Originally Posted by
moxfyre
+1
Tight is critical. I make the tape have about 10% less tension than what might tear it... I experiment with a small piece before wrapping it to find the tearing point. With tight tape and the upside down electrical tape, it holds for a very long time.
I for one have had good luck with the cheap Nashbar gel tape, but have had bad luck with expensive gel tape from the LBS (although it was comfortable). Go figure...
The advantage of cloth tape is clear in that it doesn't tear like gel or cork. of course, it has the downside of being far less comfortable...
If your bike is only for the commute, and the commute is short, you might as well go for durable over comfortable, and use cloth tape, wrapped really, really tight. Me, I'll keep replacing my expensive cinelli cork every 4 months : ) .