I've seen a few different ways to wrap bars. What is your preference? From the top down? Counter clockwise?
bottom to the top, always wrap clockwise on your right and counter on your left, trim the end an an angle at the top, 4-5 wraps of electrical tape - last one not so tight
here's a good write-up:
http://www.pezcyclingnews.com/?pg=fullstory&id=11030
I agree with Jah, but to be different I have also tried from top to bottom avoiding the use of tape, it's much cleaner looking. Just stuff the hole at the bottom end of the bar and plug it. No major noticeable difference, but make sure you wrap CW.
Jah,
I think that you have it backwards. The Pez article (and ParkTool) say the following:
"The direction of the wrap may also effect how it retains it tightness on the bar. Generally, it is the habit of cyclist to pull back on their hands when riding on the top section of the bars. By noting this, you can wrap so this habit will be self-tightening on the tape. Looking from the rider's point of view (from the back of the bike) wrap each side the tape rotates inward from the top. In other words, wrap the right bar counter-clockwise and the left bar clockwise."
Steve
Start from the outside of the bars on the bottom and as the article states make sure the tape is wrapping TOWARDS the seat on the tops.
I miss teaching how to wrap handle bars to fledgling mechanics back when I was in the shop. To me the bar wrap on a new bike build is finishing touch. The Frankenstein moment, "It's ALIVE!!!!"
+1 on the top down. My Colnago bars have that wrap.
Bottom to top. Afraid if I tried otherwise I would get dreadfully confused due to old age...
Speaking of bar wraps, we're selling Bat Wraps, with printed kid's image, to our sports leagues. These are awesome! I wonder how cycling bar wraps with one's action images would sell?
I'm liberal,bottom up, Ive experienced the top down approach, Voodoo economics. :^)
If you start at the top and work down the "edges" of the tape will be on the inboard side of the tape because of the way the tape will overlap.
I've found that the edges tend to "curl up" over time (from the movement of your hands) if this is the case.
Consequently, I always wrap from the bottom up.
Bottom up...as prof notes, you'll curl the edges otherwise. And for goodness sake, you should have a LOT of tape left over. Pull those bad boys TIGHT and get a nice snug wrap all the way around. You don't HAVE to use the whole roll on each side, ya know!!
LOL @ bob. Well played.
Gabbard, the cranky old mechanic that trained me back in the day swore that you rotated your hands away from the bike so that is how I have always wrapped:) works OK for me for years
the same dude also swore that you should build rear wheels with no cross on the drive side as radial was stronger. never bought into that
we used to argue a lot
Cosmic, the reason to use very close to the entire roll is for more hand padding. In 10-15 years, you will see the light. On my steel bikes, I often put a cloth wrap down first for a little more. I am tempted tp someday put a first wrap of inner tube. I'm thinking that could be pretty nice.
I go bottom up, to keep edges from curling finishing with electrical tape. I lay three pieces of bar tape lengthwise over the brake lever clamps before I start, often from leftover from previous rolls. (Since I always go black, matching isn't much of an issue.)
Speaking of innertube bar wrap: I had a thought talking to a young man with a broken wrist who wanted to get back on his bike early. How about throwing an innertube wrap over the existing wrap when riding injured to 1) give a lot more padding from road shock and 2) have a really grippy surface that didn't require a firm grip. (Another plus: it would be really easy to "rewrap" to the normal tape when no longer necessary. A real benefit post crash when any task, even the really easy ones are too much. Been there.) If I ever try this, I'll report back.
Ben
Is Bar Wrap the new age term for Bar Tape?
Jah,
I agree with you. I have accidentally wrapped the "wrong" way, and really couldn't tell the difference. With the new tapes and their adhesive, they don't really seem to slip however you wrap them, but I am sure that the pros would notice a difference, so it probably makes sense for people riding 12k miles each year.
zoot, you've heard the term "It's a wrap!" (ie the scene has been successfully filmed.) Keith talked about the bar tape being the finishing touch to a new build. I think "Bar Wrap" is just a term for the times. (Though I tend to think of young wannabees singing rap songs in a bar!)
Ben
79pmooney - Before racing Rouge-Roubaix, a few years ago, I pre-wrapped the bars with an old innertube, cut open. Made for a rather nice ride.
Bar wrap would be the process in which to cover your bars with tape. Ben I'm using a cloth tape on my Baggio. Since I don't see myself logging long rides on it, I hope with padded gloves, that should make it comfortable enough.
Just make sure you wrap top to bottom. Which direction you wrap doesn't seem to matter as much. At least not to me and I've wrapped both counter and clockwise many times.
Back in the old days I used a layer of electrical tape wrapped upside down (sticky side out) as a base layer to prevent premature sliding of the bar tape.
I also had a fancy inter-layered wrap of blue and white bar-tape for a striped finished product.
A little trick for bar tapes w/o adhesive is to tightly wrap the area with electrical tape upside down, then wrap the bar tape on top, OR spray ironing starch on the bar and the back of the wrap, wait for it to dry and then wrap. Both methods prevents the wrap from moving if you prefer your wrap not tight for the sake of cushioning.
I used to use starch on my mtn bike grips, but some genius came up with the idea of putting set-screws at the end of the grips to stop any rotation (you know how annoying that can be)and it works great, even if you get moisture under them going T over A in a stream.
Why didn't I think of that.
And while I am at it tell me why no one has come up with a retractable shield/lens in helmets,(or have they already?) especially for Mtn bikers, roadies can benefit also. Climbing and fogging lenses is really distracting.
OC beat me to it.
Get with it zoot. Not only is called bar wrap now it also only comes in colour ways as opposed to colours. (That was sarcasm just in case no one picked up on that) What kind of "new speak" is that anyway. Colour way?????
I'm sure it doesn't make much difference but I always wrap up on the outside and front which equates to down on the inside and back which equates to counter-clockwise right and clockwise left.
I used to finish with electrical tape and then put the provided (branded) finish tape over that to have the logo. Now I just finish with electrical tape. The crinkly, non-stretchy finishing tape that comes with most wrap isn't worth the effort to get just right anymore.
Yeah, I can never get those enclosed finishing tape pieces to work. Waste of time. But, then, I've produced some very amateurish-looking tape jobs that I was embarrassed to be seen with, with or without the crinkly logo pieces that I invariably toss.
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