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Mushroom Picking Season?

Portland Design Works Bamboo/Cork Bar-End Plugs
Just got these in the mail and they looked so ridiculously season-appropriate that I had to share! One of the cutest bicycle accessories I've seen in some time and certainly worth the $10 price tag, these tiny objects are cork and bamboo bar-end plugs from Portland Design Works. They look like miniature mushrooms and are so nice that I almost don't want to install them on my bike.

I like to use wine corks to plug the ends of handlebars, preferring their organic warmth to the cold look and feel of plastic and metal plugs. But I ran out of corks and didn't want to have to drink more wine - so I looked around online and found these delightful creations. They are practically weightless, if you care about that sort of thing, and are made in both drop and upright handlebar diameters. Just lovely all around.

Since my Rivendell no longer has bar-end shifters and my other roadbike is a fixed gear, I will probably order another set and install these on both. What are you using for bar-end plugs these days? I've tried lots of different things at this point, but keep coming back to corky/woodsy stuff - it just feels nicer.
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Comments

  1. somervillainSeptember 28, 2011 at 11:12 PM

    I have a drawer full of bottle corks if anyone wants :).

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  2. VelouriaSeptember 28, 2011 at 11:13 PM

    You do realise that people are going to take you up on it!

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  3. dr2chaseSeptember 28, 2011 at 11:19 PM

    All my bars are upright nowadays, and I use the black rubber/cork grips from Velo-Orange. They are darn comfy.

    Except, one bike has reversed brake levers (so no bar-ends there), the tandem has bar-end-shifters in front, and the cargo bike has a hub-bub and a grip-shift sticking out of it.

    I did use corks for a long time before I went upright. How do those mushrooms do when they get wet?

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  4. M. PewthersSeptember 28, 2011 at 11:43 PM

    I use Velox rubber compression plugs. They're about as un-sexy as bar-end plugs get, but they stay put and do their job well. My wife's bike gets corks.

    As for cork supply, I'm with Somervillian. I save them for some reason, and end up giving them to someone who figures that he or she has a good use for them.

    -Matt

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  5. cyclotouristSeptember 28, 2011 at 11:59 PM

    I think Velox plugs are way sexy!!! Especially if you can get the colored ones!

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  6. Jammy StraubSeptember 29, 2011 at 12:05 AM

    'But I ran out of corks and didn't want to have to drink more wine'

    Blasphemous! :-D

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  7. Corey KSeptember 29, 2011 at 12:14 AM

    "Some Bicyclist stole the cork from my Lunch!"

    -with apologies to WC Fields

    These are cool.

    I've used whittled wine cork recently and liked the feel. I've also seen whisky corks used; they often have a wooden cap on the cork.
    Of course, that means you need to a) buy expensive single malt and b) drink it all before you can put the cork in your bar ends.

    Such a thing would cut into my bike budget. ;)

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  8. VelouriaSeptember 29, 2011 at 12:16 AM

    Okay you got me, the Velox are not bad either!

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  9. Ground Round JimSeptember 29, 2011 at 12:33 AM

    I have those on one of my fast bike. For contrast.

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  10. Ground Round JimSeptember 29, 2011 at 12:36 AM

    onna my fasta bika, that is.

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  11. VelouriaSeptember 29, 2011 at 12:38 AM

    I don't see why not, they are certainly light.
    Your bike's name is Onna?

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  12. Ground Round JimSeptember 29, 2011 at 12:43 AM

    That's a silly girl's name.
    It's Nancy.

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  13. CJSeptember 29, 2011 at 12:50 AM

    I stick corks in my bar-ends. My nephew saw them and made sure to point them out to me. He couldn't imagine how wine corks, of all things, could have gotten into the ends of my handlebars! Such a strange juxtaposition, from his point of view - wine and cycling.

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  14. Ground Round JimSeptember 29, 2011 at 1:05 AM

    dr, they do fine. I just pick them out, dry them off, saute w/evoo & garlic. Delish.

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  15. VelouriaSeptember 29, 2011 at 1:19 AM

    morels for me please...

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  16. Ground Round JimSeptember 29, 2011 at 1:38 AM

    Cepes the size of Pluto. In France. Only with butter. Yes. With Corey's single malt later. Keep the cap for full circle effect.

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  17. AnonymousSeptember 29, 2011 at 6:36 AM

    I'm not a fan of Velox plugs. I have a stash of chromed Cinelli plugs(plastic)that I usually use.

    Nitto just introduced some beautifully machined aluminum/steel plugs, heavy but gorgeous.

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  18. JPTwinsSeptember 29, 2011 at 9:09 AM

    those look neat, but there's one part of your post i didn't understand:

    didn't want to have to drink more wine

    there's always time for wine! :)

    i recently saw these red nitto bar ends, and love the matching look.

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  19. NeilSeptember 29, 2011 at 9:35 AM

    Velox plugs are so chic. I can't help but feel the wine-cork thing is goofy, though your execution has me reconsidering.

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  20. anniebikesSeptember 29, 2011 at 9:55 AM

    I recently installed cork in the ends of my mustache bars because everything else kept falling out!
    http://anniebikes.blogspot.com/2011/09/cork-bar-end-plugs.html

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  21. DanielSeptember 29, 2011 at 10:19 AM

    I'm confused. I don't understand the statement "have to drink more wine".

    I put the brown leather grips from Linus on my smugfiets. I like the fact that they do not have a metal or plastic ring at the end, just some nice stitching holding the end part on. Also, very affordable. Worth checking out when looking for grips for upright bikes.

    Dan.

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  22. Corey KSeptember 29, 2011 at 10:28 AM

    I knew that somehow there would be a morel to this story.

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  23. AnonymousSeptember 29, 2011 at 10:59 AM

    schmancy! i'm pretty content with wine corks, i especially like when the cork has a logo of some sort printed on the end.

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  24. VelouriaSeptember 29, 2011 at 11:00 AM

    Damn, mushrooms are one of my favourite foods - this is making me hungry.

    With metal bar-end plugs, as well as metal edges to some leather grips now on the market, the feel just really makes my hands feel cold and unpleasant. Of course I don't really touch the plugs that often when holding the handlebars, but still.

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  25. AnonymousSeptember 29, 2011 at 11:27 AM

    Didn't want to have to drink more wine?

    I'd prescribe a bicycle trip to Bordeaux!

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  26. VelouriaSeptember 29, 2011 at 12:01 PM

    Well, it's tough putting all these bicycles together - could end up a drunk by the end!

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  27. Matt DeBlassSeptember 29, 2011 at 12:49 PM

    Somervillian, anything good? The plastic plugs in the end of my moustache bars are entirely too dull.

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  28. graciela.September 29, 2011 at 4:10 PM

    I was about to buy those same plugs but then I ended up ordering some stuff from Rivendell and took them up on their free wine corks. So that's what I use right now.

    I had the metal plugs before and they look clean and all but the cork really does add character.

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  29. AnonymousSeptember 29, 2011 at 4:59 PM

    Harvey's Bristol Cream Sherry stoppers. very elegant!

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  30. GregSeptember 29, 2011 at 6:13 PM

    I like the Velox plugs so much I started a flickr group

    http://www.flickr.com/groups/velox/ 

    Champagne corks work good, too. Or in my case, beer.

    http://www.fixedgeargallery.com/2004/achtem30.htm

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  31. SigivaldSeptember 29, 2011 at 6:27 PM

    Here's a contrarian viewpoint for you...

    Why use an end plug at all?

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  32. GregSeptember 29, 2011 at 10:56 PM

    @Sigivald

    Subcutaneous sample collector?

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  33. JaySeptember 30, 2011 at 6:58 AM

    I missed something.
    What shifters do you have on the Sam these days?

    Jay

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  34. townmouseOctober 1, 2011 at 5:29 AM

    @Sigvald - one of our local bike group is an anaesthetist at the local hospital and has had to dig handlebars out of several kids this summer. In the unlikely event that you do get tangled up with your bike, blunted corked bar ends are preferable to sharp, hollow metal tubes.

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  35. SigivaldOctober 6, 2011 at 4:34 PM

    Okay, that's a good reason - or at least a good reason to chamfer the edge a bit if you don't cap.

    But my bike is an ancient frame and I'm the sort of person who has no compunction at all about taking a file or a grinder to my toys... not exactly a majoritarian position.

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