Putting it on Tape. Lets wrap some bars. 2013-10-30

NegativeK's bar tape was looking.. uh.. shabby.  (I'm being gentle.....)  I offered to show him how I do it.  And I had some yellow bar tape hanging around that needed to go on this abomination:

Yellow saddle?  Black bar tape?  .. that won't stand.  And I have some yellow tires to put on there too.  But that's for another day.  How about let's fix that.

Black, on black, on black.  Why black?  "It's like, how much more black could this be? and the answer is none." *pulls out the tap*  

Okey, enough of that.  Lets turn this to 11.  Actually, inside out.  Ergo brake levers usually have a rubber cover that comes down over the bar tape.  You'll need to fold this up and out of the way.  Don't worry, you won't hurt it.

Now you should pull out the bar plugs.  If this is a really old install, you might not have them anymore.  :-) So you can skip the step.  There are some fancy bar end plugs out there that need an allen wrench to release them.

Peel that finishing tape, and unwrap those bars.  If you are really unlucky you might have adhesive backed bar tape.  Removing the used adhesive is.. generally speaking not worth the effort.

If the tape you pull off isn't adhesive backed, it's worth saving.  Wrenches are a lot nicer when wrapped in bar tape.  I usually wind up the tape as I remove it.

This is what you get inside most packs of bar tape.  You get two rolls of tape, some bar end plugs, some bits of finishing tape, and some adhesive backed strips to hide your brake lever clamps.

This is how I start bar tape.  I hold onto an inch or two, and wrap the tape over the end of the bar.  The direction MATTERS.  (And apparently I have it backwards...)  You'll see i'm working on the left bar, and the tape roll is in my right hand.  The tape hanging over the end of the bar is needed to make the bars look finished, and give the bar end plug something to grip.  You should do it the other way around.  Going this direction may lead to your tape getting loose over time. 

I wrap to the inside, under and back to the outside.  I like to have the tapered edges overlap, leaving a mostly smooth appearance.  The deeper the overlap, the lumpier the bar tape looks, but you also get more padding.  Wrapping the way I do, leaves almost a foot of unused tape in the end.

I aim to keep the wraps even, and neat, and I let the outside of any turn of the bars dictate the spacing between wraps.

Here is where that sticky backed bit of bar tape is used.

I usually trim it a bit, as the supplied length tends to be half or three quarters of an inch to long.  I stick it to the inside of the brake lever clamp just before I wrap the area.

The adhesive is usually not that strong, so wrapping over it soon is a good idea.  This also where most tape jobs fall apart.  When reaching the lever, you reverse the direction of wrapping the tape.

I wrap the tape around the outside of the bars.  This makes the grip a little bit fatter where your palm would be.  I like the feel.  If you want it fatter, leave more of the sticky backed tape in there too!

And the rest of wrapping your bar is just like the bottom half.  Round and round.  Under the bar, over the top, and down..

I stop wrapping the bars, where they change diameter.  Handlebars usually have a fatter section in the middle.  My goal is to have the finishing tape, and tapered edge of the tape just before the bars fatten up.

To cut your tape when you're done, you need to cut it at an angle.  a very steep angle.  Something like 75 degrees.  I am holding the tape at the same angle as the tape is on the bars, and cutting straight along the axis of the bike.

I don't use the finishing tape that comes with Forte bar tape.  I use matte electrical tape.  I like to have a solid 8" of tape to finish bars.  I put  the tape on with some tension.  If it starts to look skinny, you're pulling it to tight.  If there's any gaps in the tape, you're not pulling it hard enough.

Doesn't that look pretty?  Burnishing the tape down isn't a bad idea.  So rub I rub my fingers around the tape a few times to make sure there aren't any air bubbles.  You should too.

Go ahead and fold down the brake lever covers.

Finally, put in the bar end plugs.  Don't forget to do this.  Bar end plugs prevent ... well lets call them core samples.  Handlebars are sharp, your flesh is soft.  I used to have a scar on my chest from a incident on a bike without it's bar end plugs.

I think it looks pretty good.

Questions?  Comments?  Ideas for future articles?

Once again, thank you NegativeK for taking the pictures.  And your bike looks much better now.