old road bike with similar brake levers and the foam grips definitely need to be replaced.

[@lbbaucomjr]

Great job on this video! Glad you made it

[@JuanIgnacio22]

Very useful! You need to do a video explaining how to overhaul that extension levers

[@eddieg9545]

Good job.

[@fabioamaral8836]

Hello, thank you for sharing your knowledge, but I have a question, is it possible to adapt this type of brake lever for internal cabling?

[@alvarezmail12]

muchas gracias, estaba buscando esto

[@hostelfreaks2988]

dude love your videos they are helping us on a project!

[@vinnaychhabildas9495]

Great video, with regards to the brakes is there a way to tighten the levers. Not the drop brakes but the normal position pulls, I see you have screws on this bike but mine are press studs is there a way to tighten these as the rattle as I cycle.

[@RJTheBikeGuy]

Nope, the extension levers pretty much such. I usually remove them.

[@danlill7962]

Can also use old inner tubes cut down the middle. Great use for what can be hard to dispose of otherwise.

[@RJTheBikeGuy]

+Dan Lill You told me about that. I might try that as an underlayer when I double wrap my bars for next year's Black Fly Challenge race. My palms were pretty bruised up after this years race.

[@matthewhutton957]

This was very helpful. Thank you.

[@billkilpatrick]

Thank you, RJ - very helpful.

[@PaddleDogC5]

How do brakes assemblies come off? I go lanced at them the other day. Thanks.

[@dannyo2964]

Hey RJ! Do you know of any brake hoods that are compatible with these brakes? I see some that would work with regular aero but not sure with the death grip/safety bars added

[@thomasjefferson3552]

Do they make these kind of safety brakes for modern bikes? I have a drop bar commuter bike and it would be very nice to be able to brake while resting on the top of the bar. Not sure why this type of brake is not more common!

[@johngreene6783]

Geez, I haven't seen brake levers like that since I was a kid LOL

[@PaddleDogC5]

How do you release a band clamp? Thanks

[@neilfroggycrompton2466]

used to wrap bars with cloth tape in the 80's,those rolls never had the extra piece of tape to hide the brake lever mounting strap,they had bar plugs (cat eye brand)that had a screw with a round threaded metal plate behind it so after u pushed the plug in you tightened the screw & it squeezed the back of the plug & it prevented it from falling out.are they still around? it's been a while since i last wrapped some bars & gotta do mine soon :)

[@ClulowH]

+neil crompton You can still buy those from a lot of online sellers. They rarely come with bar tape as they mostly come with normal end plugs. You can get them in most colours and in different variations and they are normally around £4 but you can get some that can go up to around £15 like the Hope ones. In my opinion normal bar ends work fine and weigh less but i suppose screw-in ones could provide greater peace of mind.

[@neilfroggycrompton2466]

i hate push in bar plugs they never stay put,grrrrrr!

[@RJTheBikeGuy]

+neil crompton With thinner clothe tape you could do some extra loops around the levers no problem. The new tape is just too fat and you would also run out of tape before the end.

[@neilfroggycrompton2466]

+Harry Clulow would a few dabs of silicone make them stay put?,the weight of a pair of bar plugs would weigh only a few grams & that's not even worth worrying about right?

[@tomwickert4158]

have any suggestions for making those metal levers (i have Shimano 600EX that lost their covers and are too expensive to replace) more bearable ?

[@leonardoromero6311]

Which one will you choose between Fuji-Touring versus Opus-Legato? thanks!

[@lazuardidesman7854]

is it okay to wrap the break cable into the bartape?

[@leonardoromero6311]

Bike Guy: How to change handlebars from Dropdown to Starigh bar. Problem I need to solve is with the brake-handles. How are them going to go on the flat handlebar? Thanks for your help!

[@RJTheBikeGuy]

That is not a one or two line answer. Maybe I will make a video.

[@leonardoromero6311]

that will be ideal, thanks!

[@alejandrog553]

I have a question, +RJ The Bike Guy, I have to change the hoods of ultegra 6500 brifters, but they are impossible to found. Can I put handlebar tape or something to cover brifters? the hoods are soft and sticky , chewing gum surface. Thanks a lot

[@RJTheBikeGuy]

You can put whatever you want on it. Probably nothing will be as good as the real hoods.

[@mymemeplex]

I wish I could fit these on new paddle shifter breaks. Every time I try a new bike I grab air.

[@Grmnfdz]

Hi RJ!! Thanks for your videos! One question how do you change the hoods to those safety brakes?

[@RJTheBikeGuy]

You have to remove the side lever and cable, then remove the hood, then reinstall the cable/lever.

[@mitchf5315]

This bike looks exactly like my 1980 =/1981 Schwinn Continental.

[@timfong69]

Hi, one of my extension levers has come off my old road bike. Could you tell me the type of screw I need to fix it back onto my bike. The screw looks exactly like the one in this video

[@RJTheBikeGuy]

+Tim Fong (FongFit) They are specific to the brake levers. Just see if you can find one or two if these kind of levers. Or chuck them. The extension levers are not very good anyway. Another name for them is suicide levers.

[@w3rd645]

Could you wrap the brake cable to the bars and hide them like modern hoods??

[@RJTheBikeGuy]

Only in you have modern levers made to have the cables routed under the tape.

[@ethanwong3404]

Is it possible to put brake lever hoods (covers) on these vintage levers?

[@RJTheBikeGuy]

I don't know. You might find something will fit. Personally, I usually swap out extension brake levers for better levers. Extension levers are usually junk.

[@monkeyfacesenior]

Can you wrap them to change direction? or is it going to get too fat around the levers?

[@RJTheBikeGuy]

+monkeyfacesenior You can always play with it.

[@andrewdyke5561]

Love safety breaks only way i can ride a drop bar bike

[@Normalhowaboutyou]

Where can I get a lot of bar and plugs inexpensively? And please don’t say Amazon or eBay I was interested in a online retailer the exact name please

[@RJTheBikeGuy]

My fees for being a personal shopper are $500/hr, 2 hours minimum.

[@martinlatham5581]

Hi is there a way I can thread the brakes backwards with vintage brakes like those to hide the cables

[@RJTheBikeGuy]

No. Brakes with cables under the housing are made for that.

[@martinlatham5581]

@@RJTheBikeGuy OK shame as I really like the old ones do you no if I can get ones like them with out plastic on the out side of the body as I think the all metal one's look best

[@ManiacalMaster]

When I went to tape my handle bars, I noticed the band clamp was loose on one side. Do you have a video on how to tighten it?

[@RJTheBikeGuy]

Not specifically, but I mount brake levers in a bunch of my videos. The screw is either inside the lever, visible when you press the brake lever, or to the side of the lever (under the rubber hood) if they are brifters.

[@ManiacalMaster]

RJ The Bike Guy found it! thanks! maintaining my bike used to be a pain but with all the knowledge I've gotten from your videos, I'm really enjoying it... although I'm noticing a lot of things that need maintenance that I have just neglected over the years

[@naufalmj]

Great video, thanks! regarding the brake lever, could u inform us how to use that type of lever? I have them on my bike, however, I couldnt really use it from the hood position. Is there any mistake on my brake lever setting? thanks!

[@RJTheBikeGuy]

Safety brakes are low end and generally suck. I wouldn't keep them on any of my own bikes.

[@naufalmj]

@@RJTheBikeGuy I thought it would be more useful having 2 levers so we could use it from the flat bar position as well. What are the disadvantages? Thanks.

[@RJTheBikeGuy]

@@naufalmj Feel free to start googling. www.reddit.com/r/bikewrench/comments/36b0tw/how_dangerous_are_suicide_levers/

[@naufalmj]

@@RJTheBikeGuy Thank you!

[@DericEpicAdventures]

what kind of brake lever is that? kind I like it

[@RJTheBikeGuy]

A poor one. They were found on lower end bikes and didn't work well.

[@wolfverhoeven9914]

Hey! Can you make a video of how to install/uninstall the extension levers of the brake levers?

[@RJTheBikeGuy]

+Floggnaw 420 You mean remove the safety brake lever like in this video? Better just to replace the brake levers with brake levers that don't have them. Otherwise you will have a bolt sticking out the side. Sort of like the ones in this video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/nZyQeKN6nrV3o9U

[@wolfverhoeven9914]

+RJ The Bike Guy : I want to install safety levers on my current brake levers. Can i do that? Or just better to buy brake levers with safety levers already on them? I want to install them for my vintage race bike to do retro racing. Its more like a ornement purpose than real extension levers. On my city race bike, i have only top levers installed. example: img.weiku.com//waterpicture/2011/11/17/11/road_bicycle_half_steel_insert_brake_lever_634661623473665551_2.jpg

[@RJTheBikeGuy]

Those are inline brake levers. I do plan to make a video installing those at some point.

[@wolfverhoeven9914]

+RJ The Bike Guy : I have these brakes on my vintage racing bike(i42.tinypic.com/vd3c4l.jpg) and i want to install safety levers/turkey wings/.. on them. I have 2 vintage racing bikes: one with only top levers("urban" race bike) and a regular racing bike (for retro racing). On the regular racing bike i want to install the safety levers for the design. (I know that these safety levers are not good brake system.) Sorry for my english

[@RJTheBikeGuy]

If you have safety levers on your bike, then it is not a racing bike. These were found on low end recreational bikes. Real race bikes did not have them And if you was to install turkey wing type brakes, they are installed the same way as regular brake levers. I have several videos installing brake levers.

[@1clip4u]

Do you have a link for the tape? 🙏

[@RJTheBikeGuy]

This is what I generally use. www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00142FFCG/ref=nosim/youtube25-20

[@swanzilla1982]

Trek had a paper in the tape box Said to rap the other way

[@RedWingsninetyone]

What kind of bike is this? It looks similar to one I have but I cannot find anything indicating the type of bike it is. All I have is a serial number and SunTour/Shamano components

[@OldschoolDT]

Didn't you start in your other videos the other way round?

[@RJTheBikeGuy]

I always wrap bottom up, with the exception of old non stretchy tapes like cloth or plastic. kzbin.info/www/bejne/b4DVfKOwmp5roMU

[@OldschoolDT]

RJ The Bike Guy no, I mean in the other Video you wrap outwards and in this inwards.

[@RJTheBikeGuy]

If I wrapped top down (or outwards), then it was cloth or plastic, non stretchy tape as I said above. Or you were watching someone else's video.

[@OldschoolDT]

RJ The Bike Guy I ment this video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/pF6lfqZ5ZaaiY9E

[@davidlundmark9359]

I also wonder this. In that video that OldschoolDT wrote you wrap the bar tape in the outter direction because *quote* "It's going tightening instead of losening the tape". But in this current video you wrap in the in-direction. What's the reason for that?

[@matthewbuckler2368]

how do you convert that type of friction shifter to a down tube shifter?

[@RJTheBikeGuy]

+Matthew Buckler Just get clamp on downtube shifters and install those. It's easier if the downtube cable stops are clamped on so you can remove them. Otherwise you either need to work around them, or grind them off.

[@meneldil7604]

Why did thay get rid of them type of brake leaver

[@RJTheBikeGuy]

Because they sucked! They were basically for recreational riders to ride drop bar road bikes but in an upright position. Now those people can ride mountain bikes and hybrids. The levers themselves were not very effective and were dubbed suicide brakes.

[@CamiloSantana]

started wrap in the wrong direction. you want the bicyclist twist bias to naturally tighten the wrapping - not loosen.

[@burakenginar4131]

steel bike race you show the way to let staff brake cables

[@RJTheBikeGuy]

+Burak Enginar I don't understand?

[@burakenginar4131]

can we get this type of bike brake cables under the handlebar tape

[@RJTheBikeGuy]

No. You have to have aero type brakes designed to route the cables under the tape. Like in this video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/nZyQeKN6nrV3o9U

[@easyriverman9582]

they are called coaster brakes , please 70,s.

[@RJTheBikeGuy]

This is a coaster brake. kzbin.info/www/bejne/gmPJYZhobamcqtE

[@TheJwdude]

Those safety leaver roadbike grips are old I would just trash them and install sram roadbike break leavers

[@jerryp514]

Why would you show how to do this? You should be telling people to ditch the extensions. They are not "safety" levers, and, in fact, are not safe. They are so flexible, that in a panic stop

[@jerryp514]

they will bend all the way to the handlebar and not give you maximum braking.

[@michaelcafaro4022]

How To Wrap Handlebars With Safety/Extension Brake Levers

[@armyfreak1367]

I have the same ones how do I replace the nipples on the top for the cable stop and mine rattle like crazy how could I stop that I know 7 years later I hope you see this though I really don't wanna buy new ones though if I did I would get the diacompe quick release versions they make em nutted so I've done my research but I can't stop the rattling

[@LBones01]

This is perfect. I'm fixing up my 1974 Nishiki Custom Sport and that bike looks to be pretty darn close to that. You're right that those brakes are pretty crappy though, but for now working with them is gonna have to do.