dreamingant

Okay, so let me start by admitting I've never changed my bar tape before. Seemed easy enough. Bought some tape, watched a couple vids. And, dammit... Did I wrap too tight or are there different lengths of bar tape? Because I came up a few inches short. (insert joke)

Sy Reene

Looks at least near the bar ends that you overlapped too much -- you should be only overlapping about 1/3 of the tape width -- in some areas it looks like you've overlapped about 2/3rds of tape width.

dreamingant

Thanks! I removed the tape (which kinda sucked cuz it's sticky tape), and rewrapped with less overlap,and wallah, it fit. Was about to go to my local bike shop and grab some longer tape so cheers.

genejockey 

This.
Most bar tapes will have some mark or such that will allow you to determine where 1/3 is, and ever time you go around the bar, you just hit that mark.

In this picture, you can see that this Fizik bar tape has 7 rows of perforations - 2 rows of small holes, 3 rows of bigger holes with white backing, and another 2 rows of small holes. As I wrapped, I put the trailing edge over the 2 rows of small holes on the previous layer. Because the tape is tapered on the edges, this yields a more "cylindrical", smooth surface.

Also, generally it's recommended to wrap toward the outside as you come over the top of the bar. I don't know if it's necessary, but it's what I do.

genejockey 

Well done! Now my post is superfluous.

Iride01 

Did you watch Calvin's video on taping drop bars at Park Tool...

https://www.parktool.com/en-us/blog/...tion-drop-bars

He sometimes is hard to listen to, but he has some great tips. Pay attention to which direction you wrap when below the STI and then when you get above the STI.

Calsun

Start a few inches away from the stem as you do not need it where you will never put your hands. I like to wrap thin foam material along the top vertical sections of the handlebar to increase its diameter and better protect the nerves of my hands.

dreamingant

Yeah, his was the primary video I used for details.

dreamingant

Yeah, unfortunately I didn't learn about this option until after I wrapped both sides. Definitely going to do next time. Also getting thicker tape too as this is thinner than my last tape.

kwb377 

You can double-wrap for the same effect. If you saved your old tape, re-wrap the bars with it then over-wrap with your new tape and see how it feels.

cxwrench

You start at the drop, not the top, so you're stopping a few inches from the stem, not starting.

genejockey 

I sometimes wonder if a lot of the perceived need for more padding, thicker tape, etc. could be avoided by better bike fitting. I use the 2.5 mm tape you see in the pic I posted on most of my bikes, with no padding underneath. I don't get numbness or pain even after hours of riding, and I have issues with carpal tunnel syndrome from decades of working in the lab. I set up my saddle position so I'm able to lift my hands off the bars without falling forward, which keeps weight off my hands. I wonder whether everyone who double-wraps their bars, or puts foam or gel padding under the tape might benefit from adjusting saddle and bar position a bit? For example, I bought a new bike in 2020 and the first ride, my hands kept going numb. The bar was an inch higher than all my other bikes. When I lowered the bar to the same height as the others, the numbness went away.

NOTE! I can only speak from my own experience. Not accusing anyone of poor bike set up!

Iride01 

So you didn't seem to take his advice on which way to wrap the part of the bar below the control lever. I can't quite decide which way you are going on the top.

If you already have them finished and looking good, then don't worry till you have an issue. However I'd expect over time the tape will loosen up on you if you ride in the drops more than just briefly each ride. Though I've never used sticky bar tape, so that might help in your favor.

SoSmellyAir

Agreed. Saddle fore/aft position should be set for balance rather than to compensate for reach. Reach should be decreased by reducing seat post offset and/or stem length.

zandoval 

Ha... How many times have we said this... Nice recovery stud!

genejockey 

?
Doesn't reducing seatpost offset change saddle fore/aft positioning? I mean, it doesn't HAVE to, because you might be able to put the saddle in the same position, but if you did, what would be the point of changing seatpost offset?

SoSmellyAir

I should have been more specific. What I had meant above was that the saddle fore/aft position relative to the saddle rail clamp of the seat post should be set for balance, whereas the seat post offset should be used to adjust reach.

For example, if the saddle rails are clamped toward the rear of their useable range, then a rider sitting on the middle of the saddle would tend fall forward and put too much weight on his/her hands (as you had described). It may be better to get a zero offset seat post and clamp the saddle rails at (or slightly forward of) the middle of their useable range to adjust the balance while maintaining the saddle fore/aft position relative to the bike frame.

Bah Humbug

This, exactly. Start fitting from the bottom bracket, then the cranks, then get the saddle positioned correctly, then adjust stack and reach with the stem. If the stem has to be too long or short, or too many/ few spacers, the frame is wrong.

Branko D

A perfectly fitting bike needs zero spacers, but spot on.

Although fitting would really start with the shoes and cleats.

Koyote

That. And most first-timers don't pull/stretch it enough, which both helps it to stay in place and helps make it to the tops.

Iride01 

On a bike with STI's and properly sized for the rider, then you'll be keeping your hands on the control levers or in the drops. So, leaving more bare bar on top will give more room for all the gizmos that one might want to put on them. GPS, action camera, little flashy things, phone, and what else have I forgotten! <grin>

genejockey 

I haven't found this to be the case, and since I have short femurs for the length of my legs, most of my saddles are clamped toward the rear. I set the saddle angle on all of them as close to exactly the same and whether clamped at the rear or toward the middle they all feel the same at the same height and offset (relative to BB center). Perhaps my saddles just have less flexy rails, or I don't sit in the middle? The back of my preferred saddle has a distinct "stop", which I can feel though it's not visible on the saddles themselves, and that's where I tend to settle myself.

SoSmellyAir

Bells and/or airhorns.

SoSmellyAir

Or maybe you are just very light!

Whereas I am chubby. I have found that when my saddle rails are clamped near the aft end of their usable range, sitting more forward initially feels more powerful, but puts more pressures on my arms and wrists over time.

genejockey 

Oh, no. Oh, my, no.

Now I'm confused. It seems like you're talking about moving your saddle relative to the BB, rather than just changing to a seatpost with less setback in the cradle while keeping the same saddle-BB offset.