First time doing bar tape

[I like Skol]

I also prefer starting at the top and working down rather than the video clips which show the other method.

Yep, me too.
I don’t like to see sticky tape holding the bar tape in place in the middle.

Me too. I have wrapped exactly 3 sets of drop bars now (not counting the ones I did as a kid that used to get a good layer of my dad's best black electrical tape ) I reckon finishing at the top with a wrap of sticky tape is the ultimate unnecessary bodge and ruins it for me. I'm happy with my attempts, not perfect in my eyes but good enough and a tidy job by most accounts. By the time I have done about 10-15 goes I think I should have it nailed

 

[Globalti]

The reason why it's conventional to wrap from the ends inwards is because of the overlap of each turn of tape on top of its neighbour. Coming outwards means that if you slide your hands forwards towards the hoods you are going against the overlap.

 

[I like Skol]

There is one advantage to having the tape finish at the top and held in place by a strip of sticky tape. If you need to replace the cable casing for brakes or shifters then it is easy to unwrap the bar tape as far as the brifters and then re-wrap the same tape neatly so no one will know.

 

[Heltor Chasca]

I like doing bar tape. I am a certain type of anal.

I use old bar tape for my work lawnmower. That’s a little luxury for you driving the green lanes.

 

[dave147]

Blue is the new tape started at the bottom
And worked up proberly fall off next ride

 

[Globalti]

After I graduated I had a job in a bike factory in Darlaston. One of my duties was wrapping the bar tape on the 10 speed racers. Nobody showed me how to do it so I wrapped thousands going outwards, trapping the thin vinyl tape in the middle then plugging out at the end. So if you bought a cheapo British-made bike in 1979 or 1980 and the bar tape came unwrapped first time out, you can blame me.

 

[ianrauk]

There is one advantage to having the tape finish at the top and held in place by a strip of sticky tape. If you need to replace the cable casing for brakes or shifters then it is easy to unwrap the bar tape as far as the brifters and then re-wrap the same tape neatly so no one will know.

This is the exact reason I use leccy tape. Far easier to change cables this way.

 

[palinurus]

I've changed bar tape many times- so much experience.

fark it up mostly every time.

 

[palinurus]

I find that they don't supply enough tape

This is true. I swear it was longer when I was a kid, or maybe my handlebars were shorter.

 

[ianrauk]

I've changed bar tape many times- so much experience.

fark it up mostly every time.

I find that if I think too long and hard about it and take too long over it... it ferks up.
If I just get on with it, it seems to go on fine.

 

[Levo-Lon]

The reason why it's conventional to wrap from the ends inwards is because of the overlap of each turn of tape on top of its neighbour. Coming outwards means that if you slide your hands forwards towards the hoods you are going against the overlap.

Indeed,they soon get tatty done that way.

 

[si_c]

Nice job there! Far better than the first few times I wrapped my handlebars. I usually wrap from the ends inwards, in part because as @Globalti said earlier being unable to move my hands without catching on the tape would drive me mad. That being said I really want to try to get something like this one day on one of the Pugs.

 

[Globalti]

Nice but it reminds me of golf socks!

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Nice but it reminds me of golf socks!

Cycling is the new golf

 

[mgs315]

There ought to be some kind of slimline neat jubilee clip that you could use to finish it off instead of ugly insulating tape. (Spots business opportunity and runs to crowdfunder)

*

Never tried it so no idea if it’ll work but maybe heatshrink over the bars first before all the other gubbins then hot air gun at the end? Would be a one-hit wonder thing though.

Either that or wrap so far up that you can hide the seams in the stem assembly?