First time doing bar tape

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youngoldbloke

The older I get, the faster I used to be ...

Sunny Portrush

Veteran
Location
Musselburgh
Must get round to doing my Equipe,

View attachment 443005


Those sheds need a lick of paint too
 

Shortandcrisp

Über Member
Looks good to me.

When I played squash, changing tape was a very regular task. It's virtually the same stuff as handlebar tape, albeit applying bar tape is more complex because of the shapes. I used two layers of tape on my squash racquet (it helped prevent tennis elbow), and I've often wondered about using two layers of tape on my handlebars. Does anyone do this?

I always apply another layer between the stem and hoods. Looks sh*te but my hands appreciate the extra comfort!
 

12boy

Guru
Location
Casper WY USA
There are a couple of things not mentioned in this post...If you look it up on Rivendell Bicycle's how to section there is an excellent primer on twining. this is where in lieu of electrical tape you find a nice twine and finish it in such a way as to have no knots when done. Then you apply shellac to the twining which makes it stay clean and never unravel. Shellacking can also be done on cloth tape or even the psuedo cork stuff. I do have numbness in my hands after riding for a while so I sometimes use a layer of cheap psuedo cork and then a layer of cloth. Shellac is only soluble in alcohol so skin oil , rain and sweat don't affect it. Mostly I use thin cord but paracord cna work well on bar ends as it too cushions the grip. Twining makes for a good grip in terms of slickness and can be applied to many things... brake levers, steel water bottles so they don't rattle in the bottle cage, wrenches etc.
 

raleighnut

Legendary Member
Those sheds need a lick of paint too
Errr, Summerhouse,

DSCN0115.JPG
 

Globalti

Legendary Member
I don't think vinyl tape looks bad if it's done neatly.
 

xzenonuk

Veteran
looks good im dreading when i have to do mine eventually :smile:

what tape is that? it would look good on my grey and blue triban 500se :smile:
 
Last edited:

freiston

Veteran
Location
Coventry
mgs315 said:
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?
You could try https://www.rosebikes.co.uk/xtreme-silicone-end-ring-for-handlebar-tape-638667?product_shape=black
Beat me to it! I tried shrink wrap once but it was enough faff for me not to bother when I next re-taped my bars. I have bar-end shifters and I like to put a bit of 'electrical tape' around the end of the bar too - partly to hide my shoddy trimming and partly to protect against scuffing (and any unravelling that might ensue).
 
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