Removing tape adhesive from carbon bars
 

What is the best way to remove the adhesive left from handlebar tape on carbon fiber bars?
I have tried alcohol without much success and am afraid of using a stronger solvent like acetone.
Any suggestions?

I've used olive oil to remove other types of adhesive from my steel frame before. I can't imagine it would be any different with carbon fiber, but take my advice at your own risk!

I just pour the olive oil on and rub with my fingers until it comes off. Then, I use Simple Green to clean off the olive oil.

Ive used bike lust which is basically silicone I think. It worked pretty good. Tooks some elbow grease however.

--jim

Alcohol and acetone don't work on adhesives anyway so don't try acetone. Mineral spirits works well on adhesives but I'm not sure about the finish on the bars. The Cole Parmer compatibility guide says that mineral spirits doesn't harm either epoxy or the graphite fiber. Just use small amounts on a rag with ventilation. You will have to scrub on it some.

Goo-Gone

Wd 40

"CleanUp Solvent 22" or "Safety Solvent 22" if you can find it locally. It's what generally is used/recommended to remove adhesives from resin surfaces like fiberglass, carbon fiber, and plastic surfaces. Runs about $6-7 a pint.

tea tree oil

Why do you need to remove it? If you're just going to re-wrap the bars with new tape (which I assume you're going to do, unless you want a carbon bling-piece to hang on your mantlepiece) then don't worry about removing the stuff. If anything, it'll make the new wrap job slightly more secure in its hold.

+1 for WD40. Spritz it on, wait a few minutes, comes right off.

The pros use 3M General Purpose Adhesive Cleaner.
Removes; adhesive, silicone, wax, grease, tar & oil.
need I say more?

Except that it's available at automotive paint supply stores.:p

Although I'm a big fan of using stuff other people have done the research to develop, the adhesive cleaner is not that much different from mineral spirits and more expensive. I'm sure it does a great job but so does mineral spirits which is much more readily available at any hardware store.

WD40 would work but it's doesn't evaporate quickly and is usually available as an aerosol which is much messier. It would also leave behind lubricants that might interfer with future adhesives.

Good. Fast. Cheap.

Pick 2!:D