In The Pits: How to wrap bar tape

Welcome to our new mechanics feature, In The Pits, presented by Julian Thrasher (yep, that’s his real name – cool or what) of ATG Training.

The series will be step by step guides to complete all those niggly little tasks to keep your cross, gravel or even normal road, bike in fine fettle. If there is a task you want to know about, or would like to see an in depth, how to on, then let us know with a mail to editor@grit.cx with a subject line starting: In The Pits.
So, without further ado, we give you….

In The Pits: Position and wrap your handlebars

Difficulty rating: 3/5
In this ‘how to’ we’ll show you a few tips that will help you to fine tune and record the set-up of the cockpit area of your ‘cross bike.
Handlebar set-up is a personal thing, but there are a few pointers to think about when positioning both the bars and the dual control levers on the bars. Both are worth getting aligned before wrapping the bars as the tape will limit the adjustments you will be able to make.
What you’ll need:

·       4 and 5mm hex keys (depending on bolts used on handlebar stem and dual control levers)
·       Torque wrench and 4 / 5mm hex bits
·       Sharp pair of sissors
·       A straight edge such as a piece of dowel or square section block of wood approximately 60cm long
·       Spirit level (we used the I-phone free level ap found in the compass settings on IOS 8)
·       Isopropyl alcohol or disc brake cleaner
·       Clean cloth
·       Workstand or turbo to hold the bike in place
·       Pad of paper and pen to record settings
·       A good quality insulation tape
·       A good ‘cross specific Handlebar tape
·       Peg spanner (optional)
·       A clean pair of hands!
You should allow approximately 20-30 minutes for completing this job, but if this is the first time you have taped a set of bars then it may be worth allowing yourself a little extra time on top of what we have allowed here – also if you are a perfectionist – some people have spent hours fine tuning their bikes!
 
To begin….
Start by removing the old tape (not shown) if you have any gel padding fitted under the bar tape then be careful not to tear it as you remove the old tape, and the padding is often re-useable so place it carefully to one side if you have it. You may find it helpful to cut the insulation tape which holds the cable to the bars, this will make any adjustments you make to the dual control levers easier.

Degrease the handlebars using Isopropyl Alcohol or a disc brake cleaner, this will allow the new insulating tape a better surface to adhere to

For cyclocross it is a good idea to align the top of your handlebars to horizontal maybe even up to 1 – 2 degrees upwards, this will seat the hoods well into your hands, but be careful not to rotate the bars to far upwards as this may interfere with your ability to reach the bottom of the drops whilst shouldering. You may find it useful to have a straight line on the wall behind the bike with which you can align the top portion of the handlebar. In the photo you can see that the bars are upwardly swept compared to the line behind them due to rider preference. The angle of the bar can be recorded using a spirit level or as we did the I phone level ap, so that if the bars are changed in the future they can be returned to these settings.

Once the handlebars are set then you can align the hoods of the dual control levers to the handlebars. Again whether you set these to horizontal or just slightly upwards is down to personal preference, but angles up to 10 degrees back towards the rider are not uncommon for ‘cross as you spend such a large amount of time on the hoods and the terrain that you are riding over. A slight backsweep to the hoods will give you more control on rough ground, but again be careful not to set the hoods so high that reaching the brake levers whilst on the drops becomes a problem.
In the picture above we have used the squares on the floor to align the side of the hoods level to the edge of the bars (as viewed from the rider) this is a good starting point, angling the hoods in slightly can help reduce them contacting your helmet whilst shouldering, whereas having them in line with the bars can give you a bit more to lean on when out of the saddle. Find out what works for you, but remember to record your position before you make any adjustments to allow you a base to return to if you don’t get on with the new position.

To ensure the dual control levers are level to each other across the bars it helps to place a straight edge on top of the hoods, either just to the rear of each hood or into the crook of the hood (where your hand would usually sit) and you can take a visual measurement from the front of the bike from the straight edge to the handlebars or as we have done here,  place a level onto the straight edge to get a reading (note: it really helps for accuracy to have the bike held in a workstand or turbo trainer to ensure that the bike is level)

Once you are happy with the alignment of your levers then you can use insulating tape to secure them to the bars. Make sure that the cables are pulled firmly into the crook of the bar (there is sometimes a groove for them to sit in) and secure them there firmly with insulating tape.

So that the cables do not pull on the end of the bar tape it is a good idea to employ the ‘three finger rule’ that is a gap of three fingers from the edge of the stem faceplate to the insulating tape (this is also a good tip to follow if you struggle as to where to finish the tape as it finishes the tape just on the bulge of the handlebar)

Next begin to wrap the bars. It is a good idea to search out a ‘cross specific tape, Zipp Service course and Lizard Skins DSP 3.2 are good examples as they won’t absorb and hold on to the water and be easier to clean whilst offering good levels of comfort. Make sure you place your gel padding back onto the bars (if you have any) before starting to tape. It’s worth noting that bar tape does have a top side and an under side, so make sure you wrap it the correct way up! Start by placing the tape half on and half off of the end of the bar (see photo below) you can tuck the tape into the end of the handlebar, but beware of tapes that have very thick bar plugs (such as Fizik tape) where you may need to starting wrapping right on the very end of the bar so that the plug is not very tight to install and pull the tape out when inserted.

We have started to wrap to the inside of the bike (clockwise) in the photo above and we would make sure that when the other side of the bars are wrapped that we would also wrap to the inside of the bike (anti-clockwise) this keeps the taping neat and consistent and creates a chevron pattern to the front of the bike. It also means that when you are on the drops the tape is pulled tighter together, preventing loosening of the tape over time.

Try to ensure that the winds are kept consistent as you tape. If you are unsure about a finger width per wrap is a good starting point, though if your tape has logos these will often dictate the width of the wrap for you! You may find that inserting the plug at this stage holds the end of the wrap in place for you.
Next we’ll take you through a couple of different ways to wrap round the lever clamp bracket, one using the ‘cheat’ tape and the other using the ‘figure of eight’ style of wrapping. If you are going to use the cheat tape then you will find cutting approximately ¾’s of an inch from it first helps (especially for Campagnolo levers) this will stop the cheat tape from intruding into the holes where the hood locates into. If you are working in a cold environment it helps to warm the cheat tape, this helps it to stick to the lever clamp more effectively.

Wrap around and over the cheat tape and back up onto the top section of bar. Pull the hood back and see if you can see any gaps in the tape. You’ll need to reposition the cheat tape if so. Repeat until no gaps can be seen.
To wrap in the figure of eight style is a little more tricky, but is the only option for certain tapes such as Supacaz that do not come with any cheat tape. To begin with wrap tightly under the hood and pass the tape up and over the top of the hood as shown in the photo below:
Then wrap around the back of the bar and underneath the hood again:

Finish by passing the tape back underneath the hood, then up and around the first wrap on the top of the bar as shown in the photo below:

Pull back the hoods to make sure there are no gaps in the tape before continuing.

Continue to wrap the top section of the bars until you can start to observe the ‘three finger rule’ you can then think about cutting the tape to finish. I find it helps to have a clean peg spanner that you can use to hold the tape in position while you decide where to cut the tape (Not so important if the tape you are using is self adhesive) on the last wind before finishing, pull the tape away from you and project a straight line upwards as shown:

Use a sharp pair of scissors to cut along this line and use the insulating tape placed half on and half off of the tape to secure it in place. This also helps to prevent water and muck from migrating underneath the tape. Note: try not to use the finishing tape that comes with the bartape as a method of securing the tape in place. If you must use it apply it over the top of the insulating tape to finish.

And there you have it. One nicely set of well positioned and taped handlebars. Just don’t leave it as long next time!
Don’t forget, if theres anything you want to know how to do, get in touch via the mail address at the top of the story, and we’ll get the spanner man Jules on the case for you.
Happy Spannering.