Have you mastered bar tape?

I thought I’d mastered it, my last effort at wrapping drop bars up in tape lasted through winter, but now it’s coming unravelled, first around the bend to the drops but now on the flat bit too.

What am I doing wrong / got any hints or tips?

I tried copying the guy on the Park Tools YouTube channel. Any others?

I thought I had too – til I bought some without glue on the back (FWE). It’s nice stuff (cheap), but is starting to become gappy. I tell myself it doesn’t matter.

It sounds like you may not be stretching the tape enough as you wrap it. Most decent tape can be pulled quite tight without tearing and it’s this slight tension that keeps it in place. It’s important to get the wrap around the back of the hoods right as well IME.

I’m not that keen on sticky backed tape since it can rip itself if you need to peel it back to adjust the wrap. Much prefer the silicon backed stuff like Bontrager tape but I’m using Deda at the moment because it’s good value and I like the colours.

I’m thinking the same as joemmo, needs to be tight enough that it tightens itself around the bars

Last attempt a few days ago was about my best so hopefully I’m finally getting it.

I usually struggle with getting a neat finish on the tops and I always need to use those little extra bits around the levers.

Lizard skins DSP, 2.5mm

The Park Tools one is about closest to my method.

I don’t seem to have an issue. Not exactly sure how I do it, might be slightly different each time, but it always seems to work.

It’s stretchy, so you put it under tension as you wrap – you are doing that, aren’t you?

Lots of tension, not just a bit. Its strong stuff.

I used Renthal grip glue on my last attempt. It’s not come loose yet!

I struggle with the figure 8 round the brake lever, I’m okay but depends on the tape. I struggle with really thick tape that doesn’t stretch.

akira

Subscriber

I struggle with the figure 8 round the brake lever, I’m okay but depends on the tape. I struggle with really thick tape that doesn’t stretch.

The GCN youtube video does a really good job of showing how to get around the levers

This. Dont buy cheap stuff my current favourite is Lifeline from Wiggle. It needs to be uniform and much tighter than you think. Be confident with it. As your applying it wrap your hand round to re-inforce it.

Aim to overlap by around a 3rd.

Start at the top, no need for insulating tape much neater finish.

Im a bit of a neat freak.

See mine here;

Its a case of practice makes perfect.

Too many folk wrapping it wrong too. Your hand pressure should be tightening it up on the drops AND the tops, not loosening it.

Make sure tape isn’t cold.Lots of even tension is the way,Quite enjoy doing it,only thing I can have an issue with is the getting a neat finish, fitting bar end plugs takes a couple of attempts.

In fairness the Lizard Skins stuff is not the easiest for wrapping.

Surely hand pressure will tighten it one side and loosen it the other side (of where your hands are)?

I can do a functional wrap, i.e. it never comes loose, but I always fudge up the finishing touches, my Lizard Skins DSP 3.2 was my best wrap to date but then I noticed one side finishes half an inch further from the stem than the other! D’oh!

Cannondale Synapse tape is good if you want something thick, silicone backed so you can wrap and re-wrap to your hearts content, lots of colours. Might not exist any more right enough.

Merak, I was sure that wrapping from the tops down was madness (can’t remember why now…), but that is a very neat job!

Edit: Now I remember, doesn’t the overlap face up the way if you wrap from the top? e.g. the loose flap of tape is now on the upper side so your hands must be always rolling it down on itself?

Thicker stuff is way harder IME, especially to start and finish neatly. 3.2mm doesn’t stuff into end caps very well. Also with wider flared drops I have ran out of length a few times ;-)

Depends on the tape, some is stretchy some barely gives, the tougher the tape the more tension it needs as it still needs to be tight once it’s shifted a bit.

I think I must move my hands arround too much ad I wear the tape down in a few hundred miles. I’ve tried everything from expensive fizik stuff and DSP to 99p stuff. And while DSP was lovely, it’s not £30/month lovely!

I now just get the £1.20 stuff from china off eBay.

Aye that was the ‘science’ behind the wrapping. It makes hee haw difference in reality.

£30 a month for DSP?!

£22 and it lasted best part of 2 years, only recently started coming apart after crashing last year and leaving a few scuff marks.

much tighter than you think. Be confident with it.

I think this probably sums up my problems – I was applying ‘a bit’ of tension, I’ll have another go using ‘a lot’.

It’s Lizard Skins DSP by the way, so it’s reassuring to know that other folk find the thicker stuff awkward too, especially stuffing it into the bar at the end – that’s another aspect I’m not happy with yet.

The Park Tools video does talk about how to wrap it so that it’s wrapping the correct way on the flats and the drops (although you have to watch it a few times to work out what he’s doing) so I think I have that aspect right, at least.

Start at the top, no need for insulating tape much neater finish.

Heresy – and all the layers are the wrong way when sliding down the bars.

Just practice – RHS clockwise, LHS anticlockwise. Start with about half a tape width overhanging and at a slight angle. The plugs will fit better if you don’t have too much overhag. Keep the tension nice and tight with a little stretch as you overlay, figure of 8 around the levers from the inside. Typically it will be 10 wraps to the lever base.

If you’ve done it right then approaching the stem will be symmetric LHS angled in left to right and RHS anngled in right to left. If yuo’ve forgotten how to do figure of 8, then they will not be symmetric! For the finishing touches, you need to unwrap the last loop and cut off a nice thin wedge along teh tape (LHS will be opposite of RHS) so the last wrap comes to a clean finish not at an angle. Wrap some electrical tape in the same direction to maintain tension and cover with the posh tape if it’s a nice brand ;-)

Avoid Fabric silicone tape. Easy to apply but mine delaminated very quickly (two sets). Lizard Skins is much higher quality.

I just watch plenty of you tube vids and then pay my LBS!

re 3.2mm, I just tape the start section to the bar then start wrapping.

Heresy – and all the layers are the wrong way when sliding down the bars.

Was thinking that may start to look a bit ropey after spending time in the drops.

Heresy – and all the layers are the wrong way when sliding down the bars.

With respect thats nonsense. Ive been a road cyclist for 30 years and Ive always wrapped my bikes like that. Why dont you try it?
You know you want to.

See!

The plugs are the only thing I struggle with, but I know this is critical so give it a couple of attempts until it’s just right for the plugs, then wrap the rest of the bar.

The exception being some stuff from decathlon I put on missphil’s bike recently, luckily one end plug was missing and I had one spare kicking about in the garage, but the one that came with it was horrendous and will probably fall out soon. I won’t tell her how dangerous this is or she’ll want me to sort it out.

Heresy – and all the layers are the wrong way when sliding down the bars.

With respect thats nonsense. Ive been a road cyclist for 30 years and Ive always wrapped my bikes like that. Why dont you try it?
You know you want to.

See!

I don’t think it makes a difference to hand pressure sliding the wrap off the bars (if you wrap it in the correct direction), but I can’t understand the advantage really?

Edit OK massive idiot, it’s all about the electrical tape wrap at the inboard point. Incidentally why does all tape seem to come with a strip of not-quite-as-good-as insulating tape tape for this?

OK massive idiot, it’s all about the electrical tape wrap at the inboard point.

Yup, makes sure that it all has to come off should you want to do stuff with cables. I’ll stick with bottom up and some neat tape application

Incidentally why does all tape seem to come with a strip of not-quite-as-good-as insulating-tape tape for this?

This truly is one of the mysteries of life. It’s in every pack of bartape and it’s useless.

Side note prompted by Merak’s pic – what are these straps people are using to strap spare tubes to frames/seatposts? Need some.

(Although it does make me wonder if I might just start keeping my ‘spare’ tubes inside my tyres again…)

Side note prompted by Merak’s pic – what are these straps people are using to strap spare tubes to frames/seatposts? Need some.

Polaris do some neat ones.

https://www.polaris-bikewear.co.uk/Fixie-velcro-fastening-straps-p/pol01-7544.htm

@Dorset_Knob

https://www.amazon.com/Granite-Rockband-Carrier-Strap/dp/B078J1DWTS

The ones Druid point to look good tbf

I think I must move my hands arround too much ad I wear the tape down in a few hundred miles. I’ve tried everything from expensive fizik stuff and DSP to 99p stuff. And while DSP was lovely, it’s not £30/month lovely!

Do you have sandpaper hands? I tend to change mine every 5k miles or so, and usually then because I need to do cables or something. I can’t comprehend how you could wear it down in anything like that time.

Wrapping from the top is so wrong, you peel back the edges of the layers if you slide your hands down the drops.

I can do it acceptably, but the mechanic we used to have was absolutely superb, and I never got close to his efforts!

Incidentally why does all tape seem to come with a strip of not-quite-as-good-as insulating tape tape for this?

Check out kinesis 4 season tape. Its superb tape and comes with quality finishing tape in the same material as the main tape.

I now just get the £1.20 stuff from china off eBay.

That’s what I’m talking about! Some of it is stupid money. Hey, like most bike related products!

The Kinesis stuff looks neat…

Do you have sandpaper hands? I tend to change mine every 5k miles or so, and usually then because I need to do cables or something. I can’t comprehend how you could wear it down in anything like that time.

Not especially, it just wears either on the top outside corner where my palm sits whilst on the hoods or at the bottom of the drops.

That’s what I’m talking about! Some of it is stupid money. Hey, like most bike related products!

I’ll admit it’s not as good as the expensive stuff, but it’s on a par with all the other EVA stuff.

The bonus of sandpaper hands and cheap tape is I never have to worry about it looking dirty, just rip it off and stick fresh tape on!

£22 and it lasted best part of 2 years, only recently started coming apart after crashing last year and leaving a few scuff marks.

How many miles in 2 years?

Dont buy cheap stuff my current favourite is Lifeline from Wiggle.

I’ve actually got lifeline tape on at the moment as it came with a bike. It doesnt seem to have any stickyness to the backing so it’s continuously slipping on the bars. And being stretchy EVA it cant be wound tighter without being too thin.

Doesnt look like the stuff in your pic though. [edit] checked on wiggle, mine is indeed the cheapest they do. Not recomended. The more expensive options look like they have an adesive backing.

I get thousands of miles from DSP tape. It even comes with proper finishing tape these days.

Good to know I’m not the only person who has a problem with thick tape at the plug. Good idea to put tape at the bottom too, cheers for that.

Personally I think the fig 8 round the levers makes it too bulky round there. I’m a little strip of tape man, but I’m never truly satisfied with the end result.