Fitting handlebar tape

[Wogan]

Hello everyone,

I'm about to convert my flat bar bike to drop handlebars. I've got everything I need but I have no idea how to wrap the tape around the bars. If anyone can give me some helpful tips, it may save a great deal of swearing. Help!

 

[piedwagtail91]

http://www.parktool.com/repair/readhowto.asp?id=71 shows one way of doing it

 

[Smokin Joe]

All instructions for fitting handlebar tape will tell you to use a strip of tape to cover the brake lever clamp before passing the main roll of tape over it. As you will discover, this is the part of taping that causes most grief, as trying to stretch the tape round the lever so you don't leave an unsightly gap is quite difficult, often resulting in the tape breaking. Follow the Parktool guide shown by piedwagtail above, but use TWO strips of tape behind the lever, one above the other with a slight overlap. This makes the most difficult part of the job a breeze with no gaps in the tape, and saves a lot of bad language.

 

[Spoked Wheels]

This might help you

Rick

 

[rustychisel]

follow the previously listed guides; start at the bar ends (drops) rolling outward over the top of the bars.

 

[alecstilleyedye]

cinelli handlebar tape comes with instructions and the extra bit needed to go behind the brake levers.

 

[rustychisel]

oh, and the strips they give you to wrap around the finished job are made of CELLOPHANE, never stick and ALWAYS need to be replaced by good old proper electricians tape (colour coded of course).

 

[Wogan]

Brilliant! That's just what I was looking for. The neighbour's kids won't be learning quite as many new words now...

Cheers!

 

[Mr Phoebus]

You have to be consistent with how you apply it otherwise you get that 'pig in a python' look.

 

[fossyant]

I'd recommend a cork type tape over the plastic stuff. Comfy and grippy. It really cleans up well just with washing up liquid on a rag - got pale blue on one bike (so needs cleaning often) and black on the training bike.

 

[Elmer Fudd]

I don't know how handle bar tape is done today, but (here we fekkin go again !), when I was a lad, we used to start off at bar ends (trapped in by end plug), wind round the handle bars, with a small offcut tucked in over exposed break lever, keep going to stem, put a dab of araldite on end of tape, tuck it under, twist tight with your hands, sellotape, leave 'til tomorrow.
(Well, I was 14 last time I had a road bike !)

 

[Arch]

Stating the obvious perhaps, but do at least one dry run before you take the backing off the sticky tape...