BCTTT Forum

I feel a right numpty... how easy is it to fit bar tape without making it look like a fishing reel of line gone wrong and having to take it to the LBS for them to chortle at your pathetic attempt to do the simplest job on a bike ?

didds

It's a bugger to do neatly, but quite forgiving of being taken off & re-wrapped... even I have done it!

Hi didds
Posted this a few months ago.
http://forum.bcttt.com/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=9220&p=121151&hilit=bar+tape#p121151
Not to sure if it will help.

I had this dilemma, Didds, before just cracking on and doing it.

It's piss easy, and the adhesive that bar tape has on it isn't proper glue... it is just a tackiness that actually makes it easier for you: when you are putting it on it doesn't keep unravelling like the old tape did.

The only tricky bit is getting it around the brake levers. You need to peel back the rubber hoods and there's a trick where you have to cut use a short cut off section to cover a gap around the back of the lever. The tape I bought had exactly such a piece already included.

Finish off the end at the top of the bars by cutting straight around with a Stanley knife then using some electrical tape (available in many colours) to hold it down.

Dead easy.

Make sure you pull fairly tight on the tape as you wrap it. Am for 0.5cm of the previous laid down tape to be covered but he new stuff. That's how I do it. Never had a problem and I'm shit at stuff like this