Got my new ride today. The Zipp Vuka AB Extensions (ski tip ends) need to be cut down about 7 cm. So far I have already dinged the collar by trying to loosen it with channel locks and a cloth (teeth went through the cloth and scratched it - ahhhh!).
Any advice on cutting down these bars? Tips or tricks would be apprecited.
Take a very close look into the end of the bar where the shifter goes. many of these types of bars are only finished for the last inch or so. I cut down a pair of bars on both ends before and had to spend three hours with a file to smooth out the inside to get my shifters in.
Of course that is only relavent to you if you aren’t using them as clip-ons on a road bike!
I cut mine with a regular hack saw with a fine blade - i forget which one, but i looked it up on Parktool.com before i bought the blade i think. It was easy to cut - if you have a fork collar guide it’s easier but if not you can still cut it pretty easily with a hacksaw. I put masking tape around it to keep it from splintering and then filed the end down so it was smooth.
Got my new ride today. The Zipp Vuka AB Extensions (ski tip ends) need to be cut down about 7 cm. So far I have already dinged the collar by trying to loosen it with channel locks and a cloth (teeth went through the cloth and scratched it - ahhhh!).
Any advice on cutting down these bars? Tips or tricks would be apprecited.
You should have received one of these special tools to tighten/loosen the colletts:
I just installed my Vuka bars yesterday and had to cut my bars down as well. Zipp recommends a composite blade, but I wasn’t able to come up with one over the weekend so I used a 32 TPI blade which worked just fine. After measuring the amount to cut off, I wrapped the extension in masking tape over the line I was going to cut and then made sure I was cutting straight as I went through. After cutting, I cleaned up the end with 100 grit sandpaper and then finished it off with 600 grit to ensure a smooth finish. To tighten the collars, I just ran some electrical tape around the collar, tightened it with an adjustable wrench (read: smooth surface - rather than the rough teeth of channel locks), and then pulled the tape off. No problems.