So now I am about to REALLY reveal myself as a "newbie"...Please bear with
me.
I am now in the process of assembling the 74 Raleigh International that I
have been gathering parts for (with much appreciated help from CR
listmembers!) and this, being my very first road bike, has brought me to an
obstacle:
I have never applied tape to a set of road drops. Sure, I have put a little
Tressoplast cloth tape on the flats of many track bars. No science there.
But multiple bends and brake calipers present a couple of new challenges.
I am hoping that some of you might have some pointers to help me get moving
in the right direction.
The International is the bronze/orange/rust color and I intend to use white
Velox tape, shellaced to match.
I have looked at every road bike locked up on the street. I have scoured
the pages of classic rendezvous looking for detail shots of bars, etc. It
seems that wrapping methods are consistently inconsistent. Is there a
"correct" way to go about doing this? Do I start at the stem and wind my
way toward the bar ends? The other way entirely? Do I wind around the bars
toward the front or rear? Any tricks for cleanly dealing with brake
calipers?
Any tips are greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Matthew "the twenty-something who is about to take off his training wheels"
Bowne
Brooklyn, New York