Two bits:

1. Although Park puts down the idea of using the figure-8 rather than the little extra piece, I recommend that you leave the piece out. The figure-8 method, when done w/ the proper tension, looks more professional and is simpler than trying to mess with the additional pieces. Differences between brake levers require angling the pieces, and you’ll likely have to cut the pieces down anyway. As far as a bulky spot, the extra pieces put a bulge in the tape and your hoods anyway.

2. If you pull old tape off and want to reuse it, swapping ends before wrapping again can make it work better. I recently purchased a bike that the mechanic had wrapped extremely lightly and caused the bar tape to be too plush for my taste. When I tried to rectify the matter, the tape wouldn’t mold onto the bar the way I wanted. My fix was to start wrapping with the part of the tape that was originally at the top of my bar. The results were extremely good, and definitely better than the “fat wrap” I had originally.

sb