Salamandrine 

It isn't a matter of "correct" or not. Top down was historically how most people wrapped cotton tape during the cotton tape era. So I guess historically correct would be accurate. Wrap it any way you like that works for you. Even BITD there would have been a few rebels who taped, er, backwards. I believe in Europe it was more of a thing.

The trend of wrapping bottom up more or less begin with the great cello tape craze. The instructions IIRC said to tape bottoms up, so we did. This was followed by a rising popularity for bike ribbon, which also said wrap bottoms up, and gave you a little piece of tape to hold the top. Thus begin the tape thing. When aero levers started to be a thing, that was when electrical tape termination begin. You needed a little extra help to hold the housing. I always hated electrical tape myself. The oozing sticky adhesive is annoying.

In my experience, it makes little to no difference which way the tape is wrapped. If anything for me it holds up longer if wrapped top down. I've done this experiment dozens of times by now. Obviously what works best for you is an individualistic thing, depending on how you grip the bars, where you spend the most time, etc. Just saying the absolute maxim that tape lasts longer if wrapped from the bottom up is not absolute. It depends.

rootboy 

I taped my bottom up once when I was a kid. Didn't last long.

tkamd73 

Why are you surprised that top down is favored on the CV forum, some of us are Luddites here, and proud of it! If your tape job is peeling or slipping, you didn’t do it right, I’ve never even had an issue with cello tape. If you want more support for bottoms up, post on a different forum. Besides, bike ribbon looks as silly as it sounds, especially on a CV bike.
Tim


Top down Benotto cello tape, triple layered, after 500 plus mi

Charles Wahl

Don't see why you have to take it so personally. The thread started about cloth tape, and in my experience bottom-up works better for the reasons stated. Synthetic tapes are different, as Sheldon's page notes.

natterberry 

Where’d that “OK Boomer” thread go?

xiaoman1 

To simply answer the OP's question, yes you will have to tuck the end of the tape into the bar end no matter which direction you choose to wrap the bars "unless" you want to use tape at the bottom of the bar.
Best, Ben

tkamd73 

Whose taking it personally? This is what I hate about texted conversation, sarcasm and humor are totally lost, do I really have to use a smiley emoji? Is there even a sarcasm emoji? If we were having this conversation in person, we’d probably all be laughing about it over a beer. Future wars will be started due to the lack of, face to face communication, and yes, the OP’s question was answered before we got to #6 .
Tim

Velo Mule

Normally I wrap cotton tape from the top down. Recently, I put bar end shifters on my LeTour, so I wrapped from bottom up. This wrapping from the bottom to the brake hood and the top to the brake hood is a good idea that I will try next time. I am surprised that I have not come across this before. This is only possible, of course when the bike has rubber hoods.

As for the original intent of this thread, my preference for cotton is top down. Nice color on the tape by the way. I rarely deviate from black or white for handlebar tape, but this yellow looks good with the violet and yellow graphics on the frame.

robertorolfo

In my experience, cotton is easier to work with compared to more "modern" tapes, and the adhesive makes top down wrapping clean and effective.

Salamandrine 

Another method of taping that is rarely seen anymore is the method where you make an X and a loop around the brake levers. It didn't require that little extra piece around the lever mounting band. This method was utilized because brake lever hoods were not always used, and that extra wrap covered up at least part of the bare metal of that the brake lever, making sort of a quasi hood. Many people continued to wrap this way even with hoods, I suppose because it's how they were taught. It really only works with cotton or thin plastic tape, or that 70s velvet tape stuff. I remember some mechanics trying to wrap that way when cork tape came out, which was pretty hilarious. *

* This method was a variation of the wrapping style in the RJ the bike guy video in post #9

Bianchi84

East Coast/West Coast, Ginger/Mary Ann, Top Down/Bottom Up... some questions may never be settled.
(It's Mary Ann).

Salamandrine 

Mary Ann. Correct.

madpogue 

Cello tape is so superior, it only requires three layers.

Mary Ann.

robertorolfo

Thank god for guys like you! Your preference for Marry Ann means that I don't have to elbow past as many other guys in order to light Ginger's cigarette for her and fall madly in love the second she gazes into my eyes...

As for bottom up, there isn't anything really wrong with it. Just like there isn't anything really wrong with holding a bolt in a vice and rotating your entire bike around in order to screw it in...

Salamandrine 

Kabuki12

I have persuaded a few in with my rubber mallet!! Patience grasshopper! NICE Bianchi by the way!!!

tkamd73 

Nah, it’s the only way I could get the color I wanted, dark blue, silver, then medium blue.
Tim ( Maryann fan)

tkamd73 

Thanks!

Bianchi84

White Velox, Top down

Unca_Sam

Ok, but how do you do it with barcons?

Salamandrine 

Easy, the same way you do it with Velox plugs. Do a preliminary set up, and tape the shift housing to the drops. Pull out barcon temporarily. Wrap your bars from the top down and tuck in the end. Plug in the barcons and tighten them down.

rosefarts

Wow, I just learned something new.

I've never seen shellacked cloth tape. It's gorgeous. At least on an old bike it is. Top down looks best, and I've never gone that direction before.

So now I've got another project to tackle.

For bar end plugs, silver, black, or so other?

Unca_Sam

What color is the bike paint? Are you using blacked out components, silver, etc.
Bottom line, go with Oil Slick anodized.

rosefarts

its actually shinier than that, I think my lens is dirty.

So I'm thinking white cloth with Amber shellac to get close to the gold. Polished aluminum endcaps would work, or black anodized. I may change the hoods to black, as it had those (cracked badly) when I got it. I'm probably not going to use that seat bag. It's 30% too large for the style.

kidadam

this is the same stuff with just a single stripe of adhesive in the middle?