With the cold days of winter already here throughout most of the country, all but the most macho cyclocrossers (or with the best circulation) will turn to long finger gloves for cyclocross racing.
Often a gloved hand makes getting a firm grip on brake/shift levers more challenging, especially when conditions get wet or sloppy. With another potential wintry Nationals on the horizon in Boulder, racers are looking for every little edge to enhance their performance, and reliable braking and shifting certainly are key to a flawless race.
At the 2013 Supercross race weekend two weeks ago, we spotted Laura Van Gilder’s Blue Norcross pit bike (her race bike is the Van Dessel Aloominator), and noticed raised clear dots for grip on her Dura-Ace 7800 STI levers.
Laura Van Gilder uses hot melt glue to add grip to her brake levers. © Andrew Reimann / Cyclocross Magazine
Van Gilder said her boyfriend Rick came up with the idea of adding hot melt glue dots down the lever after she found herself needing more grip on the levers. Eight dots of glue, decreasing in size as you go down the lever, to match the taper of the lever.
She likes them so much she plans to do the same to her road bikes as well.
We won’t be surprised to see more levers with this treatment in Boulder.
