I swear, a couple years ago, I bought some bar tape that didn't have that thing adhesive strip on the back. I was new to cycling then, and just thought that's how they all came. But I'm learning that's not the case. And it's making my changing and repositioning brake levers a pain as they are hard to pull off and reuse.

Am I crazy that I'm sure I was getting tape w/o adhesive?

There was a thread I saw asking about benotto bar tape and they did mention that yes, bar tape with no adhesive is a thing. The adhesive is for convenience apparently.

ALL my tape is non-adhesive. Cheapo from Asia. I'm happy with it.

Old inner tubes work good, but you need something to cover them because the sweat from your hands will corrode them in a few weeks of regular use. Plus vulcanized rubber, while an excellent shock-absorber, is not the most ideal surface to be gripping in some conditions.

I buy that cheap cloth Newbaum's tape to cover the inner tubing, and when I combine the two I have a very comfortable, cheap, and fairly removable way to wrap my bars.

Yup, me too. In fact I use that inexpensive bar tape on most builds...

I usually do my first test ride on the bike with electrical tape to hold the cables in place, but no bar tape.

Once you're happy with the test ride, wrap it up.

Inevitably, about halfway through the life of the tape, I'll decide to do some maintenance that requires removing the tape, and for some reason, I never get the crossover at the levers quite the same, so I always end up with a unique grime pattern on the tape.

"Cork" tape pretty much just tears apart, if it had the adhesive on it, if you try to remove it for reusing.....
it can come off OK only within a few hours of installation, but any longer means, you will have to buy new tape if you have to take it off for any reason...

Ditto. I never take the tape off. Did it once and spent over an hour cleaning up remnants.

Planet Bike has some. I got it off fleabay for about $15. No adhesive but it sticks like it's glued on. Cork/rubber combo. Very comfortable.
Jon

The cork tape at Performance is non-adhesive.

https://www.performancebike.com/shop...k-tape-50-0622

Having a long gel tape really takes off the pressure... literally




Domain Cycling EXTRA LONG


It goes on pretty easy but it isn't the longest lasting.

Ditto, the inner tubes cut into strips. Good for practicing bar wrapping too, especially while experimenting with setting up the bar, levers, etc., to your satisfaction. Or for a cushion layer under cosmetically appealing bar tape.

Unique Grime Pattern is the name of my Nirvana tribute jug band.

I don't understand what the problem is. I took off some tape just the other day. I rolled it up on itself then put it back on the bars.

What is your difficulty with it?

Can't recommend the rubber cement on the ends suggested above. I just took some tape off that had that done on one end, about 3-4 inches up, and I had to use a razor to scrape most of it off. The old cork resists the razor, so it's a messy, annoying job. It would take a solvent to actually clean the bar up, and I didn't want to mess with that in my apartment.

I tend to be fussy when I tape, so I unwrap and rewrap several times with fresh tape. By the time I get it where I want, the adhesive is barely tacky, and I've been able to take that tape off and rewrap it long after the original installation. I've also found that if you take tape off and wash it in warm water, then let it hang for a couple of days in a warm room, the "baked in" twists and curves will soften somewhat, and with gentle persuasion it is usually reusable.

- There is cheap china tape off ebay for $1 or so without any grippy backing. The quality of the tape is what you would expect for $1 tape- its dense foam and feels like it. Ive used some of this on refurbished bikes I then flip. It gets the job done, i guess.

- There is mid-cheap tape with adhesive tape backing for $6-15. The quality of the tape is better that the $1 ebay stuff, but it isnt great. And it often tears when you want to reset the tape for whatever reason(s). Ive used some of this on refurbished bikes i then flip as well as used to use it on some of my bikes. It gets the job done, i guess.

- There is quality tape with gel backing for $10-60. The quality of the tape is significantly better than the other options. The cushion has depth and is often times more supple while still being long wearing. It comes in different thicknesses too. Best of all- the gel strip grips the bar well and resetting tape is easy as it doesnt adhere to anything and wraps over and again easily without issue or mess.


Life is too short for bad tape when quality tape just isnt much more and last a long time. $15-20 tape is on all my bikes..hardly expensive. It has the thickness I like, gel strip allows for easy and fast wrapping(and re-wrapping), and it all wears well for long lasting use.

Old-style cloth tape always had adhesive. Modern padded rubber tape doesn't. At least, that's been my experience.

Living proof the C&V folks are a bunch of cheap bātards!

During the bike boom, most entry level bikes came with CHEAP plastic tape without any adhesive. That stuff was a PIA... Assembling bikes, working on them, riding them with that junk tape always turned into a mess as soon as it started to loosen up and unravel.




We re-taped a lot of bars with cloth tape before they hit the showroom floor at our shop.

Anyone who longs for the good old days of cheap plastic bar tape either wasn't there or...read my first sentence!

verktyg

Oh and BTW, I always thought that the Benotto cellophane tape fad was just a bunch of expensive cheap plastic tape. Always reminded me of trying to wrap presents with cheap ribbon!



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