White bar tape

chrispsmith83

Aggghh,

After just 3 rides on my new bike (which has white bar tape) the thing looks like I have taken it off road. Does anyone know of any gloves that don't do this to white tape? otherwise it seems a bit pointless.

i refuse to scrub my handle bars after every ride

Gizmodo

See viewtopic.php?f=40020&t=12853101

My white bar tape lasted 4 months before being replaced with black. You can't keep it clean.

Bozman

Black tape

marcusjb

Stock answer - Fizik Microtex bar tape.

We run it on all our drop bar bikes here - and I have white on my commuter. I have never wiped it down and it still looks pretty clean. Sometimes I wear gloves, sometimes I don't.

My regular commute (but not daily) is around 20km, but I often have to visit my office which is an 80km roundtrip - so it's on a bike that does reasonable distances.

It is great bartape. I will hopefully replace some on the audax bike (honey brown not white) this weekend (along with cable outers etc.) - so that'll done somewhere in the region of 25000km and still looks really nice apart from the scuff where I hit a bit of sticking out wall. I don't doubt that it would last another 25000km - but at only £11-12 a pop, I can't be bothered to re-use it!

Comfy stuff as well. I get very little hand/finger issues on even longer rides.

Tom Dean

marcusjb wrote:

Stock answer - Fizik Microtex bar tape.

+1

roadiemk

I just use JIF (or whatever Euro name it's called now), every 10 ish rides.

Interesting recommendation about the Fizik's.
Think I will give these a go when I can't be bothered to clean the bar tape any longer.

chrispsmith83

Thanks for your responses guys, gonna look into Fizik

Ta

gubber12345

got white tape on my bike since new(about 10 mths now) and surprisingly it doesnt look to bad at the minute...not sure what make it is and it gets washed about every 2 rides along with the bike.

goonz

My Scott bar tape actually looks half decent for a years worth of service. Obviously not sparkling white but not grubby at all. I always use gloves, and wash my gloves regularly if that helps.

slowmart

I like the look of white tape and for me it's worth the effort in the extra work in keeping it looking mint.

The best product I've found is the furniture polish Pledge. Spray copious amounts on the tape, leave for a few minutes and then put a clean cloth in your hand and rotate your hand around the bar.

Job done.


To qualify I ride in all weathers, commuting as well as leisure with a weekly mileage of 150 plus.

Flexisurfer

I have white tape and have ridden through winter, it still looks ok and I put that down to washing my gloves regularly.

smoggysteve

Soft sponge with washing powder or a liquitab soaked through it, best way or resoring white bar tape, works well on Selle Italia smoo tape

stueyboy

Get a baby wipe and give the tape a good clean by holding both ends and moving the wipe back and forth over the tape. Cleans the tape up a treat.

pak-man

At the risk of committing sacrilege, learn to live with it grubby?

I have white tape and it is grubby, particularly after I dropped a chain and got oil on my hands putting it back on! Doesn't bother me overly (but then I'm not one who cleans his bike every week either).

wheelie-bin

Bozman wrote:

Black tape

MrNods

marcusjb wrote:

Stock answer - Fizik Microtex bar tape.

I put white Fizik on my steed thinking "Looks cool but surely won't last, it's white." I even bought black tape as a back-up ready for it's demise at the end of summer. It's now done thousands of wet and dry miles, been through two sets of hood replacements, even covered in grease after a messy chain incident but with a quick wipe down the Fizik is still white and still going strong.

It's just one of those products that does what it should.