White bar tape........ practical?

[mjr]

Isn't white bar tape bound to get grimy? I don't carry a pair of Marigolds to protect my hands in the event of a puncture, and latex gloves go through within ten seconds of snapping them on.

Park Tool blue workshop gloves actually survive a decent time, and I destroy most gloves in short order.

ObOP: no, white bar tape is silly. First it looks like you've not ridden enough and then it looks like you've not cleaned the bike properly. Bin and replace with a dark colour.

 

[screenman]

Just change it every ride.

 

[Jimidh]

Enjoy riding your bike and don't worry about your bar tape being grubby.

I just swapped my white bar tape on my Giant Defy 0 for bright green lizard skin tape and it looks awesome.

It will be ridden all winter and whilst I'll keep the drive train clean and lubed I'll not be stressing about how dirty the bike is or how I may have not be following some daft rule.

 

[User482]

Baby wipes aren't even particulary good at cleaning babies' arses, so expecting them to work on bar tape is highly ambitious.

Use a washing up brush, with plenty of washing up liquid. Or use a gel/vinyl tape like Selle Italia Smootape Corsa, which grips well, but doesn't hold dirt like a cork tape does.

And the next time you ride in the rain, your bar tape will go slippery and bubbly from the detergent still impregnated within it. There is a reason why I know this.

 

[screenman]

And the next time you ride in the rain, your bar tape will go slippery and bubbly from the detergent still impregnated within it. There is a reason why I know this.

Well go on then, don't keep us guessing

 

[Banjo]

Keeping your bike in show room condition is easy.The white tape and saddle can easilly be kept gleaming.

All you need is another bike for doing your actual riding.

 

[S-Express]

And the next time you ride in the rain, your bar tape will go slippery and bubbly from the detergent still impregnated within it. There is a reason why I know this.

Because you didn't rinse it out properly?

 

[User482]

Because you didn't rinse it out properly?

It's true that I could've immersed the bars in water to get rid of all the detergent soaked in. Instead, I fitted black tape, which is what I should've done in the first place.

 

[S-Express]

It's true that I could've immersed the bars in water to get rid of all the detergent soaked in.

Don't be silly, it just needs rinsing under a hose.

 

[Dogtrousers]

I replaced the cassette on a friend's bike. I tried to be careful about the white tape but inevitably I put a mucky paw print on it. So afterwards I cleaned it up with a brush and some random cleaner. Worked OK, but that left the tape with one clean patch, so I had to go over the whole side. Which left one clean side and one grubby side, so I had to do both sides. Which meant that the white saddle looked grubby ...

 

[User482]

Don't be silly, it just needs rinsing under a hose.

Gosh, if only I'd done that.

 

[S-Express]

Gosh, if only I'd done that.

What, rather than turning the bike upside down and immersing it in a water tank? Yeah, definitely.

 

[mjr]

And the next time you ride in the rain, your bar tape will go slippery and bubbly from the detergent still impregnated within it. There is a reason why I know this.

I think I saw you ride past...

(Patrons at a Foam Party. Taken at "Tequila Nightclub" in Calgary, Canada. Source: Carl Roett / HyperLight Research. Licensed under CC-by)

 

[G3CWI]

Have to say the white bar tape on my bike looked awesome when new.
It's starting to show some signs of grubbiness now.

Switch to using white oil. The black stuff most people use is the problem.

 

[S-Express]

Lance used to have white bar tape - and look what happened to him. He's not even wearing a helmet!!

White bar tape can also lead to smoking-related illnesses.

And as for this guy - well, let's just say the look on Chiappucci's face shows that he wishes he had white bar tape...