curbtender

This was cheap, padded tape. I was going for a cleaner look and didn't want to finish with black tape. I usually tape bottom up with minimal electrical tape and have been using silicone tape to get a flat lay.
https://www.amazon.com/Drain-Sealing...108349571&th=1

SurferRosa

It needn't look "ugly" if it's done with a bit of creativity and finesse. I cut mine to exactly 9mm in width and apply with the ends hidden at the bottom of the bar. I normally use the black finishing tape packaged with Fizik. It's much nicer than regular electrical tape. And, of course, I remove all labeling. But here, I wanted to use a bit of a contrasting color to match my toe clip straps, so I went with red electrical tape in two layers.


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smd4

Again, bottom to top assures that the hand never pushes up against the tape edge. I actually never thought about this benefit until I saw curbtender's picture.

I never knew this was a "thing" until I started looking at this forum. In 35 years, I've never once seen tape wound top to bottom until I saw it done here. Every description of how to tape bars I've ever seen or read through those years has never shown the tape started from the top. I've even seen people put finishing tape on the bar ends--which seems very odd to me. Considering, you know, bar plugs and all.

I once had a guy bring his '57 Chevy in to have the steering wheel wrapped. I'd never been in a '57 Chevy, and my mind was blown at how long the bench seat was! The passenger door was a mile away! Anyway, I don't remember whether I started at the top or the bottom...

Drillium Dude 

That only applies to the top of the bars when wrapping from top-to-bottom; if you ride the drops a lot, and wrap bottom-to-top, your hand pushes against the tape edges in the drops, and it will curl there, too.

As I noted, if one uses the entire bar in their riding, at some point, no matter which end you begin wrapping from, you are going to be pushing against an edge - unless, as one member has suggested in this thread, you wrap separately from the brake lever hoods.

DD

BFisher

My bar tape wrapping preferences have never put me at a disadvantage.

Your results may vary.

Wrap on.

jdawginsc 

I have 13 flavors of electrical tape.

Chombi1 

I wrap my bars starting from the brake levers, up to the stem and down to the bar ends. Done it since the early 80's after having problems with catching the bar tape seams and eventually causing gaps on the wrap.
Never had the problem again after doing this method of bar wrapping.

bikamper

This is almost like an oil thread on a motorcycle forum. But I'll play.

I have wrapped top to bottom since 1970 on every bike I have owned but one. That one has foam based tape and bottom to top was the only way I could get it to look almost acceptable. Every other bike is cotton or cello. Just did one with cotton yesterday. Waiting for it to dry so it can be shellacked. I've never had a curling issue, either.

P!N20

Of course not, we use twine.

smd4

Not true if wrapped properly.

SurferRosa

A nicely produced video with good music.

I love how tight he pulls the tape. That's great. But he tapes outside-in. And he cuts off the tape at the lever, then begins again.

I tried twine once. And I've used embroidery thread a bunch. It always looks stylish to begin. But even if I cover it with shellac or clear nail polish, it always comes undone. And I feel myself consciously trying to avoid placing my hand there ever. So I'm back to just keeping it simple.

Drillium Dude 

Dafuq you talking about - what is "wrapped properly"?

If you wrap starting from the bottom you expose the edges on the lower extensions and the drops. Duh. I think you just want to argue.

Hundreds of bars wrapped or not, it seems you don't pay much attention beyond what you want to see.

DD

P!N20

I used hemp twine, tough as nails, doesn't even look like coming undone after years of service.



(This photo was taken just after I did it.)

elcraft

“If it was good enough for Eddie, it was good enough for us……. “
When Tressostar cloth tape was “coolest”, the standard seemed to be to tape from the top of the bars down to bar plugs ( No finishing tape was needed and any excess was tucked into the bars and secured with a bar end plug . The practical among us were advised to go with Black bar tape as it didn’t reveal that you had to mess with your bicycle chain, during your ride. .The black tape became imbedded with dirt and grease. It developed a unique patina that spoke of long rides under less than perfect circumstances, A badge of honor of a sort….
my ‘75 Raleigh Super Course ( which I purchased new) has just such a patinated black Tressostar taping that is smooth and mildly shiny. They have been in place for better than 40 years. I have had a plan to install Kelly Take-Offs to create “Brifters”, but I haven’t been able to let go of this beautifully smooth and comfortable covering. It has an almost leather like quality- reminiscent of the one piece rubber coverings that were once found on Motobecane cycles of that era.

Russ Roth

First time I ever had to wrap my own bar tape, bought it from the local Ames, I read the instructions which said to go from the top to the bottom, took two rides to determine this was a total failure and I've never done it again. Went to the LBS months later and sucked up riding a crap tape job till then, bought new tape, looked at the local bikes, went home and did it right. The difference was obvious. I've seen it work well with cello which I never understood the logic of, no grip, padding, or sweat absorption, and have seen it work moderately well with cloth. With modern tapes, just not the right way to go.

Bianchi84

I always thought it looked "neater", plus it's the way I was taught at Schwinn Service School in the Eighties.

Pogliaghi

I think it makes for a neater job.

Oldairhead 

If you get a bulge or the tape comes loose then you are doing it wrong, and I am okay with that!

tkamd73 

Tape doesn’t move if you know what your doing.
Tim

glenfong

Mr. Fisher, slightly off topic, can you tell me what shade of yellow is used on your Colnago? I have one that's a similar color that I've been trying for years to get a match for touch up paint.

Thanks! Cheers, Glen

martl

Thin tape that grips on its entire underside like Tressoplast or Benotto tape can be wrapped top-botton for a nice looking upper end without crutches like electrical tape and it can be finished at the bottom end by fixing the overlap inside the bar with the plug.
Thick (cork type) tape from bottom to top. Only the middle of it is supported by sticky, so the edges would roll in the grip area. Also there is no way to wrap the end in an aesthetically pleasing way

BFisher

Glen, unfortunately I don't know the exact color, as the bike came to me finished that way. I do plan on getting it matched for touch ups, but haven't gotten around to it yet.

smd4

Some beautiful workmanship there, Bianchi84, Pogliaghi and tkamd73.

James1964 

Depends on whether you live in the northern or southern hemisphere.

Bald Paul

When I was riding / racing in the 70s, all my bars were wrapped top down. I had one set of bars (can't remember the brand) that had sort of a reinforced center where the stem attached. It had square edges that were, oddly enough, about the same thickness as wrapped bar tape (the cloth kind) so the top end of the tape was the same diameter as the center of the bars. Never once did I have any fraying or unwrapping of the tape.
The only reason I wrapped my current bike bottom up (with tape at the top, which I still think is ugly) is because I have a bar end Di2 junction, and it sort of requires taping in that manner.