HANDLEBAR TAPING

Taping the handlebar seems difficult, time consuming and in some cases a bit daunting. However this process is not so complicated and is not so difficult to get a long last finishing.

The bar taping process requires a bar tape, some electrical tape to hold in in place as well scissors to be able to cut your tape. The first step of bar taping is removing all traces of old bar tape as we must begin from scratch. After that it is very important to verify that the cables are taped to our handlebars. Also make sure they are held in a tight way. If this is not the case it will impact the performance of the breaks and our gears. It is recommended to put just some additional of extra twists of electrical tape on the cables.

Also making sure as well they are place in the corner of the handlebars there.  After having done so, it is necessary to pull back the rubber brake hoods. This way, we are 100% sure to be able to tape underneath. And we are sure to get a nice, neat finish.  When taping the handlebar, we should take in consideration the basic but fundamental rules. Which comprise tape firmly and tape evenly.

Handlebar taping

When beginning to tape, one should proceed by doing a full complete turn, with the bar tape tend to overlap the end of the handlebar. The way the handlebar will be taped depends on the side the handlebar you are taping to. Normally, the person who is taping the handlebar proceed by taping form its inside to the outside. And also from the right-hand side to a clockwise direction and on the left hand side of the bars you are taping in an anticlockwise direction. Talking about the most suitable technique for taping, it is recommended to overlap each single time from a quarter to a third of the entire width of the tape.

While taping, wrapping nicely means trying to keep it tight in every single moment. Without pulling too hard as you can distort the tape. Moreover, it is clearly noticeable that if one get closer to the corners of the handlebar. It is required to correspond more and overlap more on the inside and a bit less on the outside.

Type of handlebar taping

Nowadays there are a lot of different handlebars tape. In the case the one you are using is equipped with a sticky strip on the back, the taping process is easier as the process of tearing off the backing tape is smoother as you will not end up by getting all tangled up. Normally, there are only one part in which the taping process can cause some problems which are the levers. In order not to experience any problems, it is suggested to get a good covering of the tape. By doing so the lever hood is back in place and you will not see any gaps at all.

If while taping, the tapes get very close to the bottom of the lever, and then up and over the top, after that down on the other side, and finally go back to the front of the lever. While taping the handlebar, it can happen to figure out here are some points in which the taping process is not as you wished. In this case it is recommended to redoing it another time. After having taped your handlebar to your satisfaction point. Then it is required to decide how to cut the tape to the most appropriate length.

Cutting it, in a parallel way is the best choice as the result will be a long, oblique cut look. Having do so, there is only one last step to do to complete the entire handlebar taping process. For the last step, the bar end plug is needed. It is then required to tuck that excess tape inside the bar, and then secure it in place with the plug. After having done it, it is important to verify the logo is placed in the right way up.

ITM handlebar taping

At ITM BIKE COMPONENTS, we offer 4 different levels of road bike handlebars’ tape.

Our entry level “CORK” with a variety of colours (yellow, blue, white, green, black, red, light blue and pink). “CARBON LOOKING” our second level, “DOUBLETAPE COLORS” category which has a different style compared to the previous 2 categories and then our high end “3D EMBOSSED LOGO “.

Click here do discover more about our tape offerings.