paul2432

What type of tape do you use to tape down the loose ends of your bar wrap?

I wrapped my bars with the Novaro bar wrap from REI. Unfotunately, I needed to reapeat the job because I didn't do a great job the first time. I couldn't reuse the tape that came with the wrap, so I used electrical tape instead, which has not worked very well (keeps coming loose).

Note: To avoid confusion, I've used "wrap" to mean the bar tape that wraps around your bars, and "tape" to mean the tape that holds down the loose ends.

Paul

caloso

Yours didn't work? That's weird. I've never heard that before. I've always used electrician's tape. It's cheap, stretchy, sticky, and comes in a variety of colors.

AEO

use some 3M electrical tape.
the glue on it doesn't melt into a sticky mess.

BCRider

Get some good quality 3M electrical tape. It's about 3 times the cost of the .89 per roll cheap stuff but it's much better. And there is also a trick to using the stretchy electrical tape. Get your first couple of stretched wraps onto the bars to hold the foam tape down and then leave a tag end about 3 to 4 inches long and cut it off neatly. Let the stretch shrink back out for a few seconds and then stretch only the first inch lightly as you lay the end on. The next inch goes down with a little less stretch and the last inch with no stretch at all. By reducing the stretch over the last few inches like this compared to pulling the end until it snaps you'll get almost no creep in the tape and it'll stay stuck down.

scroca

Yeah, I thought electrician's tape was the thing to use too. Works for me.

ARider2

+1 but mostly just buy good electrical tape to start with. My local hardware store has 3 grades - I buy the best.

reptilezs

use the best tape you can buy, it is worth it. stretch the first 2-3 wraps tight and then the last wrap should have little to no tension. the tape should only cover the bar tape not go over on to the bar, if the tape touched the bar it will want to creep

Steve530

3M Scotch Super 33+ Vinyl Electrical Tape

fuzz2050

Yep, the cheap stuff will quite literally melt off in the sun.

dsbrantjr

Google "self-fusing tape" This brand is available in 8 colors: https://www.rescuetape.com/ It's costly but has a thousand uses. Don

cracker7213

Just get some electrical tape and go around more then once at the end of the bar tape. I've been using electrical tape forever. It should work fine.

nhluhr

One mistake people make when using electrical tape sometimes is they just cut strips and apply it. This is WRONG. Electrical tape is meant to be stretched as it is applied, including tearing it off with a focused stretch. I've never had a problem with electrical tape but I typically always have Scotch 33+ on hand.

vredstein

I use hockey tape. It has just a slight stretch to it, is tackier than electrical tape, and adheres to the bar tape better. Maybe I was using cheap electrical tape, but I always had a problem with it creeping back on itself, and the brake housing would stretch it further as it curves away from the bar. The hockey tape will not do this. Since it's tacky on both sides, I sprinkle talc on the outside to knock down the stickiness. It wears to a nice, smooth surface.

Davet

I second the use of hockey (friction) tape. You can really pull it tight when finishing your tape and it doesn't deform or stretch or get gooey in the sun.

After I've used the hockey tape, I finish the wrap with colored electrical tape to compliment a color on the bike.

Asi

How about not using any? Wrap from the middle and end with the plug. I did this on all my bikes and it hadn't gone loose any of them, It may tear up more easily but it still lasts a long time, (I have one that still holds well and looks ok after 8 years)

paul2432

Thanks for all the ideas. It looks like my problem is a combination of low quality tape and poor technique. I'll pick up some of the 3M tape.

RE wrapping from the middle, I have bar end shifters, so this will not work.

Paul

pwdeegan

this stuff sounds amazing, if pricey (did i see a mention that someone used it to walk on water, which was later turned into wine?! no just my imagination).

somewhat off topic: since self-fusing tape claims to be useful for sealing, i wonder if you could use it as an almost-instant tube patch?