Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - bar tape on bullhorn, how?

hi
trying to tape my bullhorn handlebar with brooks leather tape;

before I ruin the whole thing i'd like to check if anybody would be kind enough to share an experience on the way to go

-inside out?
-center to end or end to center?
-any other suggestion / warning welcome

the handlebar to be taped:

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_6nbeHwokAAs/TLOazHue5CI/AAAAAAAAA0Y/GQrkEyLfG14/s400/DSC04420.jpg


an example of what to expect:

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_6nbeHwokAAs/TLOazRAlvII/AAAAAAAAA0c/IAOXrtCO8g8/s400/dscn4391.jpg

thanks and cheers;)

Well that picture looks like end to center, wraping from the outside over the top in. Which is how I have always done my bars. No pics right now, sry.

I did mines center to end, and cut excess off. It sucks. Don't do it the way I did it lol.

depends on how you grip the bar.
I wrap it from end to center, up on the outer side and down on the inner side.

experiment with cheaper tape first.

Agree with everything said so far...End to Center from Outside to Inside...

Brooks:

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_CwB7pTiEi9U/TLOjL6z-cwI/AAAAAAAAAN4/bBuZS6FMBxY/s800/IMG_0001.JPG

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?665356-How-to-wrap-bullhorns&highlight=how+to+wrap+bullhorns

Apparently most people wrap in this direction from the ends to the center. If you do it opposite of this, your tape will naturally unwrap itself in a month or two.

Pic from above thread:

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a267/g00eY/bullhornwrap.jpg?t=1279993980

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?665356-How-to-wrap-bullhorns&highlight=how+to+wrap+bullhorns

Apparently most people wrap in this direction from the ends to the center. If you do it opposite of this, your tape will naturally unwrap itself in a month or two.

Pic from above thread:

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a267/g00eY/bullhornwrap.jpg?t=1279993980

not a problem if you use some double sided tape at both ends or if the bar tape has a sticky backing.

I usually manage to rip my bar tape from my bike falling over before I can unravel them.

I've wrapped the wrong way before with sticky-backed bar tape and it started unwrapping on the center side within 2 months.

I've wrapped the wrong way before with sticky-backed bar tape and it started unwrapping on the center side within 2 months. +1

^^^
also +1

I like to start at the center and go to the end. That way I don't have to use any sort of tape. You have to jam it in the end of the bars either way. I've never had one of my tape jobs unwrap.

http://i812.photobucket.com/albums/zz48/Jacob54901/My%20bikes/IMG_0840.jpg

maybe it depends on the type of tape.
When i wrapped center to end with brooks before, i was thinking the same thing. If i start center, I don't need electrical tape. Thing is, when I put my hands on the horns (where they are most of the time) after a while they'll push the tape up since the overlap tape is in reverse to the weight pushing. And they unraveled. Not a lot, but enough to annoy me.

http://stupidhurts.org/?page_id=162

wow that is a lot of information guys, thank you for taking the time to reply! this forum is awesome

I will process this and get started as soon as I get some electrical tape; as a matter of facts, this is probably the weak spot if the tape doesn't hold.

Will post some pics once job is done!

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?665356-How-to-wrap-bullhorns&highlight=how+to+wrap+bullhorns

Apparently most people wrap in this direction from the ends to the center. If you do it opposite of this, your tape will naturally unwrap itself in a month or two.

Pic from above thread:

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a267/g00eY/bullhornwrap.jpg?t=1279993980

yeah, i've done that same thing on both pairs of bullhorns. Seems to hold up very well.

the brooks bar tape having a sticker below, I suppose it has to be sticking on the aluminum handlebar and not on the previous leather loop; anybody had problems achieving this?

another one: how much tape do you stuff inside the bar end before putting in the cap? How to ensure that the cork bar end cap holds?

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_6nbeHwokAAs/TLQmlEty-hI/AAAAAAAAA04/x_bi4KQQuBI/s800/ResampleImg.ashx.jpg

I don't have Brooks tape, but for normal synthetic cork-like tape I leave about half the width of the tape for stuffing.

wow that is a lot of information guys, thank you for taking the time to reply! this forum is awesome

I will process this and get started as soon as I get some electrical tape; as a matter of facts, this is probably the weak spot if the tape doesn't hold.

Will post some pics once job is done!
good luck. Go slooooooow.
The brooks does come with the black cloth tape for the finish. But I think if u use electric tape first, then cover the electric tape with the black cloth tape that comes with, it looks nicer.

i have about 1/3 of the tape in the bars. I have to say, the cork bar end is not the best made thing. It looks really nice with the tape, but occasionally the wood cap and the cork separates and i have to glue it back to the cork.

good luck. Go slooooooow.
The brooks does come with the black cloth tape for the finish. But I think if u use electric tape first, then cover the electric tape with the black cloth tape that comes with, it looks nicer.

+1. Seems to hold a lot better when you get a nice once over of electrical tape around the ends, then wrap that with the cloth tape

I use a TT lever on my Horns for the front brake. So on one side I literally just wrap some tape around itself and then wrap normally to hold that end in place. No trouble with that.

Here's my thinking:

There are two consderations- you should have your tape "shingle" the right way, and if you wrap from center to end, you can catch the end of the tape under itself as you start so no finishing tape is required, which looks better and is more secure.

What I mean about shingling is, on drops you don't want the lower wrap covering the pass above it, because that results in an exposed edge that is prone to catching/ rolling/ tearing. So on drops, you have to choose between having it "shingle" the right way and not having to tape it off. My LBS wraps drops end to center, so shingling is given priority.

On bullhorns, you can have your cake and eat it too. If you start in the center you can catch the end under itself and not use tape, and then when the bar rises the higher passes cover over the lower ones. So, I always wrap bullhorns center to end.

Of course, it's debatable which way you actually want the wrap on bullhorns to shingle since your hands are sort of wanting to slide forward, especially when you brake. However, I've run cork tape on my bullhorns for over a year of daily use, and though the tape has started to wear through there's been no unwrapping or tearing. I've wrapped I think four sets of bullhorns this way and none have come loose or had any problems. I've seen the finishing tape peel or just rotate such that the tape loosens on a number of bikes and so I have kind of an aversion to using any.

Maybe 1/2 inch of tape exposed all the way around at the end, to stuff under the cap? Depends on how thick the tape is and how much you can fit in there. It doesn't hurt anything to have too much- it'll probably be more secure. Just cut it enough that the plug fits all the way in there. If you use reverse levers or something like that, you'll probably have to have just a tiny bit of tape hanging over to catch.

I don't see why direction of rotation is particularly important, and it would be different depending on whether you wrap center to end or end to center anyways. I always do it so both sides angle in towards the center or away, rather than having both sides angle left or right, but that's just cause I think it looks better that way.

i've tried the 'center to end' option since the brooks tape is tapered on both end and that allows to start with the correct angle; the perforation helps getting a consistent overlap.

however i am not sure how to stuff the tape inside the bar end and ensure tightness- the tape is quite thick and it is hard to get the cap in with the leather folds tucked in...

I guess that is the downside of starting from the center...

Any idea how to end this properly?

done! I redid it from end to center, much easier to deal with the caps, and the 'shingle' direction seems better this way

fantastic improvement of my riding comfort
need to change or stain those caps though...

thanks to everyone for support

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_6nbeHwokAAs/TLbKSXDgbXI/AAAAAAAAA3g/vKbxvrdtWTo/s800/DSC04535.JPG

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_6nbeHwokAAs/TLbKStJqHjI/AAAAAAAAA3k/PXI69vUTHK8/s800/DSC04536.JPG

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_6nbeHwokAAs/TLbKTDQL4II/AAAAAAAAA3s/cgTx7MU_mg4/s800/DSC04538.JPG

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_6nbeHwokAAs/TLbLRvyvwMI/AAAAAAAAA4A/Y5OqkFB7LlY/s800/DSC04541.JPG

Dying them black would look sweeeeeeet.

good job :thumb:

Get some mahogany wood stain on those caps.

i have about 1/3 of the tape in the bars. I have to say, the cork bar end is not the best made thing. It looks really nice with the tape, but occasionally the wood cap and the cork separates and i have to glue it back to the cork.

actually the left cap came off twice already; first time wood glue, didn't last, this time supaglue... but i don't think it will hold very long... how did you manage to glue it permanently?

any nice (and strong) bar end caps you would recommend?

I always wrap end to center, but I always have trouble with the ends when I reach the flat portion/stem clamp area. I snip it diagonally but can never get a clean look and both ends end up feeling bulky and uneven. Any tips on how to "finish" the wrap job?

I always wrap end to center, but I always have trouble with the ends when I reach the flat portion/stem clamp area. I snip it diagonally but can never get a clean look and both ends end up feeling bulky and uneven. Any tips on how to "finish" the wrap job?

the way I did was to stop the leather tape abt half inch before the clamp area, where the bar diameter is slightly bigger, and finish the wrapping with electrical tape, 'til that microstep

on another matter, I found a nice yet expensive bar end cap to replace the useless brooks 'cocgnac bottle cap' cork plug.

It's from Gilles Berthoud, comes in black, can be tightened with an allen key, and it's just awesome... didn't like the brass touch at first but it's growing on me:

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_6nbeHwokAAs/TMVXSI8RQ6I/AAAAAAAAA5I/zZQ9oNaeMlg/s800/DSC04685.JPG

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_6nbeHwokAAs/TMVXST2tQ-I/AAAAAAAAA5M/PX9icECItJU/s800/DSC04686.JPG

start at the base. wrap out (no tape needed) than trim excess with about an inch or two left. than stick it in the bar end. works great, looks clean and no tape needed.