What bar tape for a drop bar touring bike? Any wrapping hints?

[presta]

I wrap from outside to centre, because it's less of a faff with bar end levers. Dawes made my bike with nice metal trims to finish the tape ends in the centre, but the LBS I bought it from threw them away when they changed the bars. I once bought some tape that Settle Cycles described as 'cork', and it was just foam rubber. It was very grippy, but that was its undoing, and nearly mine: one day I needed the brakes in an emergency, and nearly missed them because the tape dragged on my gloves as I tried to slide them forward onto the brake levers. It promptly went into the bin and got replaced by some Deda PVC stuff. That was in 2007, and I've been reusing it ever since.

 

[Amanda P]

I'd definitely recommend wrapping outside in.

If you start at the inside, each subsequent turn of tape has its upper edge (as you approach the brake hoods) over the top of the previous one, and it's this upper edge that will tend to ruck up under your hands as your weight tends to push it forwards and downwards. If you use tape that has lots of adhesive on it, and wrap it very tightly, this effect can be minimised, but then on warm days the adhesive tends to ooze out and make everything gummy, and if you wrap padded tape very tightly, you're squishing the padding, reducing its effect.

If you start at the outside, there's less tendency to ruck up under your hands' forward pressure, and you don't need to wrap so tightly. You do have to secure the ends at the centre of the handlebar, but you can do that quite neatly with good-quality electrical insulting tape.

To do this, trim the inner end of the bar tape diagonally so that it ends flush with the edge of the last un-trimmed wrap. Then use a single wrap of insulting tape, half over the bar tape's last wrap, and half over the naked handlebar, pulling it tight so that it stretches to take up the thickness of the bar tape. Leave the end of the insulting tape underneath the bars, where it's less visible.

Good quality insulting tape will stretch in this way, and the adhesive will stay put for years - probably longer than your bar tape will last. The cheap stuff doesn't stretch and doesn't stay put, or goes gooey. You can even buy it in a colour to match your bar tape. Or your frame. Or eyes - whatever you want, really.

For touring, I also highly recommend the gel pads you can put in under the bar tape - subtle cushioning that's well worth-while.

My favourite touring bike has Brooks leather bar tape, with Specialized "Bar Phat" gel pads under it, wrapped in the way I've described. It's comfy, and looks like out-lasting me. It fades in the sun, but it's been on there maybe ten years so far, coping with Irish rain and South African sun and still going strong after thousands of miles.

 

[Jameshow]

Are your hands shaped like Alberto Contador’s?

View attachment 825398

No the canal towpath is seriously rough!! And 126miles in a day us painful esp at a slower pace we rode at!

 

[Dogtrousers]

Inside out was best for thin cloth tape in ye olde days, but modern fat tape needs outside in. That's unfortunate because outside in requires sticky tape at the inside end, which is a bit bodgy and nasty, but that's the way it goes. There are loads of youtube videos on the subject.

 

[Fastpedaller]

I'd definitely recommend wrapping outside in.

If you start at the inside, each subsequent turn of tape has its upper edge (as you approach the brake hoods) over the top of the previous one, and it's this upper edge that will tend to ruck up under your hands as your weight tends to push it forwards and downwards. If you use tape that has lots of adhesive on it, and wrap it very tightly, this effect can be minimised, but then on warm days the adhesive tends to ooze out and make everything gummy, and if you wrap padded tape very tightly, you're squishing the padding, reducing its effect.

If you start at the outside, there's less tendency to ruck up under your hands' forward pressure, and you don't need to wrap so tightly. You do have to secure the ends at the centre of the handlebar, but you can do that quite neatly with good-quality electrical insulting tape.

To do this, trim the inner end of the bar tape diagonally so that it ends flush with the edge of the last un-trimmed wrap. Then use a single wrap of insulting tape, half over the bar tape's last wrap, and half over the naked handlebar, pulling it tight so that it stretches to take up the thickness of the bar tape. Leave the end of the insulting tape underneath the bars, where it's less visible.

Good quality insulting tape will stretch in this way, and the adhesive will stay put for years - probably longer than your bar tape will last. The cheap stuff doesn't stretch and doesn't stay put, or goes gooey. You can even buy it in a colour to match your bar tape. Or your frame. Or eyes - whatever you want, really.

For touring, I also highly recommend the gel pads you can put in under the bar tape - subtle cushioning that's well worth-while.

My favourite touring bike has Brooks leather bar tape, with Specialized "Bar Phat" gel pads under it, wrapped in the way I've described. It's comfy, and looks like out-lasting me. It fades in the sun, but it's been on there maybe ten years so far, coping with Irish rain and South African sun and still going strong after thousands of miles.

I do all the above..... except before I start wrapping, 50mm long of 34mm diameter electrical heat shrink is put on each side of the bars near the stem. Tape is put on from outside of bars to inside as Amanda P describes. At the inside ends near the stem, the heat shrink is placed half over the tape and the other half over the naked bar - after heating it (as the name suggests) it shrinks into position to give a secure, non-sticky permanent fix. I carefully use a hot-air 'gun'

 

[Gunk]

Cinelli gel cork bar tape.

Been using this for years, every bike that’s been through my hands has had it fitted, not expensive, easy to fit as it stretches nicely, looks great and very comfortable.