Wrapping bars - tips plz

I have cork tape on my bars and my last job has lasted almost three years. I do have a bit of electrical tape just because I prefer it to the TT strips of tape that came with it. I like to wrap as evenly as I can because I like to ride bare handed. I think it's about time for a change though.

Never used to last that long though until I discovered how to put it on properly. You need to get it warm first. Do it on a warm day or hold the tape above a boiling kettle. Then it's getting the amount of overlap just right so that the sticky part actually goes onto your bars. And of course the stretching, which is easier when it's warm. Hope I haven't lost my skills though as it's been a while.

Thank you for this advice, I put mine in the microwave to get it a bit warm and it worked a charm!

White cloth tape also looses its whiteness at the same rate as a pair of white rubinos so you go from slave to rat king in unison.

Cloth tape also doesn't appear to creep down the bars. Oh and hockey tape is pretty much the same stuff and half the price ;)
Got to wrap my gf's new bars soon with cork so ta for the kettle/hairdryer tips. For those who start at the bottom, how do you trim it when you reach the stem before finishing tape? Mine always ends up a bit lumpy....

Yesterday I gently cleaned my 3 year old white cork tap with a warm wet sponge and Fairy liquid.

Rinsed it under running water, blotted excess moisture with a towel and allowed it to dry.

This was done while tape was still wrapped to the bar.

Looks like new again.

For those who start at the bottom, how do you trim it when you reach the stem before finishing tape? Mine always ends up a bit lumpy....

Cut diagonally across the tape as shown about 1/3 of the way down this page.

http://www.parktool.com/repair/readhowto.asp?id=71

Finally got my Brake levers for my Midge bars (for my geared winter bike). Did my most complicated handlebar wrapping job to date. Recycled some Fizik bar gel, installed bar end shifters, and front + rear brake levers. Bloody fiddly so it was, now I know why I'm into fixed gear cycling :)

Did'nt want the bulky shifters showing too much, so used the tip of trapping the first piece of tape under the rest, and started from the bar ends. Cheers guys. Looks really nice, and looks to be the most comfy bar set-up I've ever had. Just the rest of the bike to rebuild now.

Do leather tapes such as Toshi and Brooks have any much natural cushioning? My cloth wrapped bars mean I feel every detail of the road.

not much cushioning really, but it's defintely comfortable to grip, however it can be a tad slipper if your hand is dry, the upside is that it's defintely reusable, I've been using the same bar tape on a dozen of bars, talk about cost-efficent.

the downside is that if you wrap it as Brooks show it, the lumpy part can get a bit sore after a while, my advice is to use those cotton tape on the bar first, and then wrap the brooks bar tape, the difference is noticable, it absorb the road shock nicely but still thin enough to feel the road.

Do leather tapes such as Toshi and Brooks have any much natural cushioning? My cloth wrapped bars mean I feel every detail of the road.

I've got that sewn-on elk hide stuff on my fixed, and pretty much agree with Edscoble word for word. The feel is lovely but leather does not compress quick enough to absorb bumpy roads. I do however, find that I can keep my hands in the same position longer, without them feeling wet from sweat.

I need to take some wrap off my bars so i can put them through a quill stem...anyway I can stick it back on? used them with an front loading stem before...

Be careful removing it.

Cork tape and some others can easily tear if it's glue backed.

Reusing shouldn't be an issue.

will it still be sticky? Should i try and dig out some double sided tape?

Non glued tape ftw.

I thought you wrap from the bottom so that when you are on the drops or hoods you are going with the tape and not against it.

This may be an inappropriate threadjack, but does anyone have an insight into getting bar tape off? I have an old pair of drops with ratty black vinyl tape (Though to have been wrapped some time in the 70's, so time for a do-over) and I'm having no luck with normal degreaser or just picking at it. Acetone/nail polish remover is my next step but after that I'm flummoxed!

surely almost any solvent should do it? WD40? GT85?

Non glued tape ftw.

I thought you wrap from the bottom so that when you are on the drops or hoods you are going with the tape and not against it.

something like that, also if you lose an end plug the whole lot doesn't unwind, and there's also a thought on easier access for recabling/messin with brakes/gear shifters

Yeah I've tried gt85 and no real joy - at a guess perhaps it can't get under the tape to work on the glue? Could be I'm just going about it the wrong way though so if there's any particular tricks...?

white spirit and elbow grease

+1 for white spirit, good for removing glue.

Managed to get the old tape off. No exotic solvents required in the end - I picked the bars up this afternoon and the tape all came off with a little picking at the stubborn bits. I reckon my error was only giving the degreaser about an hour to get to work, but after about 24 hours with it on, the glue must have been weakened enough. The bars have come up lovely after a bit of buffing with wire wool, too :)

i got pissed off of the sticky tape basically making the ends of the bars all sticky when it moved about and such so i decided not to use any, and tuck the ends in.
this is how it looks.
Looks tidier and no stickiness. Winner.

i got pissed off of the sticky tape basically making the ends of the bars all sticky when it moved about and such so i decided not to use any, and tuck the ends in.
this is how it looks.
Looks tidier and no stickiness. Winner.

Oh dear...

just spit your garble out.
might aswell, you always fucking do.
cmon im waiting

He's probably got as offended as an American Christian when he saw that you wrap your bar from stem to end, instead of the other way.

anyway those who want to use Brooks leather tape, I highly recommended that you should get a cotton tape first to wrap the bar nice and tight and then wrap the brooks tape on top of it, it make a difference in comfort as well as absorbing the road nicely but not too much that you can't feel the handlebar.

mmmmm - thanks people