Fizik superlight bartape - failing to make it wrap

daniel_b

Evening all,

bought some white shiny bar tape, and have just been trying to wrap one single side on my bike.
After the flexible and stretchy Cinelli gel tape I am used to, this is a revelation, but for the wrong reasons.

http://www.wiggle.com/fizik-superlight-glossy-bar-tape/


Totally prepared for the fact that I may be doing it the wrong way, but can't see there can be that many different methods, other than which direction you wrap in, and I have tried both, probably about 10 times.

It starts not too bad around the end of the drops, and I can just about get it to contort/cover the inevitable creases as the curve starts - I can make it look part way decent, but then we hit the hoods.
Trying to make this tape perform a 'figure of 8' coverage is impossible for me, it's just not stretchy really at all as far as I can tell, so how you can get it to wrap properly is beyond my very moderate skillset.

I had bought this tape as I wanted white tape but was of the impression it would get grubby very quickly, t'internet recommended this shiny white bar tape as the best solution, and I dare say it will look clean for longer, or clean up more easily, but the finish I can get on the wrapping means it will look like a crock of sh1t to start with!

Am I missing anything obvious here, or should I just stick it in the bin and go with the white Cinelli that I know works, at least in terms of allowing me to wrap the bars properly.
Would heating it up help at all?

Frustratingly it says there is an installation guide on http://www.fizik.com, but if there is one there I can't find it.

The only other possibility as I can see it is to wrap up to the hoods, tape it with electrical tape somewhere under the hood, and then start a fresh bit for the tops - of course as I have been trying to contort it around the bars it is now not looking in the rudest health.

I have standard drop bars, not compact drop or anything, but irrespective all bars are going to have a hood - I am bemused to say the least.

:evil:

pete54

http://www.condorcycles.com/feature-sto ... ml#BarTape

DKay

You've got to pull and stretch Fizik bar tape harder than more flexible types, such as cork or foam.

andrewc3142

Fizik's by far my favourite tape, both applying and when applied.

You do have to be a bit firm with it, but it will lie really nice and flat once you get the measure of it.

I don't use a figure of 8.

The one criticism I have of it is that the end plugs tend to be too tight and can need a tap with a plastic hammer.

anonymousblackfg

Use plenty of doublesided sticky tape on the bars before hand, this makes applying it massively easlier and gets you a better fit with any tape.

t4tomo

Figure of 8 doesn't rally work with modern bigger levers, use the bit of tape supplied to go around the back of the lever and then wrap normally