Handlebar Tape

[lifeson]

Does anybody know of any articles on how to replace handlebar tape correctly?
I remeber having a go when I was a kid and making a hash of it

The tape on my TREK has strated to become loose and could do with replacing or repositioning.
Is it an easy task or one for the LBS to get a proper finish?

 

[piedwagtail91]

this is one http://www.parktool.com/repair/readhowto.asp?id=71
but there are others. it's easy enough, but if you're not sure try it a few times without removing the backing tape

 

[k-dog]

It's very easy - might take you a few goes to get the hang of it but with a little practice it's easy - and makes a big difference to a bike.

There's nothing worse IMO than a decent bike with the tape hanging off.

A tip that I use is to wrap electrical tap (sticky side up) around the ends of the bars and on the curve of the hood - makes it much more stable - and it also stops your bars being all sticky when you want to replace the tape.

 

[theclaud]

Hello. I'm a mountain biker/mtb commuter who only recently built a road bike, so I had cause to look into the Strange New World of Handlebar Tape as a novice. I found this video on youtube, and did mine pretty well first go.

View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fs7BY4wKHTM

 

[lifeson]

Couple of good links there, thanks chaps

 

[Steve Austin]

The missus does mine and a very good job of it she does too

 

[briank]

Cork tape is remarkably forgiving if you get part way into the job and decide to start again.

 

[Dave5N]

Not hard at all. These days we start at the bottom.

 

[Joe24]

Its pretty easy. You just have to take your time, make sure its all tight on there and even and its done.

 

[swee'pea99]

Leave plenty of overlap at the start, so the plug will have something to grip when you stick it in later; make sure you start out at the right angle (check by going round once, and confirming that the edge of the new tape, as it goes down, covers about one-third of the tape that's there, leaving about two-thirds exposed); keep up a consistent, firm pressure - just short of enough to feel like you're actually stretching the tape; make sure to maintain the one-third overlap on the outside of curves as you go round them (which mean increasing the overlap on the inside as necessary); stick down gently as you go, in case you need to undo/redo a bit; firm up when you've finished, and finish up with black insulating tape. Keep calm and all will be well. Oooooommmm.

 

[aserota]

On the note of grips,

where can i get replacement grips from? id like to double wrap the bars but £16 for two grips is a bit pricey

 

[asterix]

Apparently black bar tape is a no-no. Use either white or a colour to match your frame or replica strip.

 

[Joe24]

But my frame is black.
Cant do white, that will be black within a couple of rides.
The fixed is going to have yellow i think

 

[fossyant]

Black bar tape is fine on a bike where there is a colour match to components - I use that on my training bike - Cinelli Cork only though.....

Cork tapes - deffo bottom of bar - to top middle - wind tight - yes it's a small skill, but easy to pick up - you'll need to do it fairly often though with road bikes....

Top tip - cork tape scrubs up really well if you give the tape a good scrub with a cloth with a few drops of washing up liquid on - works a treat.........