Playinintraffic

Hi all,

last month I bought Bar Phat gels and tape from Specialized and wrapped my drop bars with it.

After 200 miles or so, the gels had squeezed themselves between the loops of wrap at the corners and were bulging out. Worse, the gel on my left drop had mushed down toward the bar end, popping off the end cap and basically was a fat mess. Re-wrap needed.

I decided to trim the gels so they were shorter and only as long as needed. This would allow me to make closer loops of bar wrap without running out of tape.

As I was removing the old bar wrap, so I could trim the gels, I noticed the adhesive on the wrap was sticking to the gels, making it difficult to remove without causing damage to the gel.

after placing the trimmed gels back on the bar, it was time to wrap the bar. I wanted to make sure I captured the gels with the bar wrap effectively so they wouldn’t migrate during wrapping, or riding.

then I had an idea, and I’m wondering if anybody here has done it too: before wrapping the bar tape, I wrapped the gels on the tops and drops with electrical tape. Not too tight to cram down the gel too much, but snug. Now I had 4 padded sections, fixed in place with electrical tape.

then I wrapped the bar with Cinelli cork. It was easy to wrap the bars because the gels were locked in place. I was able to do a tight wrap over the gel area, and around the bends, and I had enough tape to finish.

as a bonus, hopefully when I re-wrap i won’t have to carefully separate those sticky gels from the bar tape adhesive... which after 6 months or so might be much more strongly glued together than what I had after 1 month.

anybody else done this? Might the electrical tape bond to the bar wrap adhesive too? I’m pretty sure if I ever have to remove the electrical tape the gels will be destroyed so I’m hoping I can wrap and unwrap over the electrical tape repeatedly.

The bar feels good. Not quite as squishy as before, but I’m not sure that’s a bad thing.

Thoughts?

canklecat

Try some Arundel Synth Gecko bar wrap. The entire wrap is thick, soft, resilient and durable, probably as good as gel pads. No adhesive, the material adheres to itself. Doesn't take a set or permanent curl. Can be cleaned and reused indefinitely, as long as it's handled fairly carefully. Mine have lost a few small slivers from bar end plugs, cutting against the handlebar ends. But it's very easy to work with.

I doubled wrapped it around the handlebar of one bike for awhile when my wrist and thumb joint were aching. I just removed the Synth Gecko this weekend to use on another bike, leaving just the usual black "cork" foam tape. I've probably re-wrapped with the Synth Gecko half a dozen times this year, while experimenting with various handlebars. Most cork foam tapes won't hold up to that many reuses.

CliffordK

My Tricross that was stolen had the Gel stuff in it. It felt nice, but did squish out a bit.

I like the electrical tape idea, but I wonder if the tape would move some, especially on HOT days (which may not be for a while).

I'm wondering if there would be tape that was wide, durable, and flexible. I'm not a big Duct Tape (and related fan).

I keep meaning to try some Helicopter tape that is available in wide sections.

Hmmm... have to watch the prices.

Electrical tape is also available in wide rolls.

https://www.amazon.com/Premium-Quali.../dp/B01MSILBOI

dsbrantjr

I have found that electrical tape tends to creep and bleed adhesive, and does not come off cleanly.

Playinintraffic

I was worried about that after I did it. We will see what it has done the next time I wrap the bars. Thanks for the warning!

Playinintraffic

major benefits! Thanks

sch

Ditto dsbrantjr's experience with electrical tape. Altho I use it to tack bar tape ends it always slides a bit
and bleeds adhesive. "Helicopter" tape is the opposite, no stretch at all compared to electrical which conforms
to any contour. True helicopter tape adhesive is really strong, as is the tape but a lot of stuff on amazon sold
as "helicopter tape" is an inexpensive knockoff which is actually suitable for bicycle use.

Arundel looks nice but is 3x the cost of 'usual' bar tape.

canklecat

Yup, Arundel Synth Gecko is pricey but it can be reused almost indefinitely, which puts it into a whole nuther category. In the long run it's a better value than $10-$15 bar tape for folks who change bar wraps a lot. I've reused the same rolls of Synth Gecko at least half a dozen times this year.

Due to neck and shoulder injuries I make a lot of tweaks to my bike fit as my conditioning changes (mostly improving this year). That includes swapping handlebars and stems to suit my needs. I was reusing "cork" foam tape with adhesive backing but those really don't work well for reuse. They take a set or permanent curl, the adhesive loses grip, and it's usually necessary to rewrap it exactly the way it was before to avoid edges curling up.

No such problems with Synth Gecko. No adhesive. Doesn't take a set or curl, and it's not picky about rewrapping. After a few minutes off the bike the wrap begins to return to its original straight neutral state.

It wouldn't be my first choice in bar wrap for bikes that I'm satisfied with. The solid colors are pretty bold -- I got the hi-viz yellow for half price. And it looks chunky. This stuff is very thick and tends to look like sausage casing. Especially double wrapped as I had it for a couple of months on one bike. The bike has FSA Omega Compact drops, which thicken in diameter near the stem. With the double wrap and Synth Gekco the handlebar looked like a baseball bat. But it sure was comfy on rough roads and chipseal. I may get another roll in a more neutral color now that I've settled on a fit for that bike. I've ridden this weekend without the Synth Gecko over the base warp, and was missing it on long stretches of chipseal and rippled rural pavement.

Another BF member said there's a Bontrager bar wrap that's almost as grippy and comfortable as the Synth Gecko, but in more subdued colors and patterns. I'll take a peek at my local Trek dealer this week. Costs about $30.

Miele Man

I didn't want to pay the high price of bar tape here so I decided to try Renfrew brand hockey tape instead. It works really well and looks a LOT like Old School handlebar cloth tape.

Cheers

delbiker1 

I do wrap over other bar tape. I like the look and feel of cotton cloth tape, but also like a bit of padding. The last couple of drop bars I taped with Velo foam tape and then wrapped Neubaums colored cloth tape. I also started using foam tape that is non-glued. I found that works well for me and it is much easier to unwrap and rewrap the tape again.

RideLugged

+1 for wrapping Newbaums cotton over gel. I've done this and it maintains the squishy comfort of the gel while providing a soft surface for your hands. Plus Newbaums tape is durable enough to unwrap and rewrap, even after significant use, so it should last a good long time.