More Toshi Leather Stitch On Handlebar Wrap

In the spirit of continuing the product research on the Toshi stitch-on leather handlebar wrap, I decided to install the handlebars with the damaged right cover. While I finally came up with what seems to be a suitable installation protocol, it is yet to be determined how well this will work once the item is in the field. Hence, I'm going to wait until I see if any further issues arise from daily use before installing the replacement covers that Ben's Cycle is shipping me free of charge.

I'm also considering attempting to repair the damage, which is several torn eyelets, to understand if this is possible on this not inexpensive product. This would be good to know for future reference.

These bars are slated for my 1981 Fuji Gran Tourer. Currently, it has black brake hoods, but I thought it may be interesting to try these off-white, sort of ivory hoods. This matches the decals on the Gran Tourer and the white Campagnolo laminated toe clip straps.

Here is how the bars look built up.

A view from the rider's side.

I think the contrast is nice rather than using black hoods.

Those are NOS drilled Dia-Compe brake levers, period correct and all.

I had some chromed plastic bar plugs rattling around (never throw away anything...).

Here are a couple of night-time shots on the bike in the gloom of my garage. The flash makes the hoods look a lot brighter than they really are.

I'm thinking of using this Jagwire brake cable housing for a bit of sparkle but keeping with the black/silver aesthetic of the bike.