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Change handlebar tape

Old 06-14-08, 10:07 PM
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Change handlebar tape

So I want to change my own handlebar tape. Got the Fizik Bar:Gel package, watched some YouTube video, and off I went. Well, for the most part, it was as expected just like them doing on TV, until I ran out of tape about a inch short.

I checked and made sure that I didn't waste the tape by too much overlapping and tape was wrapped pretty tight. Have you guys even run into this problem with or is this a Fizik thing? Do these things come in some standard length? Or should I just ditch the whole thing and have the LBS do it for me?
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Old 06-14-08, 10:20 PM
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For god's sake bring it to the bike shop. Wrapping bar tape is right up there with rebuilding a Lexus Automatic transmission. Seriously though, if your coming up short just unwrap the tape and don't overlap it as much. If you own a road bike there's no reason you shouldn't be able to change your bar tape.
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Old 06-14-08, 10:27 PM
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I believe Fizik's bar tape runs short and tight.
Adding bar gels might lead to having less in length.
Compound that with the already "just enough" that is supplied,
just might leave you with something to be desired.

If you want cushy...
get Specialized's Phat Wrap.
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Old 06-14-08, 10:30 PM
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I use Deda handlebar tape and find it to be about the right length; haven't tried Fizik but it sounds like you need to overlap less (as jimbud said).
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Old 06-14-08, 10:59 PM
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I've never tried Fizik, but I have always had to cut off leftover Cinelli tape. Cinelli seems to be on the generous side.
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Old 06-14-08, 11:20 PM
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Is Cinelli cork tape hard to wrap? I've heard this from a couple of places, and I just wanted to know if it's any harder to wrap than a comparable tape. Some jackass decided to try and rip off some of my bar tape so I'm looking into different tapes to replace them with (I've never done it before, the stuff that came on my bike has lasted a while) and Cinelli seems to come in the most colors and patterns.
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Old 06-14-08, 11:47 PM
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The only problem I ever had with Cinelli is it tears easily if you pull it too tight. You really have to pull it tight and be pulling right near a hole on the edge to tear it, though.
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Old 06-14-08, 11:53 PM
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Originally Posted by dalava
...until I ran out of tape about a inch short.
Just wondering, you started at the ends and finished on the flats, right? I'm just thinking that if there's any spot where an inch can be sacrificed, it's on the flats by the stem.

I was able to get Fizik tape just about right with my first try at wrapping my bars. I think I test-wrapped each side about a dozen times before peeling off the adhesive backing.
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Old 06-15-08, 02:02 AM
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Go to You tube and type in Changing Handle Bar Tape. There are many videos that show you the do's and dont's.
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Old 06-15-08, 03:18 AM
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Originally Posted by Rohc
Go to You tube and type in Changing Handle Bar Tape. There are many videos that show you the do's and dont's.
Ummm... I think the OP already did that.
Originally Posted by dalava
...Got the Fizik Bar:Gel package, watched some YouTube video, and off I went...
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Old 06-15-08, 03:20 AM
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Originally Posted by unbelievably
I believe Fizik's bar tape runs short and tight.
Adding bar gels might lead to having less in length...
No it doesn't.

I use Fizik Microtex and always have leftover tape. But I know what I am doing.

There's enough tape to wrap a 46 bar without problem. Bars that are more narrow will have more waste.
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Old 06-15-08, 05:33 AM
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With mine, I wrapped most of it so that the non-perforated edges just met up with the perforations. My wrap also ended up with extra tape.
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Old 06-15-08, 05:39 AM
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wrapping bar tape is not rocket science, it's not even high school science.

just remember to not let the tape loosen; hold it tight.
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Old 06-15-08, 06:28 AM
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dalava: I see you're in NoVa. Bring your bike over and I'll tape the bars for you.
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Old 06-15-08, 06:41 AM
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I wrap mine and usually end up having just barely enough. It seems uncanny. I guess they know exactly how much tape it takes to wrap a drop bar and calculate exactly how much to give you. Is it that expensive to produce bar tape that they couldn't just give you a fair excess and you trim it off like brake/shifter cables.
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Old 06-15-08, 06:57 AM
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Originally Posted by bdcheung
dalava: I see you're in NoVa. Bring your bike over and I'll tape the bars for you.
Thanks for the offer. The thing is that I have done this before with other tapes, Deda and Specialized, and they work just fine. I wonder if the gel inserts and my double-over on the brake lever to make it pretty was the culprit. Should have practiced without peeling the tape off first.

One inch short is not a big problem, except I had the gel insert now showing in the flat part of the handlebar, not looking good at all.

In the overall scheme of things, why Fizik just don't give us a bit more, like say 5 more inches. We are already paying like 30 buck for this. Now I have to spend another 20 or 30 to get that one tape. Arrgh
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Old 06-15-08, 07:00 AM
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Wrapping bar tape is not nearly as difficult as some would make out.

But it's far easier to learn if you get the tape that doesn't have sticky stuff on it so that you can move backwards if you find yourself short at the end.

I never use tape with adhesive, and baring instances where the tape was rather destroyed by crashes, I've never had trouble with it coming loose.
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Old 06-15-08, 07:03 AM
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Originally Posted by Pablo.
wrapping bar tape is not rocket science, it's not even high school science.

just remember to not let the tape loosen; hold it tight.
+1 - keeping tension on it as you go is key.
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Old 06-15-08, 07:14 AM
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Originally Posted by dalava
Now I have to spend another 20 or 30 to get that one tape. Arrgh
But you'll also have an extra.
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Old 06-15-08, 09:26 AM
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Originally Posted by Pablo.
wrapping bar tape is not rocket science, it's not even high school science.

just remember to not let the tape loosen; hold it tight.
Very true, but it takes some practice and attention to detail that a lot of people are not used to. Just like everything else, practice.

BTW, it is much easier than tying flies for fly fishing. The latter always reminds me of the same movement on a micro level.
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Old 06-15-08, 09:32 AM
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Originally Posted by dalava
I wonder if the gel inserts and my double-over on the brake lever to make it pretty was the culprit.
How are you wrapping around the brake lever? Do you wrap it in a spiral pattern (like the rest of the bar, but allowing space for the lever), or are you wrapping around the brake mount in a figure-8 pattern?
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Old 06-15-08, 10:23 AM
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Originally Posted by dalava
In the overall scheme of things, why Fizik just don't give us a bit more, like say 5 more inches. We are already paying like 30 buck for this. Now I have to spend another 20 or 30 to get that one tape.
Why bother? Just un-wrap it, re-wrap it, and finish of the ends with a few wraps of electrical/plastic tape. If you wrap the bars in the right direction, the tape shouldn't come loose...
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Old 06-15-08, 03:42 PM
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If I might jump in here with a couple of questions of my own...

I just bought a used bike with old tape that's nothing but shreds. It's been almost 30 years since I last taped a bar, so I've been looking for written instructions and videos to refresh my memory before I start. I've found a lot of material, but none of it matches what I remember doing. Everything I can find involves starting at the ends and finishing near the stem with electrical tape (or something similar) to secure the bar tape. I always began near the stem, securing the end with a small piece of scotch tape while I wrapped a couple of tight turns over it and then finished wrapping out to the ends, so there was nothing but handlebar tape visible anywhere. The tape I used was non-adhesive and was thicker on one edge than the other, so that when overlapped properly it was the thin edge that was covered and hence the tape was smooth and level.

Does anyone know where I might find instructions (preferably with pictures) or a video that demonstrates this technique? My old bike maintenance books covered it, but I haven't seen them in years. Also, is the type of tape I described still available?
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Old 06-15-08, 06:14 PM
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Originally Posted by hxzero
Is Cinelli cork tape hard to wrap? I've heard this from a couple of places, and I just wanted to know if it's any harder to wrap than a comparable tape. Some jackass decided to try and rip off some of my bar tape so I'm looking into different tapes to replace them with (I've never done it before, the stuff that came on my bike has lasted a while) and Cinelli seems to come in the most colors and patterns.
I love Cinelli Cork tape, but it has an adhesive strip underneath that sometimes creates a mess if you have to unwrap/re-wrap. I've also had it stick to bars and make a mess.

Having said that, I just tried some specialized tape instead to see if I would prefer something more, for lack of a better word, synthetic, and I'm going back to cork. Now, if I could just find some gloves in an LBS with little to no padding...
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Old 06-15-08, 06:18 PM
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Originally Posted by roadwarrior
No it doesn't.

I use Fizik Microtex and always have leftover tape. But I know what I am doing.

There's enough tape to wrap a 46 bar without problem. Bars that are more narrow will have more waste.

I don't know if I agree. Unless you are overlapping less than a 1/4 of the width. I love my Microtex tape but if I wrap it at 50% overlap I usually JUST have enough.
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