Best/easiest way to clean cork handlebar tape?
 

so i usually just use soap and water along with a scotch brite scrubby pad to hit the cork tape on the handlebars. involves a decent amount of scrubbing
to get rid of all the grime and restore the original color. this time, doing a little midnight touchup and not wanting to wash the entire bike, i used windex along
with an old scrubby pad and it came out a little less clean but acceptable given less mess and about 5 mins less scrubbing time.

does anyone have a tried and true best way to thoroughly clean cork tape in the least amount of time with the least effort? perhaps something you can spray on and
come back later and clean with decent results?

I like white bar tape. It gets dirty fast. I use Challenger by Reliable Products. Spray it on and wipe off with a damp rag. It cuts thru grime fast. Works great on brake hoods too.

I use black tape , It is easy care because it hides dirt ,

easiest ? pay someone to do it for you, get some minions..

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I like white but could never keep it clean and I tried everything from fancy cleaners to bleach to everything under the sun, just wasn't worth it anymore. I switched to black.

The best way to clean bar tape is to replace it. It's cheap, it makes your bike look and feel better, and it only takes about 20 minutes.

Short answer -- nothing.
Unhelpful answer -- learn to live with it dirty.
Barely helpful answer -- re-wrap.
Not what you were looking for answer -- re-wrap using a dark color to hide the inevitable dirt.

-Kedosto

Gem of an idea. :)

Gonna try this one!:thumb:

Would this work? Magic Eraser.

Wow! I wrap my bars with white tape and clean it every couple weeks. Its not really an issue. Challenger is really a great cleaner. And I like clean white tape.

Do you unwrap the handlebar first?

I've never had white tape... but white shoes have used Mr Clean "Magic Eraser".. I'd recommend trying it on tape.

those magic erasers are crowley voodoo macbeth billy idol black magic. is that nasa space tech from the heyday repurped for the todayay?
regardless...will prob try in the next month because they are a serious eradication proclamation.

¿una pregunta (okay quiza a few)? why do/does el/los mod/mods feel compelled to capitalize my thread title when it wasn't originally? not a big
fan o' tha caps. got changed and wondering why? is it to protect y'all because y'all can't handle non-cappage? is it because
someone just can't stand to see a sentence start w/o a capital letter? grammar fascists afoot? only the biggest and best queries for everybody...

lol!

I second magic eraser.

3 great tricks:
1. Don't use cork tape
2. Use a black tape
3. don't worry about it

Not really...they're abrasive pads. If you don't believe it, rub a polished section of paint on a bike.

Anyway, wash, don't wipe. Dirt is just proof that you use it; you want to remove the salts that build up on/in/under the tape from sweating on it.

I use un-shellaced cloth tape on most of my drop-bar bikes (or leather wrap of some kind). It builds character fast, and washes easily with soapy water/a nice rinse. Leather, of course, requires saddle soap or just wiping it down periodically.

Throw the cork tape in the garbage and replace it with something like Fizik tape that isn't a porous grease magnet.

Maybe alchol and a few dollar store tooth brushes .

sounds verry c & v.


twere i looking to build character fast, i woulda posted this in foo instead and loosened both skewers in anticipation of pithy responses.
was really just asking if anyone had found an easier way of cleaning bleepy low-budget cork tape such as deda/cinelli/etc.
if there is no teen dream solution, then so be it. myself and countless other fellow diphthongs will continue to occasionally scrub away
or totally give up forever and switch to black, non-cork, tape.

on a bike without significant black accents (shockingly guilty on two fronts), black tape is lebowski lazy and the death of hope (sorry, woody).

I used to use Go-Jo hand cleaner. You have to hunt around a bit to find the formulation without the pumice. I'd just slather a gob on and hose it off. Took about as long as to type this sentence.

I've used Windex w Ammonia and a micro-fiber cloth to clean my yellow bar tape. Just spray it on the cloth and scrub.KB