Wrap top to bottom or the reverse?
#26
Full Member
#27
Veteran, Pacifist
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Seattle area
Posts: 13,328
Bikes: Bikes??? Thought this was social media?!?
Mentioned: 284 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3898 Post(s)
Liked 4,832 Times
in
2,229 Posts
Before you roll your eyes, and type a heated response about my parentage give me a minute.
Cloth bar tape is top to bottom, modern is bottom to top for obvious reasons. Last night I ordered some Newbaums padded cloth bar tape which seems like it might me in-between, for those that have used the padded cloth do you wrap traditional or modern?
Cloth bar tape is top to bottom, modern is bottom to top for obvious reasons. Last night I ordered some Newbaums padded cloth bar tape which seems like it might me in-between, for those that have used the padded cloth do you wrap traditional or modern?
As always = it depends. Top to bottom or opposite, depends on the bar end plugs. For Benotto tape/ribbon/vinyl with plugs over the bar, i will start at the bottom. Generally i start on the tops.
__________________
Vintage, modern, e-road. It is a big cycling universe.
Vintage, modern, e-road. It is a big cycling universe.
Likes For Wildwood:
#28
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2013
Posts: 2,321
Mentioned: 35 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 767 Post(s)
Liked 1,898 Times
in
889 Posts
It doesn't seem like there's a whole lot of experience out there with the padded Newbaum's tape.
I'd take the edge thickness into account and go from there. It may work fine either way. For me, if the edges had a tendency to lay proud, I'd wrap bottom up.
I'd take the edge thickness into account and go from there. It may work fine either way. For me, if the edges had a tendency to lay proud, I'd wrap bottom up.
#29
Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2020
Location: Nevada County, California
Posts: 789
Bikes: Subject to change at any given moment but currently is...... Colnago Mapei, Colnago C40, Wilier Triestina Carbon, Wilier Triestina Ramato, Follis 472, Peugeot PX60, Razesa, Orbea Terra, Soma Pescadero and 1/2 owner of a Santana tandem.
Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 331 Post(s)
Liked 782 Times
in
264 Posts
#30
(rhymes with spook)
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Winslow, AR
Posts: 2,788
Bikes: '83 univega gran turismo x2, '85 schwinn super le tour,'89 miyata triple cross, '91 GT tequesta, '90 yokota grizzly peak, '94 GT backwoods, '95'ish scott tampico, '98 bonty privateer, '93 mongoose crossway 625, '98 parkpre ariel, 2k'ish giant fcr3
Mentioned: 26 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 919 Post(s)
Liked 745 Times
in
546 Posts
sure...i know what the height is. i just misunderstood mooney's initial post when he said tech's weren't "long" enough. i thought he was referencing the height of them when someone made the remark of getting the bars up higher. make sense?
Likes For thook:
#31
Junior Member
Yikes this is getting kinda feisty for a C&V thread. The topic, I suppose?
I have one of each style on my drop-barred bikes. Drop bar MTB has barcons, to avoid tucking, I wrapped bottom to top and finished with tape. On the Premis I recently got some pretty stiff perforated style Fizik tape and wrapped top to bottom, because I prefer the look of starting at the top and not having a finishing tape.
The main reason I hear for one approach over the other is because of tape rolling up with use, where your hand pushes against the edges of it. But, I think if you do the full cross-over-thingy behind the brakes, either top-to-bottom or bottom-to-top will lead to exposed tape edges that are curl-able. Just which wrapping you choose will determine whether it's curl-able on the tops or on the drops.
I have one of each style on my drop-barred bikes. Drop bar MTB has barcons, to avoid tucking, I wrapped bottom to top and finished with tape. On the Premis I recently got some pretty stiff perforated style Fizik tape and wrapped top to bottom, because I prefer the look of starting at the top and not having a finishing tape.
The main reason I hear for one approach over the other is because of tape rolling up with use, where your hand pushes against the edges of it. But, I think if you do the full cross-over-thingy behind the brakes, either top-to-bottom or bottom-to-top will lead to exposed tape edges that are curl-able. Just which wrapping you choose will determine whether it's curl-able on the tops or on the drops.
#32
(rhymes with spook)
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Winslow, AR
Posts: 2,788
Bikes: '83 univega gran turismo x2, '85 schwinn super le tour,'89 miyata triple cross, '91 GT tequesta, '90 yokota grizzly peak, '94 GT backwoods, '95'ish scott tampico, '98 bonty privateer, '93 mongoose crossway 625, '98 parkpre ariel, 2k'ish giant fcr3
Mentioned: 26 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 919 Post(s)
Liked 745 Times
in
546 Posts
just plasti-grip the whole thing
Likes For thook:
#33
Senior Member
I have a maxim I follow for questions like this, and it gives me a peaceful mind when they come up (as they so often do with respect to bicycle maintenance):
If the answer to a question is highly contentious, both solutions are correct
If the answer to a question is highly contentious, both solutions are correct
#34
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2013
Location: Pacific Northwest
Posts: 1,989
Bikes: ‘87 Marinoni SLX Sports Tourer, ‘79 Miyata 912 by Gugificazione
Mentioned: 166 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 500 Post(s)
Liked 466 Times
in
256 Posts
This Park Tool YouTube about bar wrapping is great! Many options suggested throughout. About halfway through there’s a neat idea about switching wrap directions at the brake posts that I particularly like, because it counters the loosening effects when riding in the drops and on the tops. Also a neat idea about coloring fat tape edges at the finish. The guy understands compunction to details!
FWIW, I’ve started using this self-fusing tape instead of electrical tape for the finish at the top - no creep or gummy residue! Black is available at Home Depot, located with the glues.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
FWIW, I’ve started using this self-fusing tape instead of electrical tape for the finish at the top - no creep or gummy residue! Black is available at Home Depot, located with the glues.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
#35
Veteran, Pacifist
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Seattle area
Posts: 13,328
Bikes: Bikes??? Thought this was social media?!?
Mentioned: 284 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3898 Post(s)
Liked 4,832 Times
in
2,229 Posts
Here is the visual backup for bottom to top. No one disputes top to bottom with a good tuck and secure bar end cap. If you do = stick a Cork in it!
Benotto plastic bar ends, I always start at the bottom. No pic (with me) of finished job on DeRosa. Also don’t have a handy pic of the ‘botch job’ it took me to learn the lesson too late.
Grey end caps, over which will go vintage Benotto silver/grey padded ribbon tape. Bot to top.
Benotto plastic bar ends, I always start at the bottom. No pic (with me) of finished job on DeRosa. Also don’t have a handy pic of the ‘botch job’ it took me to learn the lesson too late.
Grey end caps, over which will go vintage Benotto silver/grey padded ribbon tape. Bot to top.
#36
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2017
Posts: 2,044
Mentioned: 26 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 838 Post(s)
Liked 1,080 Times
in
521 Posts
The OP's question is specific to how the padded Newbaums works, especially in comparison to their regular cloth, because some wraps will lay cleaner when wrapped bottom up. This isn't a general question about wrapping preferences with various wraps.
OP: I mentioned this already a few posts up. But I use Newbaums regularly and gave padded a try. It appears to look best when wrapped bottom up, as opposed to their regular cloth wrap that is very easy to go top down (which is my preference).
OP: I mentioned this already a few posts up. But I use Newbaums regularly and gave padded a try. It appears to look best when wrapped bottom up, as opposed to their regular cloth wrap that is very easy to go top down (which is my preference).
Likes For polymorphself:
#37
If I own it, I ride it
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: Cardinal Country
Posts: 5,580
Bikes: Lejeune(14), Raleigh, Raysport, Jan De Reus, Gazelle, Masi, B. Carré(4), Springfield, Greg Lemond, Andre Bertin, Schwinn Paramount
Mentioned: 56 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 591 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 662 Times
in
311 Posts
I just did my Bertin with Newbaum's padded. Top to bottom worked fine for me.
20210106_145138 by L Travers, on Flickr
Likes For CV-6:
#38
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2015
Location: Menomonee Falls, WI
Posts: 1,833
Bikes: 1984 Schwinn Supersport, 1988 Trek 400T, 1977 Trek TX900, 1982 Bianchi Champione del Mondo, 1978 Raleigh Supercourse, 1986 Trek 400 Elance, 1991 Waterford PDG OS Paramount, 1971 Schwinn Sports Tourer, 1985 Trek 670
Mentioned: 7 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 604 Post(s)
Liked 1,063 Times
in
535 Posts
🍿 I was taught top to bottom by a mech at my local Schwinn dealer, back in the early 70s. Every bike on the floor was wrapped that way, and it was a fairly large shop.
Of course all the bikes back then were wrapped with cloth, or the plastic stuff, but have found it pretty easy to do with modern padded tapes too. If you do it right, no issues with the modern tapes, or plastic stuff.
The cloth tapes will eventually fray at the edges, but I slide my hands across the bars in both directions, so it would eventually fray anyway.
Just never liked those little extra pieces of tape at the top of the bars.
Tim
Of course all the bikes back then were wrapped with cloth, or the plastic stuff, but have found it pretty easy to do with modern padded tapes too. If you do it right, no issues with the modern tapes, or plastic stuff.
The cloth tapes will eventually fray at the edges, but I slide my hands across the bars in both directions, so it would eventually fray anyway.
Just never liked those little extra pieces of tape at the top of the bars.
Tim
Likes For tkamd73:
#39
Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Peoria, IL
Posts: 4,476
Mentioned: 86 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1829 Post(s)
Liked 3,374 Times
in
1,580 Posts
I've done both but usually bottom to top finished with twine. I've actually started top and bottom when doing a harlequin design with two colors top and bottom and solid around the brakes tucking (and taping) the ends under the hoods. May not last as long (I'm easy on the bars) but it looks cool.
Before the police chime in, I've since moved the brake housings behind the bars. (although I can't say it's better)
Before the police chime in, I've since moved the brake housings behind the bars. (although I can't say it's better)
I was replacing the cables on one bike and figured that was a good time to do a harlequin wrap. Like your bike, it has bar end shifters, and I realized that it pretty much requires wrapping from top and bottom, and meeting in the middle at the levers.
I stopped the pattern a bit short of the levers, partly to avoid getting the tape too filthy, and because I couldn't get the Tressostar tape to behave in the bends.
Steve in Peoria
Likes For steelbikeguy:
#40
Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2006
Posts: 20,305
Mentioned: 130 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3464 Post(s)
Liked 2,829 Times
in
1,995 Posts
I just did my Bertin with Newbaum's padded. Top to bottom worked fine for me.
20210106_145138 by L Travers, on Flickr
20210106_145138 by L Travers, on Flickr
I generally went top to hoods, then end to hoods, tails trapped by the hood. This was with Cinelli caps, the caps went on first, the tape on top of.
Never liked the Benotto style caps (same as Cinelli) on top.
With Mafac half hoods, top to end, stuff the tape in the end of the bar. then the plug, typically with the screw expander.
On a Carlsbad Masi, Hunt-Wilde press in plugs as original. (even though way back we switched out to Cinelli caps.)
if one terminates adjacent to the stem, the overlap has less chance of peeling over.
Way back, we changed out tape very often. One had to look "pro", like Eddy nothing like Fresh White Tape.
Likes For repechage:
#41
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2017
Posts: 2,044
Mentioned: 26 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 838 Post(s)
Liked 1,080 Times
in
521 Posts
I just did my Bertin with Newbaum's padded. Top to bottom worked fine for me.
20210106_145138 by L Travers, on Flickr
20210106_145138 by L Travers, on Flickr
#42
If I own it, I ride it
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: Cardinal Country
Posts: 5,580
Bikes: Lejeune(14), Raleigh, Raysport, Jan De Reus, Gazelle, Masi, B. Carré(4), Springfield, Greg Lemond, Andre Bertin, Schwinn Paramount
Mentioned: 56 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 591 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 662 Times
in
311 Posts
One negative to wrapping Newbaum's padded top down, particularly if one is using a screw in type bar plug as I did. It won't fit. The solution I used was to remove the padding material for the last bit. I would think a cork might be easier.
Likes For CV-6:
#43
I’m a little Surly
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Near the district
Posts: 2,422
Bikes: Two Cross Checks, a Karate Monkey, a Disc Trucker, and a VO Randonneur
Mentioned: 5 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 699 Post(s)
Liked 1,294 Times
in
647 Posts
Thanks!
#44
Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Middle Earth (aka IA)
Posts: 20,435
Bikes: A bunch of old bikes and a few new ones
Mentioned: 178 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 5888 Post(s)
Liked 3,471 Times
in
2,079 Posts
🍿 I was taught top to bottom by a mech at my local Schwinn dealer, back in the early 70s. Every bike on the floor was wrapped that way, and it was a fairly large shop.
Of course all the bikes back then were wrapped with cloth, or the plastic stuff, but have found it pretty easy to do with modern padded tapes too. If you do it right, no issues with the modern tapes, or plastic stuff.
The cloth tapes will eventually fray at the edges, but I slide my hands across the bars in both directions, so it would eventually fray anyway.
Just never liked those little extra pieces of tape at the top of the bars.
Tim
Of course all the bikes back then were wrapped with cloth, or the plastic stuff, but have found it pretty easy to do with modern padded tapes too. If you do it right, no issues with the modern tapes, or plastic stuff.
The cloth tapes will eventually fray at the edges, but I slide my hands across the bars in both directions, so it would eventually fray anyway.
Just never liked those little extra pieces of tape at the top of the bars.
Tim
#45
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Berkeley CA
Posts: 2,536
Bikes: 1981 Ron Cooper, 1974 Cinelli Speciale Corsa, 2000 Gary Fisher Sugar 1, 1986 Miyata 710, 1982 Raleigh "International"
Mentioned: 97 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 930 Post(s)
Liked 1,291 Times
in
487 Posts
This premise is wrong. The first couple of times I wrapped cloth bar tape (in the late 1960s), I did it top to bottom because the plastic tape that came on my first 10-speed was that way. That resulted in the tape rolling over above the brake handles as a result of hand friction. The LBS guys (late 60s or early 70s) pointed out this problem and told me to always wrap cloth from bottom to top to avoid this problem. There is no "modern" vs "vintage" bar wrap direction.
#46
RUSA #3100
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Oregon City
Posts: 836
Bikes: Yes
Mentioned: 20 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 237 Post(s)
Liked 505 Times
in
181 Posts
The direction you wrap the tape in for a top to bottom job matters a lot, though it doesn't seem to get mentioned here.
__________________
https://utahrandonneur.wordpress.com
https://utahrandonneur.wordpress.com
Likes For Oldairhead:
#47
Newbie
Join Date: Oct 2019
Location: Millersville, MD
Posts: 22
Bikes: Dunelt 3 Spd (hub date 1964); 2 Raleigh (early 70s) Grand Prix converted to SA AW; 76 Raleigh Rampar converted to SA AW; Raleigh Super Course fixed; Raysport; 2003 Trek XO1; Jamis Aurora; Jamis Expat; Bianchi Posts (S3X); 1985 Ross Mt Hood; Univega;
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 12 Post(s)
Liked 13 Times
in
7 Posts
"Wrapped my CF bars 70s Bike Boom style, top to bottom. All would have been OK, but I was busted at the trendy coffee shop by a couple of fully accesorized roadies. Also had dorknuts and caps on both wheels."
#48
Full Member
This premise is wrong. The first couple of times I wrapped cloth bar tape (in the late 1960s), I did it top to bottom because the plastic tape that came on my first 10-speed was that way. That resulted in the tape rolling over above the brake handles as a result of hand friction. The LBS guys (late 60s or early 70s) pointed out this problem and told me to always wrap cloth from bottom to top to avoid this problem. There is no "modern" vs "vintage" bar wrap direction.
I wrap padded tape same way, bottom up on my modern bikes. I finish the tops with color matched electrical tape, the first wind or two are stretched tight to hold, followed by a very low tension single wrap so it doesn’t have the tendency to relax and expose adhesive. I get the impression people think top down was the defacto standard back in the 70s, but not everywhere.
#49
Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada - burrrrr!
Posts: 11,674
Bikes: 1958 Rabeneick 120D, 1968 Legnano Gran Premio, 196? Torpado Professional, 2000 Marinoni Piuma
Mentioned: 210 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1372 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1,751 Times
in
938 Posts
The direction you wrap the tape in for a top to bottom job matters a lot, though it doesn't seem to get mentioned here.
__________________
"98% of the bikes I buy are projects".
"98% of the bikes I buy are projects".
Likes For randyjawa:
#50
Senior Member