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Bar tape that sticks to the bars?

by fixedwhip
Tue, Sep 18, 2018 08:49
8

I ride a bike with bullhorn bars most of the time, and when I'm getting some speed I find myself pulling hard, to the point where I'm peeling the bar tape back. I use the Cinelli gel cork bar tape at the moment and this is my second time wrapping them in about three months, because I'm pulling so hard that I'm exposing the bar underneath. Rewrapping more thickly doesn't seem to help either.

So my question is, is there a tape that sticks to the bar (and itself) better? I don't want to have to mess around rewrapping an increasingly warped strip of bar tape so frequently.

Of course, any advice on how to stop gripping so much on the bars when putting power down is appreciated too!

If you're new please join in and if you have questions pop them below and the forum regulars will answer as best we can.

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8 comments

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Redvee | 5 years ago
0 likes

You are wrapping the bars in the right direction? 

 

Right Hand Side = Anti Clockwise

Left Hand Side = Clockwise.

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Rob S | 5 years ago
0 likes

You really don't want stickier tape. It doesn't have to be a very strong adhesive before it ends up stronger than the tape itself. I once spent a good couple of hours scraping the remains of some Deda Mistral tape off my bars - the tape tore off instead of unwrapping, leaving the adhesive and the middle part of the tape thoroughly stuck. As others have said, the adhesive is only there to help when wrapping.

You could try wrapping in the opposite direction, the theory being that you effectively tighten rather than loosen the wrap when you pull up on the bars. Not sure how much it helps in practice. Bar tape is tedious.

I think it's common to brace and pull on the bars under hard effort, but I'm not sure if it actually helps or if it's just a bad habit like swinging from side to side. Try just not doing that - focus on pushing down through the pedals and keep your upper body relaxed, with only a light touch on both bars and saddle - and see how you get on.

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Yorkshire wallet replied to Rob S | 5 years ago
3 likes

Rob S wrote:

 

I think it's common to brace and pull on the bars under hard effort, but I'm not sure if it actually helps or if it's just a bad habit like swinging from side to side. Try just not doing that - focus on pushing down through the pedals and keep your upper body relaxed, with only a light touch on both bars and saddle - and see how you get on.

This is true. When  I first started to increase my climbing efforts and take on steeper stuff I was wasting loads of energy in my upper half and used to end up with sore triceps.

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Flustercluck | 5 years ago
0 likes

Maybe try a different bar tape, that's more tacky?  I use Lizard Skins and that's pretty secure.  If not, maybe some of this stuff could help?

 

https://www.technibond.co.uk/products/double-sided-thin-tapes ??

 

 

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fixedwhip | 5 years ago
1 like

I've been wrapping it as tightly as I can, and tried with a huge amount of overlap as well as a smaller amount of overlap, and the same thing happens. I think I'm looking more for a recommendation of a bar tape that sticks to itself a bit better.

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racyrich | 5 years ago
0 likes

I think it's more about how tightly you wrap it than how sticky it is.  Just don't snap it when pulling it on tight (done that, expensive beginners error).

After all, years ago we used plastic Benotto tape and that was plain cellophane-like plastic with no glue at all, and didn't unravel.

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fixedwhip | 5 years ago
0 likes

I probably should have been more specific - the tape is not coming away from inside the bar ends, it's stretching halfway down the underside of the bar, separating to show the bar underneath. I don't have a picture of it because I've just redone the tape, but I've drawn what it looks like. The yellow bit is the bar tape and the black bit is the bar itself. The bit I didn't colour in is the stem etc.

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kil0ran | 5 years ago
0 likes

Might want to reverse wind (sticky side up) electrical tape on the bar ends before applying the bar tape over the top. Most bar tape only has a central tacky strip and it won't withstand really hard pulls - it's there to hold the tape in place as you wind it on more than anything else.

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