[Closed] white bar tape on your road bikes - pics and practicality ?

Wipe with bleach to get it [s]clean[/s] [i]white[/i]

But yea, I'd go light blue to add some color (and get a matching saddle).

It's a crime against humanity. Mine came with it and I'm glad it's gone.

Fizik used to do a white tape that wasn't cork and you could wipe clean, I had it on my road bike for years, it looked pretty good the whole time. Can't remember what it was called unfortunately!

I quite like the white saddle and bar tape. I would just try to keep the tape clean for as long as possible.

My saddle and part of my hand grips on my MTB are white, and they have done okay for the last 7 years. And I am thinking about changing from black to white on my road bike.

I had white tape (free due to roadie bike snobs not wanting it) I can confirm it covered the bars and was comfortable. I don't shave my legs so that might have something to do with it.

My old Ridley commuter has white tape Iain, been on there for about 3 years and it's still not bad looking tbh. If ye want it to stay white - keep a wee pair of disposable latex gloves for puncture duties, stops the hands getting black from brake dust/shite.

Edit - I would agree with some others though, black saddle and tape would suit that bike much better though.

Hmm looks like you've swapped the saddle for a white Adamo. That'd have to go if you changed the bar tape.

I'd go all black. White bar tape on that bike is a bit like wearing white socks with a dark suit.

I've recently ditched the [s]white[/s] [i]grubby grey[/i] tape for black and it looks so much better now

Sheeit! How far back is that saddle on its rails? Something's badly wrong with the setup or the bike is the wrong size.

...and yes, I once bought a new bike that came with white tape and saddle so I got the retailer to swop them for black before I even took it out of the shop.

Hmm looks like you've swapped the saddle for a white Adamo. That'd have to go if you changed the bar tape.

Sheeit! How far back is that saddle on its rails? Something's badly wrong with the setup or the bike is the wrong size.

I think mine works well 'cos of the white accents on the frame...
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This is my winter bike and keeping the tape clean has been zero effort at all TBH. I can't remember what tape it is but the LBS knew it was for this bike and supplied something suitable.

You could just ride it and see of course.

😉

^^^ that does look good indeed. I think I will stick with it, bike is mainly summer use anyway..

My white bar tape was lovely and gleaming like an American TV star's teeth until I rode the bike while wearing my winter mtb gloves. The ones with a whole winter of mud engrained in the palms.

The bar tape isn't white any more.

Well I like the white Fiz'ik logo'd on the Kona to match the Arione saddle. It is relatively clean (about the same as the saddle). I removed the soft white tape from several new bikes. it doesn't really last past the first puncture. The white is to hilight the Kona logo. Your new bike doesn't have any white to hilight. Silver to bring out the paint on the forks would work better.

Oh and keeping the pannier clean is just as bad!

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Don't see the need for bar tape to be anything other than black myself, but if a bike came with it I wouldn't change it specially. Stuff like that needs changing frequently enough.

the examples posted up, I like, as the white tape and saddle accentuate the frame. Can't really see why Giant chose white on the new Defy tho 🙁

Never mind, it will stay until it's looking tired, and then trusty Lizard Skins DSP black stuff will go on.

Cheers all

rubberised/polyurethane tapes are easy to clean, as well as usually being quite tacky/grippy to the touch. My C'dale CX bike has it's original white own-brand bar tape, and either spraying it with Muc Off as part of a post-race clean, or wiping with a baby wipe (also part of my CX kit box, and works on cork type tape) and it still looks like new after a season of racing.

oh, and

keep a wee pair of disposable latex gloves for puncture duties

this for mechanicals generally not just punctures. Not just for your immaculate bar tape but your nice Sunday best riding kit.

IMHO White bar tape is classy and 'pro' on any colour bike, and top marks for having a matching saddle (wrist slap for cha****ng). Saddle looks very far back in it's rails though?

cheers 🙂

Saddle looks very far back in it's rails though?

The weird thing about ISM saddles is you start off with the nose 5cm back from where the nose of the regular saddle would be, meaning that even with a layback post (mine has a little over 20mm), it still ends up pushed back. That said, the rear 5cm of the saddle is just for decoration, so the load goes down through the sit bones which are only halfway back.

MTB version for comparison :

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and 'gravel'

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top marks for having a matching saddle (wrist slap for cha****ng).

You are right.

I had a white one but it made my bum hurt. This one was in the spares box.

You can't see it when I'm riding.

I've got white tape on my Defy and have found riding it in the rain very good for brightening up the bar tape. It's not so good for keeping the white frame clean though!

I have had white Fizik Performance tape on my winter road bike for the last 4,500km. It's still white.

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Or
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My TCX CX'er came with white bar tape... Like [i]that[/i] was ever going to stay white for long 🙄

dles is you start off with the nose 5cm back from where the nose of the regular saddle would be, meaning that even with a layback post (mine has a little over 20mm), it still ends up pushed back. That said, the rear 5cm of the saddle is just for decoration, so the load goes down through the sit bones which are only halfway back.

But you've still got it pushed waaaaay back on the rails - looks like 5-10mm left. With a post with oodles of layback if what you say about 'starting from 5cm back' is right their design is shit, the rails should be much further forward in the saddle. That position would be unachievable for many.

Had white bar tape on my road bike for years. Looked rubbish after a winter.

I keep fitting white tape to my road bike, I don't really mind it getting a bit grimey TBH.

Don't fancy boring black but can't really find any other colours that suit the bikes "colourway"...

Fitted some cheap snow camo effect tape to my CX bike as an emergency stop gap... It offends on every level, but its annoyingly comfy and hasn't been damaged so I don't have an legitimate excuse to replace it yet...

Bikebouy I refer you to my previous post. Mine is mint after a full season of racing.

Nah, I changed it for a fetching Orange to match the graphics..

I do like white on road bikes, not that I'd ever fit it mind.

Yep it can get a bit grubby but a bit of a scrub up will get it almost white again, mine not looking very clean
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Got bored of the usual white or black. As did the fella behind me it seems. 😀

mine came with white tape.

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Its still on, but its now a grey/brown colour

I've got white tape on my old DeRosa.

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White deda carbon tape on my CX. Lasts ages and cleans up nicely. It's not the most padded tape though.

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White tape on my new defy as well. Frames white and black mind so it kinda works. Is already a wee bit grubby though so I suspect it will get replaced with black when it starts to wear.

How are you finding the new defy? I'm finding mine incredibly comfy but can't quite get my position nailed yet, feels quite small in some ways. M/L frame and i'm 5,11 so theoretically bang on plus was fitted at the shop.

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i changed my bars recently and some cool kids on instagram had the above colour bar tape on their stigmata's, so i copied... i think it look the business... just a shame i don't really like the bars, i'll swap back at some point, but i'll be keep that colour bar tape for some time i think.

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It's great when it's still white, otherwise it looks pretty crap. This was my bike after the Fred Whitton. Not too pretty 🙁

Robgclarkson that bar tape looks very nice on that bike.
Bars look like it's been in a horrific crash though.....

How are you finding the new defy? I'm finding mine incredibly comfy but can't quite get my position nailed yet, feels quite small in some ways. M/L frame and i'm 5,11 so theoretically bang on plus was fitted at the shop.

Thanks, I've only had a couple of short rides on mine and love it. I am 5 10 with long torso and on a medium, with a 110 stem. I had a 2012 Defy Composite for past 4 years and geometry unchanged so I knew the size to get. In 2012 I had a bike fit and was originally going to buy the M/L but 10mm longer stem gave same effective top tube with better seat post setup. I have actually pushed the ISM saddle forward a bit on the back of some comments but yet to try it.

can't quite get my position nailed yet, feels quite small in some ways. M/L frame and i'm 5,11 so theoretically bang on plus was fitted at the shop.

Just a thought but have you tried dropping the stem a bit?

Had to do that on mine before I really clicked with it (5ft 8in on a M).

I use the white fizik micro tex stuff on the road bike.
Gets cleaned (or at least wiped down) after most rides as it's either dusty or muddy. The stuff on there at the moment is over 3 years old, but not been used for a year or so. Still shiny and white.

When i used to ride a lot the tape never had time to get grubby, bike usually needed new cables before the tape took on too much grime, either that, or it got crashed on, or worn out.

Using clean gloves probably helps. And i always start a ride with clean kit.

The cross bikes all use grey or black tape. Some courses have so much abrasive stuff in the mud that the tape is dead after a hours racing. I used to stock up when i saw it on sale. 20% off is a good excuse to buy half a dozen rolls.

The trick is; over-expose all your photos, then you can't see the grubby marks 😉

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mrs antigee's dolce came with a white saddle and white tape - at some point she opted for a new black saddle and when I spotted this swopped the regularly replaced but always dirty grey tape for the house standard black and all looks great now - one less cleaning job and a reduction in parts inventory 😀