Anyone have any cool tips for wrapping bars?

here is mine.
#1 When using stiff tape, wrap the bars without exposing the adhesive, take the tape off and rewrap, the tape will be broken in a bit and wrap and handle nicer.

- James
www.buckyrides.com

Finish off the wrap with self-fusing silicone tape instead of electrical tape.

I've seen this recommended several places and tried it myself. It does make a very neat finishing tape but I found my hands tended to curl up the edges when holding the bars near the stem. I've gone back to electrical tape but use high quality electrical tape (Scotch brand), not the dollar store stuff.

I’m gunna be wrapping my bars for the first time soon. Hopefully not as difficult as I am thinking it will be in my head.

My LBS is a trek store, so most likely that is where i’ll be buying mine from. Online the bontrager stuff ranges from 15 dollars all the way up to 75, anything I should take into consideration other than color? Silly question but I couldn’t tell the difference between a lot of them. (looking at a picture online not in person).

Bottle of wine

Good call

I like tape that has a bit of stretch and is thinner to wrap easier
- james
www.buckyrides.com

I have arthritis in my hands so I like thicker, more shock-absorbent tape, some of my bars have Specialized Body Geometry Bar Phat gel insert for extra cushioning, which one might not want as it does very slightly give a less direct connect to your steering/handling. Some like the tape with adhesive or a sticky gel strip to keep it from shifting, but I find it unnecessary and a pain to clean for re-taping. I have one handlebar with leather and it looks fabulous, but hard for me to get a nice wrap and it offers little cushioning. Have two with shellaced Nubaum's cotton that looks great on the C&V bikes, lasts for years with a little shellac touch-up but again no padding and not at all "grippy", it is slick. When I buildout a bike for a family member I almost always go with Cinelli cork as it give good grip, cushioning and wears well, it does have annoying sticky strip but that is my kids problem when a new wrap is needed.

I don't like exposed adhesive tape at all. I wrap from the top down and secure the end inside the handlebar with the plug. No exposed, unsightly tape. Some people say that wrapping this opposite way causes the edges of the tape to roll up. That's not my experience...if you wrap it tight enough.

Another alternative...if the bar tape is too thick to allow the plug into the bar end...wrap from the top down to the brake hood, and then a seperate piece from the bottom up to the brake hood. Secure them under the brake hood with the adhesive tape.

Dan

IME, wrapping top down works with thin or cloth tape. I like thicker tape, and find that my hands roll up the edges of the tape when wrapped this way.

Use a clamp like this to hold a partially done tape job. I like to step back and look at it from different angles to see if it looks even and consistent.

I like the looks of cloth wrap like Newbaum's, but also like wrap a a bit thicker with some padding. I usually get what ever cheaper padded wrap I find on sale and then wrap over that with Newbaum's, choosing the color depending on the bike. Also, I like wrap without the adhesive strip. Sometimes that can be easily pulled off, sometimes not.

Wrapping is a skill and I wouldn't expect your first time to be perfect, but it can be pretty good if you take your time.
A lot of wraps are too slippery for me - I like cork like Cinelli or perforated like Fizik, with a little padding and a little grippiness.

thanks for the insight!

One tip I picked up from here.... If you use electrical tape to finish it off, which I do, the inclination is to pull it tight, or stretch it as you apply it. Its natural tendency is to shrink back up, and you'll see that result a few weeks down the road. Make it a nice tight finish, but don't stretch it, then cut it. You'll be much happier.

I do many leather wraps and its maybe the most challenging to wrap and have stay in place.
Using a under layer adheasive tape or double sided will really help keep any wrap in place and add an extra layer of wrapping.

I tape strips of old bar tape under my new tape in stategic spots, gives extra padding where I want it without needing a narrower selection of overly thick tape where I don't. Similar to gel pads. Types of material and even differences in brands and textures are a VERY personal choice. I've used tapes of various cost levels that seemed to be exactly what I desire based on marketing and reviews and they totally sucked and I had the exact opposite experience.