kaiserschmarrn

My.previous bike, which I got with everything original on it was a '76-'79 Peugeot PRN10. That came wrapped from the center out, and that is how I rewrapped it when needed. I never saw another method till I got this early 90s Specialized Allez Comp. That got me really scratching my head when I saw the electricical tape, so I posted here.

I wonder if heat shrink tubing might work as "finishing tape". No residue. I have seen it big enough, or leat least close to it at work.

Danny

shelbyfv

Aside from the direction of wrap having changed, tape has gotten thicker as well. Often it is too thick to tuck beneath the end plug without making an unsightly bulge. Start the bar tape flush with the bar end, use a piece of electrical tape to hold it in place. Use plenty of overlap for the first go around.

kaiserschmarrn

I forgot to mention; the tape that was on my Peugeot was cloth, the brand is still around, but I can't remember the name. It was thin.

Danny

shelbyfv

Neubaum's still makes nice cloth tape. Looks good on a retro bike.

kaiserschmarrn

I think it was Velox Tressotar Tape on my Peugeot as OEM equipment.

Danny

70sSanO

I have a question.

Where exactly does it curl if wrapped from top to bottom?

John

Pop N Wood

Phew, not sure if I agree with you on that one. I typically trim the overlapping part so only a eight-quarter inch or so overlaps the end of the tube. Not hard to push an end plug in even with thick tape.

Pop N Wood

On the outer curved part at the top of the bar. This only happens if you ride with the heel of your palms on that part of the bar.

Moe Zhoost

Aye, matey, that's why I whip the ends of my bar tape with tarred marline (Yes I actually do). Looks much better than tape.

70sSanO

Thanks!

John

fujidon

You may be doing a lot more riding than me so replacing bar tape every 3-4 months seems extraordinarily excessive to me.

FWIW, I replace mine on an as-need basis which is more like 3-4 YEARS, And I ride a few thousand miles per year.

cxwrench

That's gross. Jesus, it's $20.00. Tell me your tape isn't nasty after a year, much less 3-4. I'll tell ya a story about a customer I had a long time ago. Had a commute bike he rode from Marin to SF every day. Beat the thing to death, never changed anything til it didn't work. Well, one day he was coming back into Sausalito and there's a tight left hand corner on the way down the hill from the GGB. His 5-6 year old aluminum bar broke and he ended up in the ER. Nasty cut on his neck from the Armco barrier he hit. A month later he was dead from a staph infection. An extremely rare situation but he never saw the need to change his bar tape.
Do yourself a favor and maintain your bike. $20.00 every few months...totally worth it if you ask me. Don't be cheap.

_ForceD_

I’m in the “change my bar take every several years not months” crowd.

I’ll bet your saddle is sweaty and smelly too. How often do you change it?

Dan

cxwrench

Apples and oranges pal...apples and oranges. It blows me away how cheap some people are when it comes to their toys. This isn't anywhere near the worst I've seen, how many potential problems do you see here?

Russ Roth

Everything about this post is 100% spot on, especially how to finish with the electrical tape and 3m all the way.

The first bar tape job I ever did the directions in the package said to wrap from center to ends, it was the old fashioned perforated vinyl over foam and this was in 89. The tape curled of course and I never wrapped tape like that, I followed what the tape jobs looked like at the LBS the next time I stopped in.

I change mine every couple of years or after any major damage and I can assure you I've never found anything that looks like that underneath. But I've also seen stems corroded to steerer tubes and frames that had bubbled and rusted through near the head tube from sweat. Some people just have sweat issues that will cause that problem and I don't so every couple years works. I also have 5 different drop bar bikes and none of them are wall hangers so the tape doesn't get that bad that quick. Course if I cheaped out and only bought 20.00 tape maybe I'd replace it every few months too .

Eric S.

I worked at a shop in the early '80s and there were basically two types of bar tape - Benotto Cello (ribbon) and Tressostar (cloth). We always started the wrap at the stem and it was very easy to tuck the excess into the bar end. I'd guess things changed when padded bar tape came along.

The only reason I ever started wrapping from the bar ends was because I bought an aero bar and needed to be able to re-do the tape for installation & removal.

nomadmax 

I don't see a need to replace bar tape until it's torn and/or worn out. I wash my bikes regularly and the cork tape always gets cleaned, even under the hoods. It has nothing to do with economics, I have plenty of other stuff to do that really needs done.

ARider2

I am reminded of the time a customer came to the store and asked if we would re-wrap his bar tape that we had installed a year before. The tape was beginning to unwrap a bit in a couple of places. He wanted us to do the re-wrap for free and I said we would charge for the service because he had been using it for a year. He refused to pay for the service ($12) and left disappointed we would not provide a free re-wrap. We will stand behind the work we do but not when a year has elapsed.

HillRider

Yes, it probably could work but I see two potential problems:

1. You would have to cut the tubing to length and slip it over the bars before the brake levers or brifters were installed. Also you couldn't replace it if you change bar tape without completely disassembling the bars.
2. The heat needed to shrink it may be enough to damage the bar tape.

gsa103

I'll add a 3rd problem, heat on a carbon bar. That component won't use high-temperature resin like a wheel, so you could damage the handlebars (if carbon).

kaiserschmarrn

I have now a week or so ago tried wrapping from the bar ends in. While I find this method a bit more complicated, I find that I much prefer riding on a bike wrapped from the bars in. On my Peugeot wrapped center out, the Velox tape curling in my hand while riding was annoying.

Danny

woodcraft

What's the problem? The bar doesn't look corroded, the tape holding the cable doesn't even look old. If you have lots of acid sweat and old bare aluminum bars, yeah, inspect.

Randos make it a point of honor to never change their bar tape if they can help it.

cxwrench

Nearly every 'Rando' I've come across is cheap, smelly, and somewhat odd. Makes sense they don't change their tape often. Also makes sense they're the smallest group in cycling.