There are all sorts of handlebars out there and if you have drop bars you might be interested in how to tape them yourself. Park Tool has a rather austere (and sterile) account of wrapping your drop bars that should give anyone the information they need to tape like a pro.
Picture Credit to Park Tool
If you are more of a moving pictures person, this video does an excellent job of explaining the process as well.
And if you are interested in a new alternative to taping, check out our entry on Griprings.
If you have creative tips or advice on taping bars, or alternatives to tape, feel free to submit them to us for posting.
The Park image above shows a different wrap starting direction than the video. When wrapping, if the same direction is maintained throughout a tape install, either the top or bottom section of the bars will loosen over time due to the riders grip. In the video, the wrap direction is reversed at the brake lever, giving the best of both worlds. This is the preferred method, however it's more difficult to get the tape to lay flat and cover 100% of the bars from showing. The Park site mentions this wrap method in the "advanced tips" area.
Posted by: Whizbo | 07/31/2012 at 12:13 PM
That video is a pretty bad way to wrap bars. It starts wrong, encourages the unnecessary figure-8 behind the brake, and ends wrong - this would NEVER be acceptable in a shop. The direction of pressure applied by the riders hands would cause this tape to loosen and unravel. Bad bad bad.
Posted by: Dominic Dougherty | 08/02/2012 at 02:40 PM