Road Cycling - repairing bar tape

so i dropped my bike for the first time yesterday. . . i was not on the bike, had it leaned up against me, and the wheel turned, and i was snapping my helmet, and i'm an idiot. NOW! . . .

i caught it with my leg, so it didn't take a hit on the ground, but the bar apparently got gashed by the brick wall the handlebars hit

http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j169/chewingum89/Photo3.jpg

don't ask how it got gashed THERE, i have NO clue, but it did, and i haven't had any bad hits anywhere else. . . unless it was an idiot on campus that yanked his godforsaken schwinn mountain LEAD out from a bike rack and nicked it on his way out. . . which i have seen happen with my own eyes on MY bike . . . i made sure he knew i saw, and that it was my bike . . ANYWAY, point being, i have a nasty scar

it has the gel inside the bar tape, this makes me believe that normal tape (electrical) won't hold very well. i thought about duct tape, but . . . no . . .

any thoughts? . . . and don't say i have to replace the bar tape :'(

. . . and don't say i have to replace the bar tape :'(OK, I won't.

just glue it with gorilla glue.

Use electrical tape.

PBK has bar tapes for less than $3, and for riding around campus, get a junker to do that instead.

any thoughts? . . . and don't say i have to replace the bar tape :'(

Why not? are you afraid to do it? New handlebar tape is one of the best ways to restore a bike to good looks and its cheap. There are multiple instructional videos on Youtube that show how to replace handelbar tape. It takes about 15 minutes.

Bob

PBK has bar tapes for less than $3, and for riding around campus, get a junker to do that instead.

i do ride it around campus occasionally, but only for the fun of going out for a ride, if it's too late at night, i'll stick on campus and just toodle around. It's only a langster, not terribly nice (though to me it is, and my friends think i'm INSANE for getting a bike that "expensive" : / )

most of the time i ride outside the school walls, just happened as i was leaving . . . . oh, and i don't have money for a junker : ( i spent the money i was going to buy a motorbike with to by the langster!!




i'm not terribly afraid to replace the bar tape, i just have a paranoia that i won't be able to do it quite as nice, i tried once on my brother's fuji track, and . . . . we went through two rolls of bar tape for one handle. . .

oh what the hell, i'll give it a shot

Practice once or a few times without taking the adhesive strip off.. then once you're ready then go for it with it off.. it's also not super permanent.. you can backtrack and fix it if you screw up.

Umm, rewrap your bar tape.

HOLY SH**^&$(%^@^*%($P it's MONGO!!!!!!!!!

. . . candygram for Mongo : )

. . . (nobody has EEEVER made THIS joke before O:-) )

Nope, never head that one...

Seriously, get some tape, carefully unwrap the current tape, taking note of how it's wrapped and carefully rewrap.

It's not hard, it just takes a little care and patience.

unwrap it .. and start at the bottom with the damaged end. I'm sure making your way up, you'll cover the damage..

Park tools web site has great instructions.

Duct tape works better as an interim repair than electrical tape.

Your in college and can't figure out how to wrap a handlebar?:roflmao2: Get a tuition refund. Take that money and invest it in a $15 roll of tape. Take it to the local bike shop and explain that for the life of you, you cannot figure out how to wrap that handlebar...Give the money left over back to Mom and Dad and start your carreer at Walmart as store greeter!!:) Repeat after me " WELOME TO WALMART":)

Your in college and can't figure out how to wrap a handlebar?:roflmao2: Get a tuition refund. Take that money and invest it in a $15 roll of tape. Take it to the local bike shop and explain that for the life of you, you cannot figure out how to wrap that handlebar...Give the money left over back to Mom and Dad and start your carreer at Walmart as store greeter!!:) Repeat after me " WELOME TO WALMART":)

Couldn't get in to college yourself, then?

Your tape is black, so just a single wrap of electrical tape will fix it. It's made to stretch and adhere to itself, so don't try and make it stick to the bar tape, only itself. Of course it won't look as nice, but it's better to have a story than perfect handlebar tape. One loop, and report back tomorrow.

unwrap it .. and start at the bottom with the damaged end. I'm sure making your way up, you'll cover the damage..

+1, this should work.

Your in college and can't figure out how to wrap a handlebar? Get a tuition refund. Take that money and invest it in a $15 roll of tape. Take it to the local bike shop and explain that for the life of you, you cannot figure out how to wrap that handlebar...Give the money left over back to Mom and Dad and start your carreer at Walmart as store greeter!! Repeat after me " WELOME TO WALMART"


Couldn't get in to college yourself, then?

yeppers.

Couldn't get in to college yourself, then?

http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s270/mrmoto_2/oh_snap.gif

Specialized tape doesn't have an adhesive backing. It's just got the gel stuff which helps it grip to itself as you wrap. So....you shouldn't tear it removing it and rewrapping it from the other end. And if you get another roll, you shouldn't mess it up no matter how many times you have to wrap and re-wrap to get the hang of it.