1st good crash, replace bartape?
 

I finally learned why the club rides are cancelled due to rain... I got an e-mail that said the ride was cancelled, then 10 minutes later it was on again because it looked like the rain would clear up for a while. So rushing to the start I took the very first wet and leaf strewn corner at about 20 mph and was instantly horizontal sliding across the pavement. Luckily no traffic to slide under!

Anyhow, the road rash ain't too bad, straightened out the brifter, and got the derailleur hanger straightened out by the LBS guys the other day. Just noticed that there are a few cuts in my bartape that I didn't see until looking closely because it's black. Not huge and maybe just a sliver of handlebar barely exposed if I am yanking on them a certain way.

Would you just ride the tape until it tears or use it as an excuse to buy some new tape??? I find myself philosophically aligned with the "ride it until it breaks then upgrade" crowd but want to replace things that might be best replaced earlier rather than later. I got aluminum handlebars, not carbon, dunno if the tape protects anything or is more a comfort thing for the hands... Thanks!

You're thinking too hard.

Yeah, this.

I'd say if you're at the LBS and you're about to buy a bunch of other stuff, go pick it up along with everything else. But don't go out of your way to replace it.

I fixed a tear on my tape with masking tape..I'll replace when it needs to be replaced.

I would personally remove the tape just so I could inspect the bar and make sure it didn't get damaged. I know you said it's aluminum, but even those can break. Bar tape is cheap, so I never hesitated to rewrap for any reason.

I would ride it until the tape is completely worn down to the handlebars.

Uhhh

I don't know man.

Tape is cheap. If you have never wrapped bars before, look around and you can find a lot of tutorials on the web. Buy the tape and try it.

Now this would be the correct answer, one doesn't only inspect carbon bars after a crash.

White fizik microtex bar tape.

Also, there is nothing wrong with riding in the rain. Just learn how to corner.

just what I was thinking. It's BAR TAPE. Ten bucks and 10 minutes and you're good as new. Or not. It's just bar tape.
As an aside, never EVER use white bar tape. It's impossible to keep clean, which doesn't matter from the standpoint of cleanliness or function but does say to passers-by, "I'm so vain about my bike's appearance that I used this stupid white tape without realizing it would be dirty in about 10 minutes."
Of course that's just my opinion. But it's unimpeachable.

It's really up to you and your vanity. All the tape is doing is hiding your cables and providing comfort for your hands. Nothing magic about it.

Wow, look at how dirty this bar tape is: http://hphotos-snc3.fbcdn.net/hs142...._8361616_n.jpg

http://photos-e.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos..._2766159_n.jpg

http://hphotos-snc3.fbcdn.net/hs450...._7051573_n.jpg

http://photos-f.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos..._1170903_n.jpg

No such thing as a 1st good crash.

Indeed, in my world crash = BAD

As for the bar tape I'd be more concerned about the bars than the tape since tape is cheap and is not going to cause a crash if it's damaged unlike bars.

Yea... but they have both bartape and gloves replaced almost every day before the race. Very PRO. For us amateurs, white bartape means either lots of Simple Green or living with dark smudges.

I live with the smudges until it gets bad enough.... then I scrub on it.... then back to living with smudges :D

That is what she said.......

$3 for a tube of Shoe Goop.

It works great for mending bar tape.

Really? Just put a turn or two of electrical tape.

My opinion is you never wash your hands, gloves or bike, and must be a generally filthy individual. I've got about 750 miles on white tape through the winter / spring sludge and muck, still looks like new. Clean yourself up man.

Oh, electrical tape? That's my other secret weapon! Shoe goop is a bit more, um, stealthy.

...or wear white underwear...or print on white paper...or stare at a cloud

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...our-ride-today_

see my respones and learn