RFC

Over the holidays, I have been messing around with some hockey tape and Shellac test strips. Here are the results.

First photo is the control -- tape / no shellac:

-- white, yellow, orange, red, maroon, black

Second photo is after three coats of shellac: Top stick with amber shellac and bottom with clear.

As you can see, the darker the initial color, the quicker it goes even darker with both amber and clear.

lostarchitect 

Hockey tape comes in colors? Where do you get it? How does it feel?

RFC

Any hockey equipment store or online.

I wrap several layers on the bars and like the feel. It is supple, but tough as hide, which you learn when you cut it off the bars. Also, because it is thinner than regular cloth bike tape, I can "mold" it and combine colors. And, if I don't like the result, just lay on a fresh layer and go to work on it.

JReade

Hockey tape is a cloth tape that is adhesive on the back..imagine masking tape but fabric. Most rinks will have a variety of colors, and you can get pretty much any color online. I'm partial to white on my sticks.

unworthy1

very nice demo and timely as I'm trying to get a particular shade of orange for a friend's Raleigh.
Regal Tip hickory? I'm more a Vater fan, myself

Sixty Fiver

It also darkens over time... this is 3 layers of yellow tape with 5-6 coats of shellac and 4 years of aging.

simmonsgc

Sorry this is off-topic, but I have to say I love that lone centerpull in the photo, nobly going about its work undaunted by the lack of a companion.

rootboy 

I like the one on the left.
The Trout Slayer.

RFC

I'm particularly fond of the IPA.

Henry III

I have to ask but is riding on shellac cloth tape comfortable? Doesn't it just become rock hard and isn't it a nightmare to get off when shellac'd? Is it one of those aquired C&V tastes for us young'ins who never lived it?

simmonsgc

Great question. I *love* the look of it on a vintage bike, but always thought it would be brutal to use on a tour. So, I never really went that route (and I don't really have a bike that calls out for it). I'd like to hear from guys who've done multi-day rides or brevets on it. Maybe that's why God made padded gloves.

mkeller234

Yeah, and Fizik tape. I like cloth because it looks nice. I hate cork because it's fragile and gets filthy. Fizik so far has been durable, cleanable and comfortable... you can debate looks, but I like it.

Michael Angelo 

As good as cloth tape looks, I feel it's very uncomfortable. My favorite tape has to be, S-Wrap Roubaix Tape, by Specialized. I just wished they made it in brown.
https://www.specialized.com/us/en/bc/...jsp?spid=57619

Ex Pres 

I have had it on two bikes longer term, and I can't say that it's as comfortable as modern tape. - BUT -

I'm experimenting with a new method - I have the bar wrapped but have not taken it on a longer ride yet so no LT test report. I took an old inner tube, slit it open, and wrapped it around my bars first (with a glue stick), then wrapped the cotton over it. It feels like it will be more comfortable, and adds a little diameter to the bars, which I also prefer.

Sixty Fiver

I find the cloth tape is comfortable but always wear gloves so the wrap is more for traction than anything else... shellacked bars are also very easy to clean as soap and water will remove any road grime.

rootboy 

And the shellac laden tape comes right off the bars when you want to remove it, Henry III. I do prefer the feel of bare cloth tape but like to experiment with getting custom colors not available in plain tape. My experiments in very dark green right now have been a major PITA, but fun. I like the idea of inner tube Ex Pres. I recently tried something called "rescue tape", made of silicone. Doesn't really stick to the aluminum bars but sticks to itself like crazy, so much so it has to be sliced off when you mess up, as I have, but just touch it with a razor knife and it comes right off. Cloth tape doesn't stick to it though so it's difficult to over-wrap with cloth.

As for comfort, I sometimes use two layers of cotton tape, but I always wear padded gloves anyway.

realestvin7

I want to cloth/hockey wrap some bars so bad right now. What riding gloves do you guys recommend?

Sixty Fiver

Knit and fingerless of course...

Henry III

I normally don't ride with gloves but have two pairs of the knitted fingerless gloves. I had a bike that I picked up that had cloth tape and it was horrible to get that stuff off and left petrified residue that I had to use a wire wheel to remove. It sure does look nice though. Different strokes for different folks.

rootboy 

Oh yeah. Some of the adhesive they used sticks better than others, that's for sure. I just peeled some old Tressostar and had to use lacquer thinner on the bars. Well-penetrated shellac however seems to lessen the effect.
I like fingerless leather and knit gloves too, but good ones are getting hard to find.

Thumpic

I had a compressed ulnar nerve (palm) earlier this year. I will never ride without gloves again; it's just not worth the risk. Gloves are too cheap compared to our bikes and dr visits!

lostarchitect 

+1, although I switch to leather motorcycle gloves when it gets cold out, but I wouldn't try that with new motorcycle gloves, they're too stiff! I only use my oldest motorcycle gloves on a bicycle, ones that are almost too worn out and broken in to use on a motorcycle anymore.

RFC

Good discussion, all.

A few random thoughts:

I have no comfort problems with shellac and tape. For a variety of reasons, I'm not all that fond of corkish foam. My favorite handle bar tapes are Fizik and Nashbar leather. Neither are at all cushy. If you want a little more cush, use some old corkish tape as a first layer before the cloth. Wrap the cork tight and wide without any overlap.

And, I wear gloves 95% of the time. If you ride a lot, gloves are a consumable. I will wear out or rot out two pairs a year. Price and quality do not seem to matter, so I buy the cheap Performance and knitted Nashbars. They work fine and last just as long as high end gloves.