Wrapping cotton twill bar tape.

On Tue, 30 Sep 2008 10:55:38 -0700, Michael Press wrote:

Some people say that when cotton twill bar tape is wrapped
from the stem to the bar ends the hands on the top bend
constantly abrade against the exposed edge of the bar
tape making it fray and degenerate more rapidly than if
the wrap job is done from the bar end to the stem. Have
any of you seen this kind of fraying? I have not.
For a while I wrapped from bar end to stem, but hated the
necessary sticky tape wrap at the stem because it was
bulky and not as pretty as a tucked bar tape start, so I
went back to wrapping from the stem out. I have never had
the tape fray at the edge. The tape eventually deteriorates
but the edge remains fine. The tape typically fails where
it wraps over the underneath edge as in these photographs.

http://gallery.me.com/spress#100093

You might observe that these bars are typically ridden
without gloves.

The rupture in the tape is underneath the lateral, proximal
area of my palm when on the hoods. The area is designated
by Luna mount in palmistry and chirognomy.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chirognomy

I do not know how others wrap bar tape. Differences in
technique may account for different results.

It depends on the tape - but there is a neat, simple, cheap solution.

Put short sections of inner tube on the bars next the stem. When wrapping,
you start at the end and wrap towards the stem. At the stem, fold the tube
back towrds the stem, finish wrapping, and unfold the tube over the ends of
the wrap.

_ wrote:

It depends on the tape - but there is a neat, simple, cheap solution.

Put short sections of inner tube on the bars next the stem. When wrapping,
you start at the end and wrap towards the stem. At the stem, fold the tube
back towrds the stem, finish wrapping, and unfold the tube over the ends of
the wrap.

Well, I've spent a few years working in a bike shop, wrapped a few
handlebars and now work where my job is(supposed to be) to have good
ideas, but I've got to say..
"I wish that I'd thought of that."

On Oct 1, 10:01*am, Roger Thorpe
wrote:
_ wrote:
It depends on the tape - but there is a neat, simple, cheap solution.

Put short sections of inner tube on the bars next the stem. *When wrapping,
you start at the end and wrap towards the stem. *At the stem, fold the tube
back towrds the stem, finish wrapping, and unfold the tube over the ends of
the wrap.

Well, I've spent a few years working in a bike shop, wrapped a few
handlebars and now work where my job is(supposed to be) to have good
ideas, but I've got to say..
"I wish that I'd thought of that."

Keep in mind that putting short sections of inner tube on the bars
near the stem means that you have to remove the brake levers and
untape the cables -- unless you have split-center bars (usually
considered a factory defect). I think a couple inches of black
electrical tape is more simple. -- Jay Beattie.

On Wed, 01 Oct 2008 18:01:26 +0100, Roger Thorpe wrote:

_ wrote:

It depends on the tape - but there is a neat, simple, cheap solution.

Put short sections of inner tube on the bars next the stem. When wrapping,
you start at the end and wrap towards the stem. At the stem, fold the tube
back towrds the stem, finish wrapping, and unfold the tube over the ends of
the wrap.

Well, I've spent a few years working in a bike shop, wrapped a few
handlebars and now work where my job is(supposed to be) to have good
ideas, but I've got to say..
"I wish that I'd thought of that."

That's ok. It was probably the umptieth time that I did a set of bars that
the idea popped into my head - had been thinking about heat-shrink tubing
but that would have been a every-use bother; inner tube is fit and
forget...

Jay Beattie wrote:

It depends on the tape - but there is a neat, simple, cheap
solution.

Put short sections of inner tube on the bars next the stem. Â*When
wrapping, you start at the end and wrap toward the stem. Â*At the
stem, fold the tube back toward the stem, finish wrapping, and
unfold the tube over the ends of the wrap.

Well, I've spent a few years working in a bike shop, wrapped a few
handlebars and now work where my job is(supposed to be) to have
good ideas, but I've got to say... "I wish that I'd thought of
that."

Keep in mind that putting short sections of inner tube on the bars
near the stem means that you have to remove the brake levers and
untape the cables -- unless you have split-center bars (usually
considered a factory defect). I think a couple inches of black
electrical tape is more simple.

That is a reasonable way of doing it in my estimation and it is less
arcane so it isn't a conversation piece. When Cinelli cork tape first
came along, we wondered why they used such stiff (non stretch) black
tape to secure the end of wrap. I stayed with plastic tape.

Jobst Brandt

On Wed, 1 Oct 2008 11:14:50 -0700 (PDT), Jay Beattie wrote:

On Oct 1, 10:01*am, Roger Thorpe
wrote:
_ wrote:
It depends on the tape - but there is a neat, simple, cheap solution.

Put short sections of inner tube on the bars next the stem. *When wrapping,
you start at the end and wrap towards the stem. *At the stem, fold the tube
back towrds the stem, finish wrapping, and unfold the tube over the ends of
the wrap.

Well, I've spent a few years working in a bike shop, wrapped a few
handlebars and now work where my job is(supposed to be) to have good
ideas, but I've got to say..
"I wish that I'd thought of that."

Keep in mind that putting short sections of inner tube on the bars
near the stem means that you have to remove the brake levers and
untape the cables -- unless you have split-center bars (usually
considered a factory defect). I think a couple inches of black
electrical tape is more simple. -- Jay Beattie.

Yes it is - but the tube is neater, lasts better and is not sticky - and if
you are taking the tape off anyway it's five minute to pop the levers off
as well.