Worn bar tape. One side only.
When in confinement in march I replaced my road bike bar tape. It was my first taping, so I didn't expect great results and used a cheap 5€ gel tape from Decathlon that was, apparently, the same that came stock with the bike and had lasted for a year and a half without noticeable wear (I did the retaping because I had to remove a frayed cable and I couldn't do ir propery with the tape on).
The job turned out to be quite successful and everything looked nice on both sides. After 7 months of use, the tape looks perfect on the ride side, but it seems it has thinned to almost nothing on the left side, and the corners are lifting in the places where I usually put my hands. When I taped it, I made sure to apply the same tension to both sides, and at least from an aesthetic point, it looked the same.
How is it possible that one side looks worn and the other looks (almost) like new? It seems to me that when riding I apply equal force to both sides.
I'm going to buy new tape, but I'd like to know what I may have done wrong to try and not repeat it again. Or is it possible that quality is inconsistent in such a cheap tape?
Last edited by Amt0571; 10-19-20 at 03:30 AM.