Should I wrap a strip of bar tape around my top tube to avoid getting a dent my the corner of the MASH bullhorns being unwrapped and potentially denting it one day, or should I just be careful and hope that it doesn't happen?

Don't think a bit of tape will stop much other than scratches from a bar. Or so I believe.

It's a good idea, though. Won't look bad.

I vote you welcome the battlescars

I'm going to sound like an idiot for considering this but hey... someone's gotta try the crazy things right?
Well, I have a volume cutter thats nice for cruising around the city but I want something more aggressive, but I'm cheap. So I thought of putting a 650c fork (like a cervelo wolf) on that bad boy and make it a pseudo pursuit frame (plus shaving a good chunk of weight), I don't really know much about rake and how that effects the handling, or how a 650c fork would be on a cutter. Is this worth pursuing?

no

It'll lower your bb and change the angles of the frame. I wouldn't go for it.

This is what I do.

here's a novel concept:

why don't u try wrapping some bartape on the mash bullhorns?

im deadserious

You're joking, right? You can't tape over that big ol Cinelli logo.







I'm joking, right?

It's been done. You guys are BAD influences. :p

Suntour gives mad og street cred

my head hurts

Should I put gold Deda tape on the Free Spirit?

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7125/7...503538fb_b.jpg

http://www.bikesonline.com/product_i...54452_zoom.jpg

It would look great!

The Deda Mistral tape I'm using(which matches my saddle great) doesn't allow me to make that bend with the tape and have it look even halfway decent. I tried, the Cinelli logo is a bit flashy for me and I had all intentions of wrapping the whole bar, but it just wasn't plausible with this tape. If I could find a perforated leather-like tape that has a decent amount of padding and doesn't cost my first born, I'd be willing to try it.

Should I be more impulsive?

chiming in since I have the same setup with the bars unwrapped

too much padding with gloves actually makes handlebars uncomfortable much more quickly for me due to overpadding. I like wearing gloves JUST incase I eat **** too, so it works well for some setups. maybe i'll get some uber thin tape like the fizik stuff eventually but all I have lying around is cork tape, which I'm probably just going to put on the ends to help prevent them swinging back into the frame + better grip when I'm spread out

dont use mechanix gloves with untaped bars because theyre felty and slip too much.

do you feel spread out in the drops because youre accustomed to grabbing the tops with a narrow grip? maybe try narrow ergonovas.

I use giro lusso gloves so the padding is probably a bit on the 'over the top' side, the slip isn't bad, but the combination of them with decently thick bar tape is pretty unpleasant after 10miles

I just meant spread out to refer to where on the bars I was gripping, so I should've said stretched out. the mash bullhorns are actually really narrow (40)

Should I put NOS Sram Rival on my Colnago to replace the Dura Ace 7700?

NOS is a little weird to say since rival's still being made. Or are you saying the silver? I don't think it's really worth it, to be honest. The 7700 looks and I bet performs pretty well, still, and the rival "upgrade" won't really be much.

It's not 2012, it's 2011 but it's never been used. I guess I should have clarified. The 7700 still shifts well, I don't know how well it was taken care of prior to buying the bike. I have a feeling the bike was a Crit bike so I think it's fair share of use.

Should I:

Put flat bars and aero bars on my mountain bike for bike-camping, or try to figure out some way to haul all my gear on my road bike, rando style?

Why would you do such a thing?