2 colour bar wrap

SME

OK... I'm not going to ask how to wrap tape, but...

I intend to wrap my bars in two colours, one up to the hoods and another from the hoods toward the stem.... (I saw a handlebar done in green and white, I think on here somewhere, when I google' it)

My real question is how do you join the tapes? Should I just butt them together and loose the join somehow behind the hoods? What do you use to join/butt them together? And what colour cheat strip goes behind the shifters?

Or...
Do you actually finish a wrap properly and then start the next colour on top? This might give a nicer sharper looking line where the colour changes, but would this make an un-sightly bulge?

Grateful for any help with the finer details.
Thanks in advance.
Steve

ElectronShepherd

Two ideas, off the top of my head, so neither may actually be practical, and I haven't personally tried either.

1. Wrap the lower half using one colour, and the upper half using the other colour, and for the join, loosen the shifter clamp and tuck the two ends under the clamp to fix them.

2. At one end, wrap the bars in the colour you don't want at that end, until you get to the shifter. Then, over the top, wrap with the colour you do want. At the shifter, continue with the second colour until the end, and then go back to the shifter and wrap over with the first colour. This gets round the problem of cutting and joining the tapes, but I can see that swapping the "over" and "under" tapes over might be tricky. Like I say, I haven't tried it...

redvee

Supacaz bar tape is one piece but two colours, wether it comes in the colours you want is another matter.

852Kompol

I am so lazy to the point just wrap these on...
Lazardskin Dual tone- they are not the stretchy ones
http://road.cc/content/review/33995-liz ... r-bar-tape

SME

Thanks for the replies.

Supacaz doesn't do the colours, but a good idea - I treated myself to a Trek Domane just before Christmas, so want blue and white tape(s). (not in Lizard Skins either, but thanks for pointing such out).

There is an advantage to no.2 in that it would give more cushioning on the 'overwrapped' colour, but it might look just too... fat/spongy?

A friend came up with an idea to join the tapes just where they wrap under the hoods with strips of duck tape. This is all experimental - I was hoping someone here may have actually done a 2 colour wrap and could share their experience....?

852Kompol

SME wrote:

Thanks for the replies.

Supacaz doesn't do the colours, but a good idea - I treated myself to a Trek Domane just before Christmas, so want blue and white tape(s). (not in Lizard Skins either, but thanks for pointing such out).

There is an advantage to no.2 in that it would give more cushioning on the 'overwrapped' colour, but it might look just too... fat/spongy?

A friend came up with an idea to join the tapes just where they wrap under the hoods with strips of duck tape. This is all experimental - I was hoping someone here may have actually done a 2 colour wrap and could share their experience....?

This actually gave me an idea...rather than joining them...why don't you just double wrap the top half? any tones you want as well as more cushioning...

SME

852Kompol wrote:

SME wrote:

Thanks for the replies.

Supacaz doesn't do the colours, but a good idea - I treated myself to a Trek Domane just before Christmas, so want blue and white tape(s). (not in Lizard Skins either, but thanks for pointing such out).

There is an advantage to no.2 in that it would give more cushioning on the 'overwrapped' colour, but it might look just too... fat/spongy?

A friend came up with an idea to join the tapes just where they wrap under the hoods with strips of duck tape. This is all experimental - I was hoping someone here may have actually done a 2 colour wrap and could share their experience....?

This actually gave me an idea...rather than joining them...why don't you just double wrap the top half? any tones you want as well as more cushioning...

Yeah, as I said in no.2 though it might just look too 'spongy'!

I will post the method I used and some pics just for future reference to others.

step83

If you end the tape round the levers taping it down under the hoods then carrying on up it should work. Id be tempted to do the figure eight round the hoods still though just to anchor the tape so to speak, should keep the bulk to a minimum.

ddraver

SME wrote:

Supacaz doesn't do the colours, but a good idea - I treated myself to a Trek Domane just before Christmas, so want blue and white tape(s). (not in Lizard Skins either, but thanks for pointing such out).

I wrapped my bars with blue and white bar tape from Lizard Skin last night so it does/did exist. Perhaps search around for some older sets online?

k2cy

I taped mine this past fall. Used white on the lowers and black on top. Just before getting to the hoods with the white tape, I wrapped the end of the black tape several times to anchor it. Then, I cut the white tape, leaving the end long enough to get wrapped several times over by the black tape. I did not use any tape to hold the joined ends down. It seems to be holding up well and no additional bulk. I'm not sure I like the look, probably will just stick to one color (black) in the future.

Monty Dog

I've done this before, but started with the tape at either end and secured the ends of the tape under the hood. Wrap the tape clockwise on RH side and anti-clock on LHS to ensure that the act of gripping the bars keeps the tape tight. Wrap the bars with electrical tape first so you can wrap and unwrap the bar tape easily until you get it the way you want.

nicklong

I guess the hard part with using two separate rolls is that it is the tension along a single length of tape which holds it in place, not the adhesive. Joining 2 pieces in the middle will always be the weak link, so they two parts could end up stretching and unravelling...

Lifeline do some good (and very cheap) 2-colour wrap.

SME

Thanks guys.
Wrapping one colour several times to anchor it turned out to be bulky. I did try joining the two pieces, but as was said, it wasn't too strong. I, too, ended up with securing the bar tape (for the first colour) at the hood with duck tape. The next colour then started under the hood, trapping the first colour and then wrapping in the normal way, so I guess it trapped a little.

Really appreciate the help and ideas.
Steve

SME

I marked where the bar tape ends with insulating tape.



I unwrapped the tape and 'chalked in' the different colour to test for a start point.



Re-wrapped the tape, then unwrapped and put on the first colour checking an equal number of wraps each side.



Checking the length, and finishing the first colour.



Starting the 2nd colour behind the hoods (cheat strip on the outer face).


Finished bars.