Dear Matthew:
On the subject of wrapping bars, I suspect there are as many ways to wrap bars as there are bar wrappers: so long as you get em covered, you can invent semi plausible reasons why they should be the way your's turned out. Some basic starting points then. Wrapping from the stem to the end or end to the stem is a matter of personal preference. Starting at the stem means the end of the tape can be tucked into the bars and secured with the bar plug, ideally secure if the plug is an expanding rubber such as a Velox, less secure if it's a jam fit modern style. The down side of wrapping from the stem is that the edges of the tape are exposed to the hands of the rider, and tend to curl up over time, perhaps leading to unsightly bare gaps in the wrap. The less overlap for each wrap, the more likely the curling will open gaps. But overlap is tied to too short tape syndrome, covered below.
Wrapping from the ends to the stem means the tape overlap lays away from the riders hand, like shingles on the roof, eliminating or at least greatly reducing edge rolling and gaps. The down side is now the tape must be secured at the stem with no bar plug to help. The classic answer is electrician's tape; with the wide variety of colors available a pleasing result is reasonably possible. Of course any use of electrical tape aint the way Merckx did it, so I suppose you loose style points here. It is possible to glue the tape down, and Rivendell fans use twine wrapped over the end of the tape in a whip finish, but I'm content with electrician's tape.
The other two points to be aware of are tape wrinkles and tape length, or lack thereof. Finishing one side of a bar with one roll of tape is a chronic problem with me: I start wrapping, concientously keeping my overlaps minimal but I still always end up with too much bar at the end of the tape. My prefence for 44cm bars is no doubt part of the problem, but I still run short with 40cm Giros. Here's one advantage of electician's tape, the ability to cover over that last naughty bit of bare bar while holding the tape down.
The Pergolizzi solution is to use 4 rolls of tape, one from the end you start with to the brake hood, and one from the hood to the other end of the bar. Overlaps can now be lavish, and you always have enough tape. You secure the end of the first roll under the first wrap of the second roll. I always thought the ends of the tape in the middle would come loose, but the bikes on which I tried the Omnipotent Despot's method seem to hold up fine.
Wrinkles are the other bane of cotton bar tape. If you just start wrappin, the tape will quickly develop ridges and folds that stick up and make lumps in your bars. The solution is to keep stretching the tape tighter and tighter as you wrap, to eliminate wrinkles. I try to wrap away from myself, so I can push the tape with my thumb as it goes over the bar to increase tape tension. You really have to yank hard on that stuff to get it flat. Here's a case where modern really is worse than old: current production Velox black tape is really stiff and unelastic: I've found it impossible to get a wrap that lays flat. Older Tressoplast tape I've got is much better. If you get some tape that simply won't lay down and behave, then my last resort is to pull all the wrinkles to the bottom of the bar, secure them with the next wrap of tape and move on. At least the top portion of the bar, where your palm rests, will be smooth, even though the ridges and bumps under your finger tips will nag at you, if you're like me.
Brake hoods are traditionally dealt with by rolling them up on the brake lever body, wrapping one 2-3 inch strip of tape over the brake lever strap, then wrapping the tape up against the brake lever body, and then rolling the brake hoods back down over the wrapped tape. This is fine if your brake hoods are new and supple. DON'T TRY THIS WITH YOUR CLASSIC CAMPY BRAKE HOODS, or any other hood that seems a little dry. Rolling these hoods will usually split them. After many years of trying to wrap by sliding tape under the hood without lifting them, pushing tape under the hood with screwdriver and many other unsatisfactory methods that resulted in poor coverage or torn hoods, some generous list member showed me the light. First, position the brake levers on the unwrapped bars. Make sure you have em positioned right, because you can't move em later without ruining the tape wrap. Then, duct tape the brake lever straps to the bars, leaving the lever body free. Then remove the brake lever body from the strap by unscrewing the securing bolt and lifting the brake lever body off the strap. Be careful not to bump or disturb the strap as it sits on the bar. Be sure to do both levers at once, so you can make sure they're level before you wrap the bars. Then wrap the bars over the brake lever strap, and replace the brake lever body. Presto, no torn hoods and easy to get 100% tape coverage over the lever strap.
If you come to my CR ride in Jersey, either Saturday or Sunday, and bring your bike or your bars and levers, I'l be glad to show you how I do it, albeit I probably do it all wrong. Hope that helps you some.
Tom Adams, runnin' off at the keyboard in Shrewsbury NJ
> wrote:
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
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