Aries

he clearly said preference is preference. if he prefers not to wrap his bars, what effect does it have on ANY other person/biker on the road?

Thetank

Yes its preference, a dangerous preference. and just like he has the right to wrap his bars, or not, this discussion forum will post its opinions on how useless an unwrapped handlebar is whether it affects us or not.

schnee

My preference is to see people with no sense called out for what they are. Silly.

PS, your post is the internet equivalent of shouting 'LEAVE ME ALOOOOOOOONE'. I prefer people like you get thicker skins and stop thinking you are some universe unto yourselves that we dare not speak of.

Aries

Ha, so now this is directed at ME? I'm just defending the guy because he's doing what he wants to do. To be honest, I could care less and I'm sure your opinions dont matter to him at all either. He's just saying what he likes to do. But now riding w/o tape is OMG "DANGEROUS!!!!" Be careful, youre going to lose grip riding at breakneck speed! Theres probably something dumb about your bike or riding preferences or habits that he finds stupid or "silly" as well. It's bikeforums, not life. suck a fat one

pompadork

I mentioned that grips-on-the-drops thing in another thread a few days ago because often enough I see people riding the top of the drops (untaped) and not using the grip on the drops at all.

I actually don't mind the look of both ~



(Credit - someone who posts here.)

Dannihilator

For distances farther then like 5 miles, tape the bars.

Dhorochokaro

Well said...but this is coming from a hipster who rides his track grips to the coffee shop and back (IMHO - track grips look better than all but the very best wrap jobs). Anyways, for longer rides I bring out the gears.

HYOH

Redline927

If I was doing 35+ mile rides all the time, I'm sure I'd put some bar tape on them. I ride my bike around college campus, rarely more than 10 miles a day. Im in no rush to run out for bar tape. My bars feel, look, and work fine for me, period. thank you all for your concern.

Redline927

I was simply pointing out that it is a very common thing to do. A simple search on velospace for "track drops" yields hundreds of bikes setup like this. Because its PREFERENCE. If it was that big a deal, I think less people would be riding like that. So yes, the proper thing to do (for me) is leave them bare for 1) I bought them like that 2) It saves me $16 3) I like the way it looks 4) It feels fine 5) I haven't fallen off my bike because of lack of bar tape, and I never will

jhill44

dude don't wrap your bars because "the man" is making you.

j.k. if your palms sweat even a little bit or it's rained in the past 2 days then you're gonna be sliding all over them tape that thing

devilshaircut

Really, it's not that BIG of a difference. I ride with bar tape, most people do. But I've also ridden without it and I don't see what the big deal is. It's definitely not the dumbest thing someone could do to their bike.

TBH, if you feel that it's stupid to ride without bar tape, then you also must not ride brakeless, right? But I'm sure there are plenty of people here who ride brakeless. TBH, a greater case could be made that it is stupid to ride brakeless than that it is stupid to ride without bar tape.

Anyhow, I am not advocating no bar tape. Certainly, it has undeniable functionality. But if someone doesn't have it, it's not like OMGWTFBBQ UR DUMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!

cblaster

yes, I agree with my hands.

JohnDThompson 

No; they don't like their bikes and leaving the bars bare means they can tell people "I'm just test riding this POS before I finish the bars and push it out the door."

clink83

Isn't it pretty stupid to run track drops if you ride on the tops 95% of the time anyways?

clink83

Because untaped bars are a saftey hazard to yourself and the people you run into?

clink83

Uh yea, since your riding through crowds I think bar tape is kind of important.

devilshaircut

I don't. Bar plugs? Ya, sure. Lack of bar tape? Srsly not a huge hazard to people on a college campus.

In my days of riding throughout college, and since then, I have hit zero people (except during bike polo) and fallen a total of 1 time (except during bike polo). TBH, riding through campus really doesn't pose any potential danger to others.

And even if I did hit someone, I really doubt the bar tape would make any difference.

Yellowbeard

I've ridden without bar tape, when I was still testing for the best position for the hoods, and it certainly didn't feel dangerous. It just felt like crap, in every way.

rudetay

Deda makes both chrome and clear bar tape...best of both worlds!

FixedCommuter

+1

Geordi Laforge

this is stupid hipster ****
wrap your bars if you actually ride your bike.

skloot

I see this constantly. Annoys me to no end. I know I shouldn't care how other people are riding, but... practicality anyone?

devilshaircut

I ride with drops and only use the top unless I am pushing with a group of friends. But I see no problem with having drops, so what if you only use the top? A lot of SS bikes come with drops stock, why spend the extra money to get risers or bullhorns? Obviously having drops is superfluous, but so is going out of your way to get straight bars.

skloot

I'm referring to people that consciously buy track drops, then never actually use the drops. Seems rather impractical to me.

devilshaircut

I wouldn't say impractical, really. It is basically like a commuter buying a 24 speed road bike instead of a 10 speed (hell, a 3 speed). It's superfluous. But I think I agree with your overall notion that it isn't the perfect solution to their needs. Like I said about the bar tape though, there are MUCH more egregiously bad decisions cyclists make ... so when I see someone riding drops on the road and not fully using them, I am not bothered.