Handlebar tape

steve1556
steve1556 Posts: 23
edited August 2014 in Workshop
After some advice here. I've recently got a new CX bike and bouught some new handlebar tape for it. It's the cheap Chinese made stuff on eBay, but the colours match my bike, and my thinking behind it was it makes my bike more noticeable if it gets stolen (and it should look good!). The only thing is, the videos I've watched on youtube have a sticky tape like stuff on the back to help them stick to the bars, but the ones I have don't. Would normal double sided sticky tape do the job well, or would I need something stronger?

Comments

  • mitchgixer6
    mitchgixer6 Posts: 729
    You shouldn't need it. If you make sure there's enough tucked in at the end held with the bar end and you wrap it tightly enough then you should be OK.
  • JayKosta
    JayKosta Posts: 635
    You can also use black cloth 'friction tape' as an under-layer - it has adhesive on one side, and the other is 'tacky' to provide a good grip for the plain outer tape. You might find it in the same section of 'home hardware supply' stores with the plastic 'electric tape'.

    It is very important to wrap the bar tape start from the ends of the bars are going towards the stem AND with the tape direction going over the top of the bar towards the front and under the bottom of the bar towards the rear. That makes the tape 'tighten' on the bar when you lean forward on it, and so 'outward' pressure from your hands doesn't push against the exposed edge of the tape.

    Jay Kosta
    Endwell NY USA
  • steve1556
    steve1556 Posts: 23
    That's fantastic, thanks for the help guys. I've seen in several youtube videos they say the direction that you wrap the tape is important. I'll give it a go when the bike comes back from the warranty repair. The brakes were knackered and started binding 2 miles into my first ride, and they think the calipers are faulty so awaiting for the replacements to arrive.
  • rolf_f
    rolf_f Posts: 16,015
    JayKosta wrote:
    AND with the tape direction going over the top of the bar towards the front and under the bottom of the bar towards the rear.

    This doesn't matter - bar tape works just as well wrapped in either direction. I think there are a lot of people who do it one way and insist that that is the only way but people who have actually tried both ways don't see any difference. That's my experience anyway.
    Faster than a tent.......
  • rafletcher
    rafletcher Posts: 1,235
    Look at the Park Tool website for excellent easy to follow instructions. look at the "Advanced tips" about 2/3rds of the way through.

    http://www.parktool.com/blog/repair-hel ... n-drop-bar

    At the start point (end of drops) use insulation tape turned over to provide a bit of stickiness for the first few inches. Always start the wrap towards the outside on the drops (so looking from the back clockwise on the right, anti-clockwise on the left). When yiou get to the levers go up the inside from bottom to top, then the wrap should be "backwards" on both sides, ie wrapping over the bar tops fron front to back.

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