Southern California - Bar tape...

How do I put it on? I just got a bike (Puch) and I want new bar tape on it (the current one is ugly as hell).
Is there a special way to put bar tape on?

Thanks, your frieldly neighborhood monster kid ;)

It looks too precise for me to try it.....max when you get old you can afford to have smart young guys do it for you...

Special way. ez when ou know lil tricks though.

Some start with tucking th tape in the end and using the plug to hold it. I just start mine with a strip of electrical tape.

Wrap it over each wrap about 50% covering. There is ah high point in the center of the tape(most). YOu should wrap a lil past that.

Pull taught with each wrap.

Make sure to wrap so that the tape ends up in a direction that will turn with our hands while on the top o the handlebars. This way you will tighten while griping. If you do it the opposite, it will loosen when you gip and apply pressure to the bars.

EZ but shops will charge about $15.

Make sure to wrap like a figure 8 aroundto cover the brake levers. Use small stip to cover metal parts of the levers that will show even after you wrap. wrap over the lil strip supplied with the tape. If ou're in a ssop, they ought to show you easily.

I trim mine at the start and at the end so that it won't look bulky when I wrp the electrical tape or supplied finishing tape at the end.

You can find some tape without an adhesive back so that if you mess up, it's easy to unwrap and try again. Practice makes perfect.:D

Sorry, in a rush at work!

Thanks Mr. Beanz :)

there are tutorials online too if you need step by step, search google for "bar tape install"

Am I the only one that actually liked the old Benotto Cello Tape? I notice it's kind of scarce these days.

I'm planning on stocking up via ebay before the new road bike arrives.

Am I the only one that actually liked the old Benotto Cello Tape?yes.












the only thing it had going for it was that is was like $2 a roll and it came in a ton of colors so that you could change it often and try different patterns like two rolls together for a two tone spiral or to criss-cross if really bored.

+1 for Mr. Beanz instructions.

Here are some instructions I saved from the www.RoadBikeRider.com newsletter.

2. Uncle Al: Tale of the Tape o^o o^o o^o o^o o^o o^o

Taping a handlebar is easy, right? Yes, but there are tricks for making the result look sharp and last long. Let's go over 'em.

First remove the old tape and prepare the brake levers. Roll the rubber hoods forward so they stay out of the way. Then put those mysterious short pieces of tape (the ones that fell on the floor) around the bands that hold the levers to the handlebar.

Begin taping at one end of the handlebar, starting at the bottom of the bar and wrapping from inside out (clockwise for the right side, counterclockwise for the left). Let there be about 1/3 overlap past the end of the bar, then overlap 1/3 of the tape width as you spiral your way toward the brake lever.

You need to invoke some voodoo while wrapping. You must put a fair amount of tension to the tape so it won't slip. But pull too hard and you could break it.

When you reach the lever, you need to make a choice between wrapping around it with a figure 8 or simply spiraling past. Actually, I'm sorry to say that the choice might already be made if the tape isn't long enough for a figure 8. It probably won't be for handlebars that are 42 cm or wider. That's why they supply those short pieces of brake band tape.

If you can do it, a figure 8 is the best way to cover the band/bar connection. A good tape job never shows a gap. Leaving out the short pieces and wrapping a snug figure 8 around the connection gives a look and feel as smooth as silk.

Continue wrapping past the lever. Keep in mind that you'll have 1/3 overlap on the back of the curve and more on the front side. Tricky, but very doable.

When you reach the center of the bar where the bulge or sleeve begins, make it look good by cutting the tape diagonally at the same angle as the wrap. Eyeball this by standing in front of the bike, and use sharp scissors. Than apply finishing tape.

Don't use the stuff that came in the package. It isn't stretchy enough to work well and looks awful too. Use 3M black plastic tape (about $5 at the hardware store). Nothing else comes close. Wrap 2-3 times to cover the end of the bar tape, then cut it with scissors. Don't just stretch it till it snaps. Looks ugly.

Now go back to the handlebar end and tuck in the excess tape. Push in the bar plug and you're half done. Repeat on the other side.

Five taping tips:

---First timers might do better with bar tape that doesn't have sticky stuff on the back. I like stickum but it's harder to wrap/unwrap to correct mistakes without tearing the tape.

---Cork tape feels and looks nicest.

---Changing tape colors will totally change the look of your bike. I recommend it.

---Don't rush. If you're in a hurry it'll look like it.

---Practice make perfect. It feels really good when you do a clean job.

http://www.parktool.com/repair/readhowto.asp?id=71

I wonder if tennis overgrip will do the job. I know its a bit thin, but when you layer it two times, I'm thinking it might feel okay. I gotta try this. :)

Here's what I did when I wanted to install bar tape late one night last week, having no clue how to do it. It turned out pretty well. Study how the existing tape is wrapped as you take it off from the top of the bars toward the bar ends. Reproduce that wrapping in the direction opposite the direction you took it off. (Start from the bar ends, work your way to the tops, doing the same thing the old tape did.) Keep the tape nice and tight, stretched out to be smooth and even, but not so tight that you risk ripping it.

If you don't want to be adventurous, look it up in Google. But for me, it was kind of fun figuring it out by reverse engineering the instructions from what was already on the bike.

The only thing I'd add to Al's instructions is that the "cut at an angle" advice works well when you start wrapping at the bar-plug end of the handlebar, as well as the end.

Best Regs,
Rick / OCRR

The tape came today, now I'm waiting for my aerobar...

I thought your dad bought one for you?

Yes on ebay. I'm waiting for it to arrive.