Normal duration of bar tape?
 

Hola all. I have the darndest luck with my bar-tape, leading me to wonder...

What sort of bartape do you use, on what kind of handlebar, and how long does/should it last for you?

Mine seems to need replacement, or rewrapping, every 2-3 months. Whether I wrap it myself or the LBS. My bar wrapping technique has been given a thumbs up by my favorite bike technicians. Maybe I'm doing funky things with my hands while riding. Or does heat loosen things up? Very frustrating.

perhaps you have ACID hands... they just dissolve bar tape! ACID hands is a new super hero
kidding
I use Planet Bike cork, covered with cloth bar tape (Velo or something)
makes for a classic but comfy combo
I seem to get a season or more before it starts looking really ratty

I use Nashbar Cork Tape: http://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?c...s%2FBar%20Tape. It is comfortable, durable, comes in nice colors, and cheap... very good :) It's on the thicker side of things, so if you want thin tape for some reason it's not for you. I use it on both of my road bikes, which have ergo aluminum handlebars: http://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?c...d%20Handlebars I also use the same brand of tape on my girlfriend's bike.

On my most-used bike (commuter bike) the tape has lasted about 2 years, 4000 miles, including a lot of winter use. I even took it off once and rewrapped it after it was loosening around the edges. Other than one small tear (covered with electrical tape) it is feels very good, though is a bit faded in a couple spots. I expect I'll replace it in a year or so.

There are several things that I do to make the tape stay in place longer. The main thing is that I put loops of electrical tape STICKY-SIDE-UP along the handlebar every 2-5 inches underneath the bar tape. This helps greatly in retaining the tape postion.

Another thing that helps a lot is to make sure you're wrapping the tape in the right direction! Start at the bar-ends (where the tape is tucked in) and wrap the tape so that it crosses from the INSIDE of the bar to the OUTSIDE on the top. In this way, the pressure of your hands will be aligned to the direction that the tape goes, and your grip won't cause the tape to loosen and unravel around the edges.

On my commuter, I usually get a year before I'll replace it. It gets ridden everyday, in all kinds of weather, and I usually don't wear gloves on the commute. On the race bike, a little longer unless there's been a crash.

Drop bars on both. I've used Cinelli and Deda cork tape. I'm not a fan of the big squishy gel tapes. Just a personal preference.

How is your tape wearing out? Is it actually tearing or developing holes, or just getting discolored? If it's just the color, the solution is black bar tape, which looks just as good after you've changed a tire. White or yellow tape will discolor very quickly.

I generally use cork tape, Cinelli or other brands. My cork tape always wears a very long time, even the cheapo Performance brand. I usually replace my tape because it starts looking funky rather than because of holes or tearing. I also like the cushioning of cork tape, and the Cinelli gel tape is the best in that regard.

On my drop bars I put a strip of cork tape across on the top of the bar extending to each brake lever. Then a piece of cork tape on the flat part of the drops. Then I wrap with cotton bar tape Cateye etc. Then I put 4 coats of shellac on top. Lasts for a very long time (years) and if it starts to wear, put on some more shellac. I usually go with black tape as it matches my bike and hides the dirt.

I use full gloves almost all year around, so mine lasts forever.

I let mine get pretty ratty before I change it. In fact it usually looks like hell before I get around to replacing it. Why are you having to replace it so frequently? Is it moving around on the bar? Or does it just get ugly looking and you feel like it needs replacing? If it's the adhesive failing and it starts sliding around on the bar, maybe trying a different type of tape would help. The old style cotton bar tape is adhesive backed (the entire back side of the tape and not just a strip in the center) and tends to hold the bar a lot better.

Interesting stuff. I've been using cushy Bontrager foam/gel tape. It's wrapped outside to in, starting from the bar-ends. Drop bars on a Trek 520, with clean handlebar surface beneath. Still, it keeps shifting and moving out of position, forcing me to rewrap it every two months or so. Lately it has started to tear.

I think I'll try cork tape this time around, with the electrical tape trick moxfyre recommended. If I decide I need the cushiness I'll just wear cushy gloves or something.

Thanks again for the information everyone.

The fact that you're wrapping outside to in might be part of the problem IMHO. Start at the end of the bar and think "Superman" when you're wrapping "up and away!" (up and away from the bike that is).

I think outside to in may be part of the problem... I find a lot less unraveling with inside to out, as I mentioned above.

One correction: that Nashbar tape I recommended is NOT cork. It is synthetic/foam/gel, whatever you call it. Feels cork-ish though, and pretty durable, but real cork tape may be even better.

Try using cloth tape and shellacing it. I hear that makes it last a long time.

http://velo-orange.blogspot.com/2006...g-shellac.html

My specialized tape on the tarmac is lasting quite well. Only 3 months on it though. Cinneli I get one season on it before I scrape it usually by mishandling the bike. My touring bike has cheap bontrager tape on it. Did not want to spring for expensive bar tape for my first DIY wrap job. I'm thinking fizik for my next tape.

One problem I notice with a lot of bar tape is that it has adhesive backing. This adhesive gives the false sense of security that it is helping hold the tape to the bar. Eventually, the adhesive acts like a lubricant.

Use tape that does not have adhesive backing or use some solvent to help remove it.

Also, strange as it seems, I have had good luck lubricating the bars with WD-40 before wrapping. The WD-40 dissipates and the tape is on firm in about four hours. This is an old trick for grips, of course, and I found it also works for bar tape.

I've been using leather bar tape for a year with no significant signs of wear. I think I replaced regular bar tape every six to twelve months.

+1 on brushing 3 or 4 coats of shellac onto cork tape. It extends the life & looks good. Shellac is available in amber or clear. Amber makes yellow or tan cork tape into a good match for the Honey color Brooks saddles. Clear shellac will preserve the original color of the bar tape. Shellac is thinned with alcohol & dries quickly so it is easy to put on several coats in a short time. I found shellac works well to rejuvenate old bar tape also, just clean the tape as well as you can before putting on the first coat. good luck

If it's moving around on you then it's not being done right. If your LBS gave you the thumbs up and their job is also exhibiting the problem, then they're doing it wrong also.

-Make sure you're wrapping in the right direction
-Wrap from the end of the bars
-Don't be afraid to pull that tape taut.
-The BET technique suggested by Moxfyre works very well, I generally use it for the 3-4" at the bar end, around the hoods and near the end of the wrap at the stem.

I had bad luck with cheapo gel tape. My cinelli cork tape is really starting to wear too. I re-wrapped it and cleaned it once in 2000 or so miles, but it may be time to buy some more.

I think bar tape can last a long time if you don't care about how it looks. The key is wrapping it really, really tight, I think. Sometimes it just needs to be re-wrapped. I like the upside down electrical tape idea.

http://photos-c.ak.facebook.com/phot...17618_4546.jpg

How are you wrapping the tape? I was taught to start at the top, work my way down and tuck the ends in, finish it off with the bar end. The style now is to go the other way and finish up with a loop of electrical tape. I prefer a diamond weave with cloth tape. I have something similar on my commuter for just over a year, it's starting to wear a bit from leaning up against lamp posts and sidewalk sheds.

That's the old school way that I learned back in the late 60s, back before padded tape was common. With thicker tapes, you can't tuck it in, so starting at the bar ends is necessary.

Personally, I'm going to wrap the bars on my next bike the old way with cloth tape and give shellacing a try.

Very cool stuff. I've wrapped my own bars before, and had my LBS do it, and in 2-3 months the tape works itself loose. I now notice that my new LBS built up Trek is wrapped left to right on both sides of the handlebar, explaining why the left side worked loose first.

I'm going to try this shellac thing, with thin tape very tightly wrapped. I like the WD40 suggestion also. Cool stuff people, thanks.

+1

Tight is critical. I make the tape have about 10% less tension than what might tear it... I experiment with a small piece before wrapping it to find the tearing point. With tight tape and the upside down electrical tape, it holds for a very long time.

I for one have had good luck with the cheap Nashbar gel tape, but have had bad luck with expensive gel tape from the LBS (although it was comfortable). Go figure...

The advantage of cloth tape is clear in that it doesn't tear like gel or cork. of course, it has the downside of being far less comfortable...

If your bike is only for the commute, and the commute is short, you might as well go for durable over comfortable, and use cloth tape, wrapped really, really tight. Me, I'll keep replacing my expensive cinelli cork every 4 months : ) .

The real solution is probably using TUBE grips rather than tape. I have a couple of different old-school types that I got on ebay. They are MARVELOUS. They never come loose, they offer far better padding than tape, and they are durable like, like, like well, they are very durable.

I wonder why some company isn't making the old tube style grips for road bikes, but in snappy colors and designs, maybe even with ergonomic grips instead of flat. You could really offer some gel comfort then!

Hmm... an old idea made new again for modern man, perhaps?..

Try a set of Keirin grips:
http://www.bike-central.com/images/products/full/2.jpg

They come in lots of colours and you can probably find a pair that are NJS certified.

A good idea, except for the NJS part... why pay 10X as much for "certified" 40 year old technology :rolleyes:

I was reading on the Rivendell site about using hemp twine, which they conveniently sell by the roll. Anyone ever done this and have pics to share?

I never tried it, but I am certainly tempted. After this weekend's tour, I am a little disappointed with bar tape. It really is not all that comfortable. I forgot my gloves and had to ride naked handed. You really get familiar with your bar tape when you do that. I think some improvements are in store.