I love bar wrapping, I'm a natural at it and find it therapeutic. However I haven't done it in decades. Currently I have straight bars with grips, but I'd like bullhorn bars and when I fit those, I'll be using what they used to call Grab-ons, black dense foam covers, slip on with soapy water or shave cream. I need the extra hand cushion. I was always stylish so for aero brake levers, I'd put the cables under the Grab-ons, that part was tricky, as well as making a small rectangular cutout near the end and slipping the brake handle bracket inside to clamp the brake handle on, bracket overlapping the foam, with the rubber brake hoods providing more overlap for a really pretty installation.

f**k, f**k, f**k, f**k, f**k...

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...7913711ac1.jpg

Ah, bummer! Bitten in the arse by that overlap.

Oof da

Second attempt wasn't much better (maybe 1/2-inch further). Maybe this is why Giro d'Italia bars with their short reach and drop are popular? This is a Campione del Mondo bar.

Just cut the last 1.5" from the bar ends and you're sorted! :D

I love CdM bars, but yeah, that deep drop is enough to realllllly stretch the limits of some tapes (Velox/Cateye is notoriously short for anything other than GdI bars, I swear).

On the plus side, your wrap job is consistent and clean :)

DD

I ride from March thru July with a youth mentorship program that does 3 training rides a week as practice for RAGBRAI which took place a couple weeks ago. Some of the return riding youth who are dedicated to riding and able to do so, save up to buy road bikes and their tape gets trashed thru the season(since kids arent exactly the most careful). So come RAGBRAI, I am inevitably asked to wrap a few bikes since I help maintain the fleet of youth bikes. I always have the kids do it with me so they have to put effort in and also learn how to wrap the bars, but usually end up adjusting the tape here or there to get it to look good and last.

This year though- I was able to eliminate 2 brands of tape from ever considering for my own bikes.
One was Bontrager Gel and the other was Supacaz. The Bontrager Gel snapped from regular wrapping force. It was crazy to see, really. I was shocked to see such low quality tape that costs $40 retail.
The other, Supacaz, is really nice looking and good material, but doesnt stretch. At all. It was awful to apply as it wasnt long enough, even after re-wrapped 3 times! I couldnt go any further at the risk of the tape not overlapping in spots. Also $40 retail.

I wrap bars in my sleep and absolutely love the process- something zen like in the repetition, maybe. But both brands made me feel like it was my first time wrapping bars- It was crazy.

Oh so you thought you were done...sigh

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...0ffa431637.jpg

Doh!


The above was from June, I normally do ok but sometimes I forget to take it slow and steady and most importantly check frequently that things are even and there are no $%&^(! gaps. Just wrapped some tonight, Cinelli cork wrap, bottom up inside out method with tape, have a project with cloth tape coming up where I will be trying the top down, look ma no tape method. Tonight's job on the Allez my electrical tape roll expired as I finished this job, time for a new roll.

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...99b920dd2a.jpg

What tape is that? I only ask because Newbaums is usually quite generous with the length.

I love this leather tape, got it from a BF member a while back. Works nice with my Brooks flyer.
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...48211bb60d.jpg
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...ba7deae979.jpg

Not wishing to be rude, but majority of 'bars on this thread are incorrectly wrapped.

John.

I often run out of tape before I run out of bar. No big deal. I just wrap again, reducing the overlap. When I use "permanent" tape (such as leather), I don't want to cut off the excess, so sometimes I end up with too much tape at the end, so I have to rewrap, increasing the overlap. It can take a few trials and errors. It's part of the process.

ok

I too am awful at bar tape. Good thing its temporary!

Details?

Anyway, I just finished wrapping bars, eh, five minutes ago. I had run into a problem that I never had with Tressostar years ago, that had edge-to-edge adhesive on the back. With modern squishy tape and no adhesive (I just used Cinelli but another brand I just removed), when wrapping top-down, the exposed edge at the overlaps faces up; specifically at the first curve in the bars out from the center (where I ride a lot), I was getting roll-back and separation between the wraps. Did I used to much or too little stretch? I don't think so). So, I just did bottom up and used the supplied "finishing tape" at the top despite the aesthetic compromise.

I don't know, kind of like which way the toilet paper goes...

Bar wrapping is an acquired taste. I used to hate it, now it is a labor of love, and adds either the finishing touch, or freshens up a older bike's feel and look. I like Brooks leather wrap, though it is pricey. I found a Chinese product, Kingou, on Ebay for 1/4 the cost of Brooks. Its synthetic, wraps easily, provides just the right amount of "cush", and doesn't seem to darken or stain like the Brooks does. I've always wrapped end to top, mostly because I use bar ends, and don't want to deal with cables and removing the shifters. I've tried Fisik on a couple of modern bikes, like the look, wraps easily, but could use a little more "cush". I like the overlap pointing out, so the edges lay down and don't lift with use,
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...f30dd37da4.jpg
Brooks leather on '73 Super Course. This is right afrer application. Now, shows patina of sweat stains, hand oils, and 3000 miles, but is holding up well.
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...88471fc126.jpg
'78 Super Course with Kingou synthetic. Nice feel, doesn't seem to stain, and 1/4 cost of real leather. I have it on two bikes, both with honey color Brooks saddles.
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...1d27926507.jpg
Fisik yellow on a modern bike. I spray painted the plastic plugs to match. Like the look, but the tape could use more cush. The top bar bag isn't really that big, just the camera angle.
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...0835c66c2a.jpg
My Peogeot on the left with the Kingou synthetic, a friend's on the right with tricolor cloth wrap.

Fun fact:
When you use the word but in this way, 100% of whatever came before it is BS.

[MENTION=459436]Slightspeed[/MENTION], how durable and reusable is the Kingou tape? I see Amazon is selling it, and it comes with some nice looking plugs.

Brooks leather tape is nice, but it's not as nice as my Nashbar leather tape, now out of production. I have had it for years and even moved it from bike to bike. I'd love to find it again.

I bought some Brooks Cambium synthetic tape and am waiting to try it. It gets bad reviews for being inflexible thus hard to install.

There were two correct ways to wrap bars when cotton was king, depending on whether or not the bike had brake hoods. Later on, there was a third correct way to wrap that we learned for Bike Ribbon - bottom up. Normally I'm all for doing things correctly, but in this case what is correct is dependent on period, location, material and context. That said, I'm curious as to what [MENTION=416362]hobbs1951[/MENTION] considers to be the correct method.

At any rate I've given up on the modern correct way of wrapping, and have gone back to wrapping top down -- like in the old days. Works better for me, and doesn't require some ugly tape at the top, or twee twine that comes undone.

I've rewrapped the two bikes I have the Kingou wrap more than twice, to change or move brake levers. It seems to go back on quite easily. It does have a light adhesive strip on the back, about 1/4" wide. Also I have wrapped over brake and/or shifter cables, and the flexibility is great for that too. I got the Peugeot last August so it has been about a year, where the Brooks has the patina of three years and over 3,000 miles of use. I don't have a recent close-up of the Brooks, but it has held up well, but darkened considerably. I didn't like the feel of the Brooks, when I wrapped it on a spare bar to test it, so I left the old thin black foam tape on the Raleigh, and wrapped over it. The Brooks looks a little fat on the bike, but feels better to me. Never tried the Brooks Cambium.

a similar comment was made in this thread https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-v...nish-tape.html
but many requests were made then of the holy grail method, but all were ignored.


But I did discover this photo of his bike
https://www.bikeforums.net/attachmen...1&d=1519808583

Or it could be that we are all stupid (ref Emperor's New Clothes) and that is the real reason we can't see the handlebar tape wrapped correctly


come on Jon [when he is Roadking], or John [when he is Hobbs 1951], show us how we should be wrapping our handlebars.

Excellent wraps, [MENTION=493684]SurferRosa[/MENTION]. Is that colored electrical tape or something else?

Reminds me, don't cheap out on electrical tape. There's a huge difference between the dollar store stuff and 3M. I finally ponied up for the good stuff this year. Much nicer.

Also, another plug for Arundel Synth Gecko, at least for practice wraps or folks with joint pain. It's pricey but good stuff and easily reusable.

I'm redoing my '93 Trek 5900, from 140mm titanium stem and conventional crit style drops to 90mm aluminum FSA stem and compact FSA Omega drops. Just waiting for delivery of the shim I need for the 1" head tube to fit the 1-1/8" stem. My neck will thank me.

And I can reuse the same Arundel Synth Gecko wrap again. That'll be the fourth time since April I've reused the same Arundel wrap, since I keep experimenting with handlebars. So it's turned out to be more cost effective than four packs of $10 bar wrap.

How do you handle the raw tape edge at the bar ends with top-down wraps? I've done it a few times to quickly rewrap over cheap foam tape, using Arundel Synth Gecko silicone rubber wrap. But there's always that raw edge. Only drawback to fat cushy wrap.

If I used a single wrap of cloth or cello tape it'd be easier to hide. I did that back in the 1970s, but I didn't have a bum neck and shoulder to deal with back then. It was easy to hide the tape edge and stuff it into the bar ends with plugs.

Just in case you couldn't decide which way to go...