[Other Sport] Cycling geeks

[Pantani]

Anyone got any experience of wrapping bars? Any tips you can send around the world?

Yeah I have and I still can't do it

This time last year, I rebuilt that whole bike, from scrap.
The last thing was bar tape and I just couldn't do it.

There's plenty of you tube videos about.
I think it was the Liquigas fella who does the bike in about 30 secs, not very helpful!.

Patience is my tip, and an acceptance that you won't get it perfect. I've worked with mechanics who have been doing it decades and are still rubbish at it.

Buy two sets of tape too if it is your first ever attempt, it is nice to have a safety net.

Get some electrical tap for the end, do not use the stupid stickers they give you with the tape as they are useless.

Stretch it pretty tight as you go and overlap by about a third, remember to wrap it so your hands are pulling it tighter when you are pulling on the bars, if you go the other way every time you put your hands down you are helping to unravel it. With this in mind buy a tape that has a bit of stretch in it, my favourite is the Bontrager tape but most are similar.

Make sure you have scissors to hand as it is annoying to wrap your bars then have no way to cut the tape, then watch it unravel as you step away.

Have someone else nearby to 'put their finger there'

Use a pretty colour that matches your bike (not celeste though, SB ).

I'm pretty good at it now, as it is my favourite job on a bike, mine gets changed far more thatn the amount of miles I do warrants.

 

[Stat Brother]

Patience is my tip, and an acceptance that you won't get it perfect. I've worked with mechanics who have been doing it decades and are still rubbish at it.

Buy two sets of tape too if it is your first ever attempt, it is nice to have a safety net.

Get some electrical tap for the end, do not use the stupid stickers they give you with the tape as they are useless.

Stretch it pretty tight as you go and overlap by about a third, remember to wrap it so your hands are pulling it tighter when you are pulling on the bars, if you go the other way every time you put your hands down you are helping to unravel it. With this in mind buy a tape that has a bit of stretch in it, my favourite is the Bontrager tape but most are similar.

Make sure you have scissors to hand as it is annoying to wrap your bars then have no way to cut the tape, then watch it unravel as you step away.

Have someone else nearby to 'put their finger there'

[I]Use a pretty colour that matches your bike (not celeste though, SB ).[/I]

I'm pretty good at it now, as it is my favourite job on a bike, mine gets changed far more thatn the amount of miles I do warrants.

Bollox

I was going to agree with all you said, with the proviso that I still can't do it.
But you are clearly talking out of your arse

 

[Stat Brother]

Will this thread get swamped in just 3 weeks of Le Tour?

 

[Stat Brother]

My tip is if you can't do it, get Mrs Woodchip to try, all the while telling her how to do it as per Pantani's reply.

People love being told how to do something they clearly can't do themselves.

 

[TotallyFreaked]

Will this thread get swamped in just 3 weeks of Le Tour?

I'm not sure even if Wiggins wins the tour we will get to the level of interest in cycling that is so much more apparent in the rest of Europe. Look at the great success of our track cyclists and while interest has increased it still feels a marginalised sport. I would be surprised if the average NSC fan cares that much about cycling.

On another note I found this tonight, made me laugh

18 Miles Per Hour | Universal Truths Of Cycling

 

[Stoichkov]

Yeah - wrapping bar tape - I still can't do it.

Also, if you want your road bike to look 'euro', bar tape should always, always be white. However, lets face it, black tape saves a lot of cleaning...

 

[Pantani]

Yeah - wrapping bar tape - I still can't do it.

Also, if you want your road bike to look 'euro', bar tape should always, always be white. However, lets face it, black tape saves a lot of cleaning...

White tape is nearly as bad as celeste...

Has he gone to bed yet?

 

[manintheblackpajamas]

Blimey Mani, calm down!!

There are few pics littered around the cycling threads, certainly not enough, so post away.

i will keep it brief this time then!
anyway, here is the bike as it looked in the shop. it has since had a new chain and rear cassette.
from old PDF brochures on the Koga website i reckon it to be 1979.

 

[Indurain's Lungs]

White tape is nearly as bad as celeste...

Has he gone to bed yet?

I like white tape, it's just a bugger to keep clean.

 

[Woodchip]

I was going with white as the bike originally had cream tape.

 

[Stat Brother]

i will keep it brief this time then!
anyway, here is the bike as it looked in the shop. it has since had a new chain and rear cassette.
from old PDF brochures on the Koga website i reckon it to be 1979.

View attachment 33145

White tape is nearly as bad as celeste...

Has he gone to bed yet?

Lovely piece of retro classic there Mani, and you know what would make it shine...




...Celeste bar tape!

To upgrade would be like going from an Austin Allegro to a Merc.

To give up on that classic would be a crime.
I for one won't help you shopping if you're just going to consign it to the back of the shed.

 

[Stat Brother]

Just to pi$$ [MENTION=12656]Pantani[/MENTION] off, this was my restoration project a year ago .
With Celeste bar tape.

I'm not apologising for showing it off AGAIN, cos I'm well proud of the job it did! so ner ner neer ner ner.

 

[manintheblackpajamas]

Lovely piece of retro classic there Mani, and you know what would make it shine...




...Celeste bar tape!

To upgrade would be like going from an Austin Allegro to a Merc.

To give up on that classic would be a crime.
I for one won't help you shopping if you're just going to consign it to the back of the shed.

Fear not, i don't even have a shed. my flat mate has been warned already that a second bike will soon be parked in the spare room.

I ride this bike every day to work and will continue to do so. Did 25 miles on it the other night after work and it was fine, but i have been seduced by the modern charms too.

unfortunately, however, i think the celeste would clash somewhat with the frame. nice work on your project though.

 

[Horton's halftime iceberg]

I was surprised to hear Nibali and his team mate to ASTANA, to be managed by Vino. All the rumours were Andy Scleck would be their key man.

Vinokourov hails Nibali’s move to Astana team; Vanotti also confirmed

 

[Indurain's Lungs]

I was surprised to hear Nibali and his team mate to ASTANA, to be managed by Vino. All the rumours were Andy Scleck would be their key man.

Vinokourov hails Nibali’s move to Astana team; Vanotti also confirmed

Apparently they said they would only take Andy and not Frank so it fell through.

 

[Horton's halftime iceberg]

Apparently they said they would only take Andy and not Frank so it fell through.

Would have thought Frank may have fitted in well. its odd they feel the need to be on the same team, you would have thought at the top of professional sport its about getting the team fit. Wonder if Astana felt that Andy could have delivered without his brother.

 

[Woodchip]

Apparently they said they would only take Andy and not Frank so it fell through.

They wouldn't want to sully they precious name would they. Oh, hang on...

PS - I really hate Astana!!!!

 

[Horton's halftime iceberg]

They wouldn't want to sully they precious name would they. Oh, hang on...

PS - I really hate Astana!!!!

Vino got a bit booed in the Olympic Time Trial riding in the new Astana Time Trail kit, I secretly booed inside my head as well (bad cycling fan)

 

[Woodchip]

Sorry guys. I've fallen out of love with Mrs Pendalton.

Hello Ms Trott.

 

[Stat Brother]

Don't apologise.




You never had a chance anyway.