[cdean]

I removed the bar tape from the aluminium handlebars on my gravel bike and the wet and mud of a UK ‘gravel’ winter plus the odd turbo session have left an amount of white aluminium oxide. There wasn’t a huge amount of it and the bars are only a few months old. I wiped it off and structurally they look absolutely fine and the areas it emanated from aren’t even very visible. Does anyone have any recommendations about anything I can wipe or coat them with to try and and prevent it from happening again or reduce the extent of it if it does? I was thinking that a wipe down of GT85 (or even better something without ptfe) that leaves a film over them would be a good idea. Unfortunately the bike has to live in a shed outside! 

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[Nick T]

Wrap them tightly with

Wrap them tightly with electrical tape

[cdean]

Thanks both. I hadn’t thought

Thanks both. I hadn’t thought about GT85 or similar making the bars slippy ?‍♂️ 

Cream cleaner then a light spray of lacquer sounds like the one…

[ktache]

I did get some ACF50 for

I did get some ACF50 for putting on my nokon cable outers, they rot in our conditions, it’s meant to be grreat on the corrosion and preventing more.  But it is quite oily and I’m guessing the tape would slip.

A good rub down with a slight abrasive, a good polish with a cream, which would be very mildly abrasive too, and a spray with some top coat lacquer maybe…

[andystow]

You might have trouble

You might have trouble getting new tape to stick if you wipe it down with GT85. I know I’ve seen some people start out with a full coverage overlapping wrap of electrical tape under the bar tape. I’d expect that should keep it dry. A good wipe down with solvent and a few coats of black spray paint might work also. Let it dry a few days at least before retaping.

[Author]

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