I need to adjust bar and shifter set up on my road bike, and I’m going to to put on some better bar tape, which I’ve not actually done before.

It looks like a straight forward job, I envisage an evening of peaceful and productive pleasure in the man cave whilst supping a fine ale.

What idiot errors do I need to avoid to prevent my dream shattering into a screaming sobbing mess of frustration

May not be definitive but:
Adhesive strip should contact bar not tape
Don’t forget to wind in the alternative direction for left and right sides or you will cycle round in circles
Don’t use the finishing tape in the pack, use some electrical pvc tape to avoid unnecessary swearing

don’t forget the little bits that go behind the shifters.

Make sure you don’t tape over any of the rubber bung holes in the shifter so the cover wont fold back neatly.

What idiot errors do I need to avoid

Make sure you leave enough overlap at the ends to tuck in so there’s isn’t a bit sticking out when you put the end plugs in.

Don’t use the finishing tape in the pack, use some electrical pvc tape to avoid unnecessary swearing

I’d agree with this usually but lizard skin dsp end tape actually sticks.

Use black bar tape so that it doesn’t immediately look grubby. Certainly never use white tape.

make the adjustments first. otherwise you’ll be fiddling with the controls & trying to retape using already cut tape. 😳

Keep a decent tension in the tape (probably more than you may initially think)

Tear off the backing tape as you go.

Have a dry run around the shifters with the backing tape on before you do it for real.

It looks like a straight forward job, I envisage an evening of peaceful and productive pleasure in the man cave whilst supping a fine ale.

I do actually find it quite relaxing, it’s on my list of jobs for this week and I’m quite looking forward to it.

There’s loads of guides on YouTube and they all roughly say the same thing although there is some debate about which direction to tape in. Personally I’d just do in whichever direction it’s currently taped in.

Some general advice that I’ve learned through trial and error:
Take a pic of the tape on both sides looking at the tops and the drops. You only need to do this the first couple of times but it’s a good reference point. Don’t unwrap both sides before panicking about what to do next…
Have some scissors to hand and the electrical tape ready to go. I tend to find the end and stick it to my top tube as it saves finding the end whilst also trying to hold your freshly applied tape in place.
Related, don’t faff with the finishing tape your provided, just bin it and use electrical tape.
If you don’t like the wrap undo it straight away and you’ll be able to re-wrap with the same tape. Wait a day and the tape is well stuck down making the task much more difficult.
Watch lots of vids about how to do the area around the hoods. There are various methods with various merits, find the one you like and watch that vid a few times, hell, have the vid on your phone ready to go incase you need to refresh your memory.

Hope that helps.

I found the ‘figure of 8’ method round the shifters gives the neatest finish, but as above do a dry run first.

start from the top of the bar, not the end, (makes it easier to make sure they’re about even looking)

Make a nice cup of tea before you start.

I tend to find the end and stick it to my top tube as it saves finding the end whilst also trying to hold your freshly applied tape in place.

That’s a good point; I have a bit of electrical tape ready that’s enough to stick the end in place, and then I go over that with two or three full wraps.

…or open a beer 🙂

The starting from the top thing makes my head hurt even thinking about it.

start from the top of the bar, not the end

Whaaaaaaaat? That’s crazy talk! 😯

[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4iekC7HnG4o[/video]

don’t forget the little bits that go behind the shifters.

The correct placement of these is the bin.

I remove the backing take and stick some double sided on the bar and a pieace all around the end.

nickc – Member
start from the top of the bar, not the end, (makes it easier to make sure they’re about even looking)

I can’t see how that makes a difference.

It also leaves the end must susceptable to unpeelimg if you lose a plug.

start from the top of the bar, not the end, (makes it easier to make sure they’re about even looking)

Trying to figure out if this is good advice or not, would you not end up with the overlap the wrong way round by the time you get to the drops? 😕

Just buy some tape with the silicone adhesive, this seems to allow infinite retaping, and you don’t end up with chunks of tape stuck to your bars way down the line.

I know it sounds heretical, but I kind of like using a strip of double sided sticky tape at the start of the wrap (i.e. where the bar bung goes). Means you can stick the tape down and don’t need to faff about getting the right amount sticking out to secure the bar bung properly etc. I always struggle to get this bit neat.

Use silicone tape. It has no adhesive but just grips and you can unwind it millions of times when you cock up.
Arundel is half the price of Fabric or that American stuff.

When you undo the existing bar tape, you should find that the brake and gear cables have been taped against the bars in a few places with some electrical tape. It’s unlikely that this has not been done, but if not secure them in position yourself with electrical tape before fitting the bar tape.

There’s loads of guides on YouTube and they all roughly say the same thing although there is some debate about which direction to tape in. Personally I’d just do in whichever direction it’s currently taped in.

My leather tape does seem to be quite sensitive to taping direction. If you’re sat on the bike, then right hand side is clockwise, and left anti-clockwise, otherwise the tape curls over a bit.

Give the end of the tape an experimental tug before you start winding it so as not to discover how tight is too tight to pull just as you clear the lever.

Definitely start at the bar end not the top and expect to need electrical tape to secure the end. I have been known to use Gorilla tape for this though.

One of my favourite jobs. Always from the bottom (so the joints are flat as your hands move down the bars). Looking forwards: clockwise RHS, anti-clockwise LHS. Expect about 9-10 wraps before hitting the shifters. Try a figure of 8 and don’t forget to reverse it on the opposite side! More overlap on the top bend and head for home. A nice bevel cut off the end of the tape to give a squared off last wrap, and finish with electrical tape. Black. Add nice posh tape over the electrical tape if you must.

Expect to unwrap the first side three times and the second twice 😉

EDIT. The only exception for taping direction was my TT bike, where I went up the bars to the ends, so they are taped both ends and moar aero 😉

Most things I was going to mention have already been covered.

Be patient and stay calm. Be prepared to unwind it all and do it again properly. Make sure you know how to go around the levers (a few different ways of doing this including figure of eight or using the extra bit).

Whatever you do don’t start at the top of the bars or be prepared to be laughed at for the rest of your brief roadie career.

Don’t leave home with shonky bar tape.

Bar tape on radiator to get nice and sticky, or pritstick on bars

Don’t be mean on the bends – check the outside of the main bend just under the shifter for gaps as you wrap. Then as you pass the shifters, pull the hood down into situ to check for more gaps.

Wrap your bars completely in electrical tape – the bar tape can be wound and unwound as many times as you like until you get it how you want it, plus it doesn’t leave a sticky mess when you come to replace it. I’ve re-used bar tape umpteen times. Also worth leaving the tape on a radiator beforehand as it makes it more stretchy,

Some very helpful advice and very little piss taking. I’m both pleased and disappointed!

Don’t buy two-tone tape. I will never ever ever do that to mine again, was not worth the ridiculous amount of effort to get it right.

Don’t practice with expensive tape.

Don’t do your first time with Lizard Skins,it’s a PITA.
Make sure the tops are wound back towards you or they WILL go loose.
Using Electrical heat shrink to finish looks very neat.
Wrapping past where you want to finish then cutting with a very sharp scalpel leaves a nice square end.
Figure of 8 behind the hoods can make it very bulky with thicker tape.
Get the distance from the stem EVEN!!!
Take your time to get the overlaps even (bit closer is allowable on the tops for more padding).
I’ve had people with calipers check the evenness of my wrapping 😕 …..a 2mm variance was ‘not ideal but acceptable’

Stiff drink to steady the hand, then as described above.

One school suggests some heat shrink tube or cut up inner tubes slid onto the bars before starting makes for a neat finish. IMHO Insulating tape can look ok, but tapering the end of the bar tape helps enormously.

Do not under any circumstances start at the top. It is not the answer.

Three quid tape from Decathlon is good for practice before you use the posh stuff.

Nah, it makes no difference in reality, just which way you’re used to doing it. and I know of one pro-mechanic who wrapped outside-in…

It looks like a straight forward job, I envisage an evening of peaceful and productive pleasure in the man cave whilst supping a fine ale.

Envisage about 10 minutes of peaceful and productive pleasure in the man cave.

START FROM THE BOTTOM FFS!! Else the bar faeries wii come exact their revenge in the dead of night 😯 Keep the tension up or it’ll all shift over time and water etc will work its way behind. Cut the end of the tape at an angle as you finish. Electrical tape is your friend. Don’t rush it!! My 2 pennies worth – good luck! 😀

I’ve got to do this too. How long does it actually take 1st time? We talking hours?

^^^ No! 🙂

Figure of 8 and the 3 finger measure from the stem outside is about the right place to stop. I like to finish with a single width wrap of electrical tape that doesn’t spill onto the bars.

I’d always tape bottom up.
When your hands are resting on the upper bends or just behind the hoods, the force from your arms is pushing down the bars. If you tape from the bottom, you will be pressing the free edge of the tape down. Tape from the top, and your hand pressure will be peeling the free edge away from the bar.

Get a cork and stuff it in the end of the bar. Start your taping from there (pinning the tape to the cork helps). When you’re finished, trim the tape off the cork, remove cork, and tuck the surplus in to the bar.

I never cover the bit around the lever clamp and leave a small gap, but then I quite often leave the tops untaped.