Fizik makes the toughest bar tape I have ever used.....period. Can't remember which line it was, but the stuff is nearly impossible to ruin. I have soaked it and beat the crap out of it to the point where I would have replaced 2 to 3 times with other tapes.

wrapping aerobars is fairly easy. if you mess it up, just take the tape off and redo it. =]

road bars are a bit more of a learning curve, but again not super hard,

give it a go, you can't hurt anything...

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ishi no ue ni san nen | Perseverance will win in the end. | Blog | @nebmot | Strava | Instagram |

For the bullhorns, start at the ends and wrap counter-clockwise on the right bar and clockwise on the left (from the perspective of sitting in the saddle, not from facing the bike head on). Stretch the tape slightly while wrapping and aim for about 1/3 overlap on each wrap. Get the all weather electrical tape that won't dry out. If the tape doesn't have an adhesive strip on it (most do), then either spray the bars with 3M sticky tac, or get some double sided tape.

For the extensions, just go w/o tape. Unlike the base bar, you are not putting weight on them or doing sprints or hard turns, and don't need cushioning or grip. This way you can probably get 3 wrappings from one pack of tape.

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ECMGN Therapy Silicon Valley:
Depression, Neurocognitive problems, Dementias (Testing and Evaluation), Trauma and PTSD, Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)

Well, I do want to wrap my extensions. But do I need to take off my brakes and shifters? Because...I don't know how to do that.

No removal needed. Just take off the old stuff and redo it....

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I *heart* weak, dumb ass people...

You don't need to remove (and shouldn't remove) the brakes or barcons. Their internal expanders need to seat inside the tubes. Just start at the lever or barcon and do one wrap flush against them before starting the 1/3 overlap mentioned previously. If you want to do the aerobar extensions, just wrap them the same direction as the base bar on that side (this is just for appearance, since unlike the basebar, you won't be twisting the tape while rocking the bike when out of the saddle).

In terms of finishing the wrap and installing the electrical tape, see how they do it on road bars over at TriSports: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=durBi7yjdT0

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ECMGN Therapy Silicon Valley:
Depression, Neurocognitive problems, Dementias (Testing and Evaluation), Trauma and PTSD, Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)

I think (?) I wrap the opposite way you mention. I wrap so that when standing on putting pressure on the bars that the tape naturally tightens......so, clockwise on right......in other words, I always start inside and wrap out. What am I missing from your very good description?

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David
* Ironman for Life! (Blog) * IM Everyday Hero Video * Daggett Shuler Law *
Disclaimer: I have personal and professional relationships with many athletes, vendors, and organizations in the triathlon world.

You are missing the fact that I got it backwards ;). Good catch. The wrapping directions should be when facing the bike head on.

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ECMGN Therapy Silicon Valley:
Depression, Neurocognitive problems, Dementias (Testing and Evaluation), Trauma and PTSD, Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)

Well, that makes me feel better...I always thought I was fairly particular on how to wrap bars. You technigue is exactly like mine, and works great. The only other thing I might add is that my hands have gotten sensitive with age and I now use two layers of tape.

Best wishes,

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David
* Ironman for Life! (Blog) * IM Everyday Hero Video * Daggett Shuler Law *
Disclaimer: I have personal and professional relationships with many athletes, vendors, and organizations in the triathlon world.

I definitely appreciate some good cork tape (try the gel-filled cork for ultra plush) on my road bike, and have gone for the gel gloves. For the tri bike though, I'm spending most of the time in the aero bars, so thick elbow pads (I have Profiles) are key, but that's about it. I've been contemplating finding some old Benotto cellotape (grip, no cushioning) for the bullhorns to reduce the aero profile that little bit more.

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ECMGN Therapy Silicon Valley:
Depression, Neurocognitive problems, Dementias (Testing and Evaluation), Trauma and PTSD, Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)

Depending on how far down the aerobars you wrap, you should get 2-3 complete tape jobs from 1 package. I generally use 1 roll (2 rolls/package) to tape a tri bike with a bit left over as scrap.

The cheap (inexpensive) Performance stuff works well for me.

I'm actually looking into getting that Zipp sticky grip stuff that's used on the Vukas for my track bike pursuit/TT setup. That stuff if very low profile, not too spongey, and offers tremendous grip. No wrapping, just stick it on...

This is going to sound stupid but it works. Get some hockey tape for the bulhorns. Its really thin and just grippy enough that when you come out of the water your hands will stick to it. Works great.


Grant

+1. Tennis overgrip works well for bullhorns, too.

I use skateboard deck/grip tape for my bullhorn brake pods. It's cheap, lasts a long time, and keeps my hands from slipping. Go to your local skateboard place, they may sell you a half or quarter sheet cheap.

I might be overthinking this, but as I finished wrapping my extensions and basebar going front to back, I noticed that this way, the wind sees the edges of the bartape. In fact it creates a rippled cascade of little bartape edges. So wouldn't it make sense to wrap the tape back to front?

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if you can read this
YOU'RE DRAFTING!

I always used to use some tacky heatshrink tubing.
Grippy, light, lasts forever, not effected by water.

Aren't you normally holding the bars by the tape anyway?
Unless your wrapping is very untidy I can't see this being a big issue. A big gap may trip the airflow earlier if wrapped as you describe but if you swing it around you may just trip the airflow at the downwind side and have a similar drag penalty. Wind doesn't "see" airflow. It is laminar, turbulent, stays attached or separates depending on several factors. Sometimes you'll want laminar flow because the drag will be lower, sometimes you'll want turbulent boundary layer so the flow stays attached longer. Even with a bit of aerodynamics experience it's not always possible to intuitively predict what will be most beneficial. It's not just about frontal area and smooth surfaces.....I wouldn't worry too much about your bar tape!

Make sure to check the MSDS for the tubing. Some of the heat shrink tubing formulations use heavy metals and aren't meant for prolonged skin contact. FWIW I used to manage the HST line for a major manufacturer; some formulations were safe enough that they were used in children's toys, some were not.

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ECMGN Therapy Silicon Valley:
Depression, Neurocognitive problems, Dementias (Testing and Evaluation), Trauma and PTSD, Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)

I use tennis overgrip on my extensions. It's VERY thin and comfortable. I tried without but like this better.

Currently using the Felt aerobar grips because I had scary experiences with straight bullhorns on hilly races with just rough grips. I'm thinking that something that looked like the end of the Hed Corsair would be better--if someone made such a thing.

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_________________
Dick

Take everything I say with a grain of salt. I know nothing.

Can we get JackMott to come out of hiding to give us the definitive ruling on the aero penalty of exposed bar tape edges?

I gave up on tape on the aero bars. Just gets trashed with sweat too easy. I use a little electrical tape to cover the shifter/bar end transition.

For the bull horns, I use some athletic tape or hockey stick tape. Simple, grippy, stays grippy when wet and sweaty. cheap and quick to replace.

Unlike a road bike, there no need for any type of padding since your arm pads provide that. You should only be on the bull horns when climbing, sharp corners , braking and mount/dismount.... or in traffic.

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TrainingBible Coaching
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