Actually, the soap will dry out and leave a sticky, waxy residue that grips really tight (but if you ride in the rain a lot, it could turn slippery again, I suppose). Armourall soaks into rubber/vinyl/etc. and bonds with the polymers or some such thing, then it's literally gone.
I got a message Also Ross off-list that stated the following interesting facts:
>Gum rubber, as used on Campy brake hoods, is a "pure" gum rubber which
>contains no oils. However, most of the coloured hoods are oil-based
>synthetic rubbers, vulnerable to rubbing alcohol and other oil-based
>lubricants.
Since the slippery part of mounting brake hoods only needs to be temporary, what about... water?
There was also a post about using cheap hairspray, which has been used in the motorcycle community for many years to mount grips and footpegs, and many swear by it. You can also spray it on your hair, which obviates the need for a helmet.
Herb Langston Evanston, IL
>Actually alcohol is not a problem as it evaporates very fast.
>
>What you don't want is something slippery (soap, Armourall, etc.)
>between the body and the gum hood that doesn't evaporate, so that the
>hood slips around as you ride.
>
>Chuck Schmidt
>South Pasadena, Southern California