Description
Reproduction Aero AX Brake lever hoods
(for the rare Shimano 7300 Dura Ace AX handlebar 1982-1984)
Available in the original colour of Light Blue / special order colours possible (white shown as an example)
These replacement bar end caps are sold as a pair and are a cost effective solution to the ‘no caps’ problem faced by builders of Aero AX specced bikes – you;ve found the super rare bars, but they are almost always missing their original end caps, and they are harder to find than the bars!
In terms of shape and form, these hoods are a perfect fit and faithful to the originals as they are made from moulds taken from original end caps. Please note the colour varies a bit as the originals have a very specific finish (used vary a huge amount depending on how they have been used and stored), I do my best to keep to the original – if you can find better, please let me know! (I’d love to buy them)
They are NOT perfect, so please read the following before ordering:
- These are reproduction parts, made one pair at a time and on a hobby basis – they are not a commercial standard product – please set your expectations accordingly
- Each pair are unique, with plenty of faults and some imperfections in the mouldings I have made, these are shown in the pictures so please take a close look, loads of pictures here so zoom in and browse
- Each pair is colour mixed as a pair (so right and left are uniform in colour), however each pair are unique from the next
- They will tear or rip on fitting, just like NOS original will unless you are careful – please read the fitting notes and take time and care! Fitting information is below, read carefully and take your time.
- They are priced to be affordable and to reflect they are NOT commercial grade product (new old stock are never seen anymore, used are expensive and rarely sold – prices are reflective of this)
Please note: the pictures shown on these pages are all of actual parts I have made.
Current service status
THIS PROJECT HAS BEEN COMPLETED.
SORRY, NO LONGER AVAILABLE.
Basic fitting guide (applicable to original New Old Stock bar end caps as well).
- Be gentle, treat the caps as if they are the NOS ones you have finally found and paid a fortune for. Remember what you are fitting have been hand-made and travelled far.
- Look inside the cap at the steep inner angle
- Align to the angle cut on the bar end
- Carefully push the cap on straight – DO NOT TWIST! (the cut angle on the bar works as a perfect splitting tool, so take care)
- Congratulate yourself for sourcing and fitting a rare part, admire the fit
- Post the pics and your triumph to the Facebook group for us all to admire
- Then, most importantly, find another AX frameset to build up (you know that one is never enough!)
Notes:
The rule is not to twist the cap on – Please follow the process above, it works for me and it has worked for others that have now completed their bike build.
If you do split the end cap, please don’t panic. Send me a message and I will help as much as I can.
General service expectations:
I try to hold a number of pairs ready to go, I use these myself for my own bikes.
However, Please allow 10 days production time, plus shipping time to your location (5 days should cover all global locations – I can’t control customs time however).
If I can produce and ship to you as quickly as I can, all orders are processed in the order in which they are placed in.
If there is a problem for any reason, I will let you know.
If you are not happy to wait, please do not place an order, email me and I will do my best to help.
Further notes below
Lots to read here – mostly very boring – a combination of information from chats, Facebook conversations and just about everything you never needed to know about Shimano Aero AX hoods and this particular project.
Why make the end caps?
Originally I made these as I needed them for my own bike, a Raleigh Road Ace (dura ace ax bars, blue hoods, 600Ax levers). This is not a job and never will be, I have a job and a life – which is why these take forever to make!
Do you ship to me?
Yes, I’m happy to ship worldwide at actual cost.
The website calculates this based on your location and the costs relate to what it costs me to send from the UK using a registered service.
Please note values for customs declarations are listed correctly, so please consider import taxes or handling fees on your side – I can’t tell you what that may be.
Shipping is expensive, I’m UK based. Taxes and import fees are not something I can predict or cover for your end.
Please read the above and look at the photos, in detail – I’m hoping that if you are genuinely interested in buying these you appreciate that it has been a labor of love to produce these parts and it’s all bit of a ‘punt’ so no refunds if not happy, of course if the hoods fall apart, go missing in transit – I will happily help as far as I can. Parts are made to be good value, the shipping in most cases outside of the UK is proportionally very high and only makes sense with multiple pairs being purchased, that is out of my control I’m afraid. This is another factor why returns are not offered as such, I’m not Amazon and these are pretty much made to order. I’m not looking for a product review etc. If you think they are crap, and you’ve wasted your time and money, please consider that my time and money has been wasted first, many times over, to get to this point. I made these rare parts for myself and people have asked me to supply, nothing more than that.
Are they 3D printed? and if not why not?
In my view 3D printing is not the way to go with these. The potential is there for them to be printed, but not without compromise. The ‘resolution’ even at the highest standards is not the same as a casted wet mould, details are lost. I might venture into 3D print at a later date, but for now I can’t see the benefit.
These look crap, I can do better!
If you can do better, please do and send me a link when they are ready to buy!
I will gladly buy a pair if they are affordable – I’ve collected AX stuff on an off for over 20 years, and to my knowledge very few people have bothered to make these
Isn’t hunting New Old Stock (NOS) without compromise the way forward?
Well yes. Let me know when you have found them.
Where’s my order?
Drop me an email and I will follow up, based on the information at the top of this page you should have guidance for current lead times and confirmation by email on status of your particular order, I’m an individual and will do my best to sort any issues, so please bear with me.
Why can’t I place an order ?
This will be because I have more demand than I can cope with, and rather than have you wait longer than expected, I will keep a list of people to contact once the page able to process an order again. I don’t expect this to happen as I am trying to keep a small stock ready to go.
Where can I get more information or find other enthusiasts?
There is an active group on Facebook, plenty of bikes being shared, builds, advice and rare Aero AX parts. Worth taking a look and joining even if you can’t stand the whole Facebook thing, I joined just for access to groups whilst looking for specialist or hard to find parts, it has been great to see Aero AX projects and meet other collectors that I would not have ever been aware of. So love it or hate it, it is undeniably useful for the keen hobbyist. The Aero AX group has over 1500 members from all around the World. www.facebook.com/groups/aeroax/
Thanks for making it this far!
I hope you find this information useful and if you do order hoods, it would be great to see them on the bike and hear that you’ve enjoyed completing your Aero AX project.
If you have any questions that are not covered here, please email me and I will update accordingly.
