White bar tape and saddle

lemon63

Hi all, a couple of questions on keeping white bar tape & white saddles tidy.
How do you avoid getting your white bar tape dirty after having a puncture ? I always end up with dirty hands after fixing a roadside puncture which would then transfer onto the bar tape, do you carry plastic gloves or wet wipes.
Also what about if you have a white saddle and you get a puncture, if you turn the bike upside down to remove the wheel how do you avoid scuffing your lovely white saddle.

Lagavulin

Baby wipes and Jif (Cif if you're on the continent ).

I don't turn the bike over to drop the wheel out.

sungod

i have a pair of mechanics disposable gloves in the saddle bag

don't turn the bike over, drop out the wheel and rest the bike gently onto the rear mech (or if there're some convenient iron railings you can hang it on those)

Monty Dog

It should be be appropriately pointed out in the Beginners' forum that sure fire sign of a noob is turning the bike over to repair a puncture - find yourself a fence / tree / ride buddy to hang your bike frame from and keep the chain out the dirt. I use regular cleaning wipes on my bars and saddle and it removes any dirt or grime - don't use them on leather saddles/tape though!

father_jack

Don't see putting your bike upside down is "noobish" stable, easy to remove wheels, easy to refit. Lay down jacket or something you're carrying ie magazine where the saddle and bars will sit and no problem.

louthepoo

i have white bar tape and saddle on my commuter/winter bike and i dont care if it gets dirty to be honest, had one puncture and dropped the wheel out so they didn't have to touch the ground. The rain and grime of our country makes more of a mess than turning it upside down. I'm gonna get black tape when there have had it though

father_jack

louthepoo wrote:

i have white bar tape and saddle on my commuter/winter bike and i dont care if it gets dirty to be honest, had one puncture and dropped the wheel out so they didn't have to touch the ground. The rain and grime of our country makes more of a mess than turning it upside down. I'm gonna get black tape when there have had it though

I'd just buy a new bike with black bar tape tbh

Garry H

sungod wrote:

don't turn the bike over, drop out the wheel and rest the bike gently onto the rear mech (or if there're some convenient iron railings you can hang it on those)

Alternatively, rest it on the opposite side to the rear mech, if there aren't any railings nearby...

louthepoo

Father Jack wrote:

louthepoo wrote:

i have white bar tape and saddle on my commuter/winter bike and i dont care if it gets dirty to be honest, had one puncture and dropped the wheel out so they didn't have to touch the ground. The rain and grime of our country makes more of a mess than turning it upside down. I'm gonna get black tape when there have had it though

I'd just buy a new bike with black bar tape tbh

thats the nicest thing anyone's offered me, thanks father jack i've had my eye on a carbon colnago for some time now. I suppose being my 40th this year it'd be alright to accept such a present from your generous self

37monkey

Father Jack wrote:

louthepoo wrote:

i have white bar tape and saddle on my commuter/winter bike and i dont care if it gets dirty to be honest, had one puncture and dropped the wheel out so they didn't have to touch the ground. The rain and grime of our country makes more of a mess than turning it upside down. I'm gonna get black tape when there have had it though

I'd just buy a new bike with black bar tape tbh

But white is faster

Anonymous

One of the main reasons for not turning your bike over to fix a puncture is to stop the ingress of foreign bodies into your STI levers and bugger them up. They are quite coplex bits of kit and do not need small bits of cack rattling around in there.
1 pair of latex gloves will do the trick, super light and no space hardly taken up in a saddle bag or back pocket.
Or buy some black bar tape.

brin

I would never turn my bike upside down, might damage the 'crossbar'

cougie

I'd never turn it upside down - just rest it gearside up on the grass verge or something soft. If its upside down - it will fall over usually.

And white tape/saddle doesnt stay white for long - much prefer to have black and not have to worry about the cleaning as much.

PS Jif went to Cif in the UK about 5 years or more ago !

ridelikeapro

Keep the white tape... "white is right", and definitely considerably faster than black. I've been using Fizik Microtex and it stays white, hardly needs cleaning - and when it does - it cleans easily. http://www.fizik.it/product.aspx?c=Bar-Tape

PS. Its the same with socks - white socks faster than black, and "most" fast riders will be in white socks. Obvious innit.... it's just a nicer look.[/url]

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Mark Alexander

1. there's no need to turn it over. easier to do it the right way up.
2. if you buy a bike with White tape and saddle, wait until it gets dirty and replace it with black.

Job done