I wanted to take my white cloth tape off, give it a bleach bath, re-install and give it the “Drillium Dude” shellac treatment.

I was surprised to find mastic on the back of the tape.

can this be washed or will it become a gummy mess?

I don’t know if it was factory applied or someone made the extra effort.

me, I usually use hairspray or a single run of double stick on the bars.

I’ve seen neubam’s with padding but never sticky stuff.

Can I wash/bleach this tape and Re-use??

or do I have to buy online?
(16 bike shops in portland….nobody carries cloth tape.)

Since when does Newbaum not have adhesive?

Now you have any questioning my sanity.

perhaps you are right and I simply don’t remember. Can you wash it with adhesive?

I think I read somewhere that an even better product is available at fabric stores. It is used to put an edge around a comforter for example

It’s still begs, a question, can I wash it or will it become a gummy mess?

I don’t have an answer, but if it were me I’d go ahead and try it. Not too expensive an experiment if it fails and you have to replace it. Neubaums does have adhesive, at least last I used it.

1. I have never in almost 50 years of this foolishness seen cloth bar tape that did not have a sticky backing. Doesn't mean it doesn't exist, but . . . .
2. I don't know for certain, but my money is on it becoming a sticky mess.

Also, in almost 50 years of this foolishness, it has never once dawned on me to try to reuse cloth bar tape. That could just be me and an utter lack of imagination, but . . . .

If no place in or near Portland has cloth tape, Newbaum is easily available on line. Rivendell, for one, carries it. Also, I kind of hate Newbaum's adhesive. One, I actively dislike having to peel the paper off of it (I don't remember having to do that with Tresostar or Tresorex BITD. Two, while the adhesive sticks well to the bars, it sticks with stunning tenacity to itself, meaning if you inadvertently have it fold over on itself while wrapping (this happens to me at or near the brake levers), it takes an act of Congress to get it unstuck from itself. I have uttered a fair number of naughty words because of this.

Having said that, I still buy it and use because it is readily available and the results are good.

It may take a while to get an answer as to if it will wash out because would bet not too many have tried to do that. But if you run it through the wash you will know for sure and can answer the question if it comes up again.

I hear that it’s a regular thing to wash bar tape and install while still damp. It shrinks when it dries is the rumor.

I will wash in a bin as opposed to the washing machine ( imagining mastic transferring to all my other whites)

will report

Probably not with water and soap. Adhesives used on tapes are very nonpolar and don’t usually come off with water and/or soap. You might be able to use mineral spirits or Goof Off but that could get expensive fairly quickly and is kind of hazardous. I’m somewhat dubious that even that would work.

The tape in fabric stores is called seam tape or fabric edging or twill tape. Here’s some in different colors. Same company has it is 3/4” and I’ve found some as wide as 1.5”. Another interesting tape to look at is called “Shaker tape” which is used for the seats of Shaker chairs. They have some interesting colors and some interesting patterns that might be fun to try as bar tape. Etsy seems to have a lot of different tapes like this in different colors and patterns.

The way to do it is to leave the tape on, and blast it with a self-serve car wash wand. Also, let it get dirtier - yours is 'clean enough' to ride, if maybe not for a new wall-hanger...

A bit late for an April 1st post.

surely you are joking.

Newbaums is an unpolished cotton, catches dirt quickly, Tressostar is better, the old stuff even better but now that adhesive is so old- nah.
Consider, Art Love time and Money, and I will add quality.
new tape then seal that.
maybe Verathane if you want little or no tint.

I have wiped cloth tape with a baby wipe- perpendicular to the section, helps but will not return to bright white.

Gonna just say its time for new tape and then shellac. So not worth the hassle going this route.

On the other hand, if you want white tape that won't get dirty no matter how hard I try, use Ambrosio Bike Ribbon. Better living through chemicals.

Up North 28 by iabisdb, on Flickr

blinding them with science.

Yep. Bike Ribbon Professional. Hard to find lately

I wouldn't. I would use detergent.

Tape without adhesive? You’re asking about twill tape. You can find it at the Mill Ends Store. Use it once and you’ll know why HB tape has adhesive.

Iab said: On the other hand, if you want white tape that won't get dirty no matter how hard I try, use Ambrosio Bike Ribbon. Better living through chemicals.

Except I'm removing the cloth tape from a newer bike to replace the Ambrosio Bike Ribbon on an older bike.

I thought I could just swap bar wraps.

No advice here. I've been using cloth tape forever. I do reuse it, but not as "new" nice tape. In my aged state, I prefer two layers of cloth tape. Old one's go on first. Because of that adhesive, the first layer does not have to be a continuous roll or even from the same roll. And I've never had a roll of adhesive-less cloth HB tape in my hands. And, not to my knowledge, ever seen one.

Now, for me, cloth tape is a consumable to give my sweaty hands a good grip on the bars, I would never shellac if. All my tape jobs die from wear behind the brake hoods and at the bottom of the drop curve. Two layers extends the window before I see bare metal.

The thickness on tapes vary; coloured hockey tape is about 0.01mm, Tressostar 0.02mm.
If you use a single-layer of hockey tape there's not much cushion.
Twill from a place with a thickness-to-"weight" chart says their heavyweight is 0.030 to 0.033.
Shaker tape looks to be heavier still, I'll be getting some to try, and there is perhaps a cotton webbing in between twill and Shaker.
I bought plain uncoloured twill from the fabric store, it is 0.02.
The twill I wrapped double and then shellaced (first pic).
Of course, once shellaced, not having adhesive doesn't matter.
Wrapping without adhesive seems to work if it's thick enough and tight enough, especially if started at the bar ends.
(If wrapping that way use a good bar plug so you can pull good and tight as you start; at the top I use a bit of clear hockey tape to hold it tight.)
I got some cool multi-coloured tape from that auction site, it is 0.023 so nice and thick, a single-wrap feels cushiony enough and looks like second pic.

I think an unappreciated factor in bar-wrapping is matching the actual diameter to the rider's hands.
A thick bar with cork-type wrap has a definite "too-big" feel for me.
There's a bike with a french bar with a single cello layer on it that feels too small.

I have heard of bar tape being laundered, although I’ve never tried it myself. Ray Dobbins references a method used by Chuck Schmidt, but the link Ray supplied appears dead.
Molteni Replica - Main Page

I believe it was mentioned also by Mike Kone, the Tressostar stuff sold back in the ‘70’s, was barely enough per roll to wrap half a bar. He mentioned wrapping the bars with the tape wet. It allowed the tape to stretch some such that a roll would be sufficient to wrap a bar, with a little left over

I think I'd just put it in a bin. The cheapness in this hobby never ceases to amaze...

depended on the bar. Cinelli 66-42 were a three roll bar- joint at the hoods.

I am not cheap.

I like to support local businesses and rarely shop via the internet.

I have never bought a darn thing on Amazon.

Since I had already read stories of people pre-washing their tape prior to installation, I wondered about the glue.

Yes, I return the cans and bottles for the $.10 deposit, but that's my money I paid and simply getting back.


Cheap isn't a thing people usually use to describe me.