Nearly every way has been tried to make handlebar tape stay looking good from season to season. There is nothing like having freshly wrapped bars, especially as the summer cycling season hits.
One of the first things I look at when I am looking over someone’s bicycle is the handlebar tape. Does it need cleaning? Should it be replaced? Is it ripped? I know others look at these things also. One thing that is almost universally overlooked is how the tape is finished off near the middle of the bars. Just how much vinyl electrical tape can you put on the bars.
The nice thing about electrical tape is that it is cheap. If you buy some of the more expensive rolls you can also get it in a few colors. Those two things alone make it one of the most used products for finishing off handlebar tape. Some of the biggest problems with using electrical tape are that when it gets warm the adhesive softens causing the tape to slide and making a gooey mess where it is exposed. The other big drawback is the fact that electrical tape is meant for dry climates. The wet weather and sweat will result in loss of adhesiveness and the tape unraveling. For may the solution is to just use more tape.
Looking at this from another vantage point. Maybe we should look at what other sports do when using some sort of tape. With very little searching you can find a perfect product used in ice hockey. Electrician’s call it friction tape, hockey players call it hockey tape.
It is an tar impregnated cloth tape that has adhesive on one side. It sticks to itself rather robustly and is not effected by hot or wet weather. Being that it is cloth, it has nearly the same texture as some handlebar tapes. The bad thing is that it is about twice as much as a good role of vinyl electrical tape, and it comes in every color imaginable as long as you can only imagine black.
To the left is a picture of a set of bars finished off with hockey tape. When first installed the tape will appear to be sticky but after a ride or two the sticky feeling will go away and you are left with a nicely textured end tape that will also look good for the life of your handlebar tape. Of course when your handlebar tape starts to look ratty or won’t come clean even with the latest organic cleaners it is time to replace it and start all over again. If that time come give friction tape a try. I am sure you will like it.
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This topic is a good idea how to finish a handlebar tape cleanly. Whenever I watch cycling I use to see different types of handlebar tapes from season to season. First thing when I look someone’s bicycle is the handlebar tape and the design of the bicycle. Yes we need to keep our bicycle clean only than our handlebar tape will be clean and should keep on replacing the handlebar tape moreover it’s ripped too.
That’s right putting vinyl electrical tape which is more expensive will also gives a few colors. I think using electrical tape in hot climate and wet weather will not give good result. It is mostly design for dry climates. I think using hockey tape as handlebar tape will not make the cyclist comfortable at first as the tape appears to be sticky. So why don’t we discuss on new tape which will make comfortable to the cyclist and can be use in any climate. -
I never even thought about hockey tape. And I have a couple of rolls stored right next to my bike in the basement. I wonder how it will handle the rain?
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I have been replacing my bar tape on many of my bikes in the last few weeks..I think I have become pretty good at it.I start at the top of the bars about 11/2″ from the center and go down..I don’t use electrical tape..I think it looks cleaner ..and no sticky feeling… but tonight ..I wrapped a set of bar with Hockey Tape..This stuff is the Bomb..a little thin ..so next time 2 layers..A word of caution…Hockey Tape tends to wrinkle at the edges. and a full roll is hard to work with ..around brake cable so I would take em off ..or use a small roll of h/t.
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Curt, It actually holds up very well in the rain. The biggest issues is when you first put it on. A little bit of the black comes off and onto your gloves. Usually it stops after a few rides unless you put it on in very hot weather as more of the black tar-like substance seems to leech out of the tape. Once this is done, the tape does not stretch or shrink with the weather like vinyl tape does and the adhesive does not get all over the place.
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I found your blog on google and read a few of your other posts. Keep up the good work. Look forward to reading more from you in the future.
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hockey tape most definitely comes in a ton of colors.
check http://www.hockeygiant.com, they have 30 foot rolls for 2.50
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I found an even better solution, when I received a vintage pair of Colnago handlebar wraps, with tri-color (Italian Flag) finishing tape. As you can imagine, 10 year old vinyl tape does not stick the way it did when new, and soon it was coming loose.
Guess what? just put a couple of drops of Superglue under the end of the tape (on the sticky side), and spread it to the edges. Press it on and hold for about 2 minutes, and ABRACADABRA! The tape end sticks like glue! It also gives a neat appearance. The Superglue seals the edges in addition to holding it in place, adding a really finished look; we used to varnish bar tape in days gone by to achieve this “sealed” look. Wear disposable rubber or vinyl gloves when doing it, though.
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I use 3M self fusing silicon electrical tape. After 24 hours, the tape melds together and becomes one contiguous band. Nothing to unravel. It seems that 3M only makes black, but other brands make colors.
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