Picked some handlebar tape up on clearance. Question is do you start wrapping at the top or bottom? Now defend you position. I want some flames over this one. I want Gulliver’sTravels which end of the egg wars.
Because of low price on tape got some extra and wrapped my steering wheel with it. Wife rolled her eyes and called me a dork. I think it makes the Plymouth very euro.
I use 3! layers on my pursuit bars.
Start at the end by the brake levers, go back as far as you need, back up and finally back down again. Finish with two wraps of suitable coloured PVC tape.
Carpel (sp?) tunnel syndrome in one hand from an accident with a sledge hammer (double ouch!) means I need all the vibration dampening I can get. Looks a bit suss, but who cares?!
The top layer should be installed so that the sliding action of you hand tends to close or flatten the wrap, rather than peel it up into so many flutes.
Ther you have it. The world according to Garp!
TriDork
End of drop to top, of course. Who wants to wrap finishing tape by the bar plugs? And hold the tape real nice with 3M electrical tape (dread the imitations), and then put the cheezy finishing tape over it, so it doesn’t warp and look like crap. If you are so inclined.
I have boxes full of Profile finishing tape. When you’re tired of covering your walls with TT’s posts, shoot me an email and I’ll send you acres of the stuff.
Whatever you do, DO NOT buy the garbage tape with dumb adhesive backing. If you can’t wrap a bar …
Dre’
Anybody remember Benotto’s plastic handlebar tape? It had no padding, and no adhesive. Back in the 80’s, I used to wrap it from the top to the drops, then tuck a little bit into the bar, and used the handlebar plug to hold it in place. No electrical tape required! It was super-thin, so I even used two colors to make a candy-cane wrap, and a diamond-wrap. That stuff rocked!
With today’s thicker padded tape, I agree with going from the drops to the top.
While we’re at it, why can’t I find Benotto in my LBS anymore?
What’s wrong with all you people, you wrap from the top down. Tuck in the end in the bar and push you bar end plug in to hold it. No tape on the top or bottom. You also wrap starting from the front of the bar over the top and under the bottom, that way when you torque on the bars you are tightening the tape wrap and not loosening.
Just a roadie,
Bob
I have a few ways to wrap it, all depending on how much work I want to put into it and who I am doing it for.
Method 1: Wrap from the top, exacto knife around some of the brake hood for perfect fit, leave some for the bar plug to stuff it into the bar. No electrical tape on the top.
Method 2: Wrap from the bar end (leaving a bit to stuff into the bar with the plug), exacto knife around parts of the lever hood for perfect, no ripple fit; wrap to the top, use appropriate electrical tape and wrap the tape with the bar wrap, leave a bit of bar wrap out, wrap the tape around the end, cut off the bar tape and electrical tape in one fell swoop, and it looks clean as a whistle. This is NOT recommended for carbon bars.
Method 3: Wrap from the bar end, leaving a bit to stuff into the bar with plug, exacto knife around the brake lever hoods, wrap to the top, use super glue at the end of your wrap.
When I say to exacto knife around the hoods, I mean the part under the the hood. This is especially important to make the tape nice and neat under the hood, as it can look lumpy in those spots.
I change tape about six times per season. Method 3 is for peoples’ bikes I repair. Method 2 is what I commonly use, except on carbon bars, Method 1 is what I use on carbon bars.
neither. get some classic leather handlebar grips, and stitch them on. Wrapping tape! Hah!
I am curious to know preferred techniques for wrapping clip on aerobars – particularly the “single piece” variety like the Profile Airstrike that I have. I’ve always kept them “naked”. It’s not really a practical issue, because I just sort of let my hands dangle over the end or grip them very loosely. But I thought I might jazz them up this summer with a nice wrap.
Any ideas? The problem, as I see it, is that if you try this with a single piece of tape, the overlap will be going in one direction on the left side, and in the other direction on the other side. Who wants that?
You can only use the 3M “Super 33” electrical tape too…not only - only 3M…only Super 33.
Yes of course … I forgot to mention it. The generic 3M tape doesn’t shrink and tends to unwrap and get all sticky. Super 33 is the one to use …
And at 1 kV per layer, it protects you from the most intense static buildup!
Dre’