What color tape?
#1
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What color tape?
After 20 years of mountain biking I bought my first road bike last July and have put about 2500 miles on it. I'm about to have the bar re-taped but not sure whether to go with white as it is now, well actually a dingy gray on top near the hoods, or switch to black so it doesn't show as much grime. I typically wipe the bars pretty good after each ride but it still looks dirty. But with so much white on the bike I'm not sure how it would look. Any suggestions?

#3
South Carolina Ed
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Black. You really don't have a choice. Nice looking bike!
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black definitely. You could do red but black would be better.
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Black.
I have red bar tape on a red bike, it's too loud.
I have red bar tape on a red bike, it's too loud.
#7
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Black is probably a safe choice. But red would look really sharp if it pretty closes matches the shade on the bike. Think outside the box and maybe a blue tape would be a nice, eye-catching addition to your bike.
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You will never improve on what you have now. White is right! I don't mean in general, I mean here. Black will make the bike look totally dull and uninteresting, even with a black saddle. Just learn to re-tape and stock up on white tape at a good price when you can. REAL cyclists re-tape their own bars.

#9
SuperGimp
Bah, I have a white bike (with some black) and the black bartape and saddle don't look off at all.
What you have right now is a color known as "future black"
Having said that, if you can get tape with a non-fuzzy finish you can probably keep white tape cleaner for quite a while. The fizik stuff I use is pretty easy to wipe down. Of course, it's black, which is like never having to say you're sorry.
What you have right now is a color known as "future black"
Having said that, if you can get tape with a non-fuzzy finish you can probably keep white tape cleaner for quite a while. The fizik stuff I use is pretty easy to wipe down. Of course, it's black, which is like never having to say you're sorry.
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Blue would look cool here.
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Bah, I have a white bike (with some black) and the black bartape and saddle don't look off at all.
What you have right now is a color known as "future black"
Having said that, if you can get tape with a non-fuzzy finish you can probably keep white tape cleaner for quite a while. The fizik stuff I use is pretty easy to wipe down. Of course, it's black, which is like never having to say you're sorry.
What you have right now is a color known as "future black"
Having said that, if you can get tape with a non-fuzzy finish you can probably keep white tape cleaner for quite a while. The fizik stuff I use is pretty easy to wipe down. Of course, it's black, which is like never having to say you're sorry.
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#14
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If you want it to look like every other trek, then go for the black tape.
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Black, white, blue.... it's a beautiful bicycle... any of those tape colors will be fine. But with such a white bicycle... you shouldn't hesitate to wash the bike often. And if you break out the hose and bucket a little more often the white bike will look nicer... and white tape easier to keep white.
If you take the time to review a couple YouTube videos on taping your handlebars yourself.... you can replace them yourself in just minutes. Buying bar tape on the Internet and putting it on yourself (along with regular washing) would allow you to keep that great "factory fresh" look.
If you take the time to review a couple YouTube videos on taping your handlebars yourself.... you can replace them yourself in just minutes. Buying bar tape on the Internet and putting it on yourself (along with regular washing) would allow you to keep that great "factory fresh" look.
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Blue would look too much like painter's tape...
#21
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red and when you replace the tyres, make them red too. that would be awsome.
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Bright yellow, totally rock this bike.