How to tape a handlebar

Today this article is going to show the basics of wrapping bar tape.

Tools and materials

So the things you will need are bar tape, scissors to cut the bar tap, electrical tape to tape off the end, decals if you wanted to put them on ,and bar end. The other important thing to have is an elastic band to go around the wheel on the frame to hold the handlebars still.



Methods

So, you have got two sides of the bar. They both get wrapped in opposite directions. On the back of the bar tape, you will have a tape which goes over the sticky section. So we just wind that off. And this article is going to start from the inside at the bottom of the bar and work outwards.

You do one full revolution which you will see in a close-up later, and then go across for the second time on a slight angle. It is about a 35 degree angle, and as you go around, you rewrap over the top of about a third of the tape that is already on the bar. You put slight pressure on it so that it actually sticks onto the bar and holds in one place. Work your way up the bar, always making sure that underneath there is no gap.



There are two different ways to handle it when you get to the lever. Some people put a piece around the back. I like to do a figure-eight. I just find it looks neater and it is easier and quicker to do. So, you would come under the bar, leaving a gap at the bottom of the lever, and then running up and around and over the top of the bar, creating a figure- eight, and run back under the lever again. You make sure that the triangle either side is actually small enough so that the hood can cover it. As you come around, you can actually drop the hood down and check that. On both sides, there is no gap along underneath here, so you can continue with the wrapping. Now, like anything, after you have wrapped bars a few times, it gets easier and easier. So, give it a few goes!



You can even wrap the tape without taking the backing off so that you have a couple of goes at it. You end the tape off the bar tapes to the larger size. Always have everything to hand, so that you don’t have to walk away from the bar and it unravels on you. There are a few methods of wrapping-off the end-different people like it looking different ways. You can do about two widths of tape. That is study. It stays there. Or you can do a single wrap where you leave the end of the tape slightly exposed. So that is one side wrapped. All we need to do is put the end plug in. when I wrapped it, I left about half of the tape hanging off the end of the bar, so we can just fold the end in and put the plug in. so that is the basic there.

The other side is the same, except in the opposite direction. An easy way to remember which way the tape goes is, your hands go on the bar that way. So if the tape goes that way, then that way. It is how I remember it. I am going to do the other side now…



Alright, so that is both sides of the bar tape done. If you would like to learn more about it, or even do a lesson on it, come along and see us. Thank you for reading.