wrapping drop bars... advice sort

[andrew_s]

I start at the middle of the bar and work outwards, winding forwards over the top.
People will try to tell you that my method is the wrong one because I am starting at the wrong end of the bars, and that it will somehow come unravelled or will ruck up on the outside of the top bends. ... The benefit to this method is that you get to wind the tape on so that normal gripping makes the tape self tighten top and bottom;

Being controversially opposite to Brucey, I start at the bar ends and wind on the tape 'inward' and 'over' the 'bars.

I'm with R2 on the direction, but what's best is going to be personal, as it will depend on how you normally use the bars.

Brucey wraps so that a top forwards twist on the top section of tape will tighten it, but if you habitually hold the bars behind the levers, as I do, the natural twist is top outwards - i.e. opposite to top forwards.

I start at the ends and finish in the middle so that sliding the hand forwards from behind the lever onto the lever will drop down the step between one wrap and the next rather than rolling the exposed edges. I start the wrap with a top outwards wrap, and reverse the direction of wrap as I pass the lever clamp so that the section between the lever and the elbow is also top outwards, and don't worry about the top backwards wrap on the centre section being self-loosening.

[Norman H]

Harlequin Bar Tape

It's not as hard as it looks. Works best with cloth tape.

[reohn2]

I'm with R2 on the direction, but what's best is going to be personal, as it will depend on how you normally use the bars.

Brucey wraps so that a top forwards twist on the top section of tape will tighten it, but if you habitually hold the bars behind the levers, as I do, the natural twist is top outwards - i.e. opposite to top forwards.

I start at the ends and finish in the middle so that sliding the hand forwards from behind the lever onto the lever will drop down the step between one wrap and the next rather than rolling the exposed edges. I start the wrap with a top outwards wrap, and reverse the direction of wrap as I pass the lever clamp so that the section between the lever and the elbow is also top outwards, and don't worry about the top backwards wrap on the centre section being self-loosening.

The wrist is always on the inside of the 'bars on the drops,and on the outside or behind the 'bars on the hoods or any part of the tops.
Therefore wrapping from the end of the 'bars over and inward (rather than under and outward) will always mean the hand's/wrist's natural action will tighten the tape on itself,and it also means the overlap is 'favourable' rather than against the hand sliding down the 'bars causing peeling back of the tape edge.
Brucey's method of starting from the middle should be over and rearward to have the same effect,though the overlap is against the hand action ie;peeling back,when the hands are slid out or down the bars.

[ChrisButch]

The wrist is always on the inside of the 'bars on the drops,and on the outside or behind the 'bars on the hoods or any part of the tops.
.

Not sure I follow that. Do you mean pronated or supinated? My hands are always pronated on both drops and hoods, but usually supinated in the centre of the tops. I find that my tape always starts unwrapping behind the hoods sooner or later, and this happens with all four of the possible wrapping directions (tried them all), with all types of tape, and with all of the various secondary/underwrapping techniques. Gave up trying to resolve this long ago, resigned myself to spending most of my life with loosening tape.

[robc02]

Poised as I am to return to drop handlebars after a modest hiatus of, err, 45 years,

..then, like me, you'll remember going to your local shop and buying a couple of metres (more likely yards in those days ) at a time. Thin plastic - use a couple of layers if you wanted a bit more padding - cheap enough to replace without thinking twice. You could clean it with a scrubbing brush and soapy water after a hardcore maintenance session made it grubby. The nearest I've got to it recently is Bike Ribbon Pro - it's plastic with some padding, durable and scrub-able.

These BBB expanding end plugs are much better than the push-in ones supplied with the tape.

[reohn2]

The wrist is always on the inside of the 'bars on the drops,and on the outside or behind the 'bars on the hoods or any part of the tops.
.

Not sure I follow that. Do you mean pronated or supinated? My hands are always pronated on both drops and hoods, but usually supinated in the centre of the tops. I find that my tape always starts unwrapping behind the hoods sooner or later, and this happens with all four of the possible wrapping directions (tried them all), with all types of tape, and with all of the various secondary/underwrapping techniques. Gave up trying to resolve this long ago, resigned myself to spending most of my life with loosening tape.

Pronated.
I'm surprised your hands are in a supinated position on the tops,most people ride with their wrists level or lower than the bar tops(pronated)ie; twisting back as using motorcycle throttle when accelerating.
I'm also surprised your tape unwraps,are you wrapping it tight enough?
If you're have so much trouble,you could try wrapping the 'bars with double sided adhesive tape first then taping the 'bars on top of that?

[ChrisButch]

Yes, done that. No better. I think that the problem with the few inches on the nearside of the hoods is that the hands repeatedly change from slightly supinated to slightly pronated as you change from the normal 'on the hoods' riding position to covering the brakes or braking. This means that there are twisting forces in both directions on that length of tape, so there's no 'right way' to wrap it.

[reohn2]

Yes, done that. No better. I think that the problem with the few inches on the nearside of the hoods is that the hands repeatedly change from slightly supinated to slightly pronated as you change from the normal 'on the hoods' riding position to covering the brakes or braking. This means that there are twisting forces in both directions on that length of tape, so there's no 'right way' to wrap it.

I can only think you have a tight grip on the 'bars and or heat from your hands is softening the adhesive,so your hands take the tape with it instead of slipping over it.
I've never had trouble with tape unravelling taped from ends to middle in the way I described up thread.

[simonineaston]

I have my collection of hardware ready to go - On One Midge bars & Drop Forged stem and Campagnolo Veloce levers. I think I'll get some cheap non-adhesive tape and have a couple of trial wraps...