How To Tape Your Handlebars In The Figure Of 8 Style | Maintenance Monday

In association with Profile Design.
If your bar tape has seen some miles, become scuffed, rough or even perished over time you'll want to replace it. Here's how to wrap your bars in a figure of 8 style to give your bike a refreshing look:
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It was about time to replace Simons bar tape after seeing some winter miles and Paris Roubaix. Fresh bar tape is great for your riding comfort and a quick cheap way to get your bike looking fantastic!
We also found out that the Figure of knot is also known as the Flemish knot! how about that for a cycling connection 😉
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How To Choose The Right Handlebars For Your Road Bike 📹 gcn.eu/chooseah...
How To Change Handlebar Tape Like A Pro Mechanic 📹 gcn.eu/Probartape
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Leave us a comment below!

[@gcn]

Who can do the figure of 8? let us know 👇

[@rogerneilson815]

Or he's doing it the way you think is wrong?

[@christophertrapp4195]

How about bar wrapping 201? I'm quite fond of Cinelli's Mike Giant Tap these days, but wrapping bars so the logo/graphics show on every portion of the bar is difficult. Once you make the turn over the hoods, and start wrapping toward the rear of the bike, your overlap will cover up the graphics. Also, wrapping fancy looking bars with graphics or aero handle bars with wing shaped tops where the wrap is stops at the top bend seems to be a bit different. I've seen bikes with no electrical tape on the tops and it looks so much neater. Do they wrap from the top down? Sram hoods have several lugs on the inside of the brake hood, and the hood doesn't overlap onto the bar very far can be tricky to wrap too. They show a gap even if you use a separate strip of tape on the clamps! Si is a Sram guy, show us the ways of the (Sram) Force!

[@GordonMoat]

I would like to see Si do the two colour bar wrap.

[@cooperbates7571]

Global Cycling Network me

[@mattdman73]

Me!

[@theotheraccount4297]

Pause and replay 100x during the figure 8.

[@fin3590]

That’s exactly what I just did and then do that again for the other side

[@Nomasiac]

😅😅😅😅

[@eoinMB3949]

Ha! Exactly what I did. Turned out great though

[@mariaverina]

lol sameeee....

[@tom8008a]

They need a play at half speed button 😆

[@svfutbol20]

I always thought this was a mystical art held only by the greatest bike mechanic sensei, but this looks pretty easy! Thanks for the guide

[@mortallious1234]

Nope, just had a go and I have to say my white belt is in danger of being revoked.

[@svfutbol20]

@@mortallious1234 My first try wasn’t perfect by any means, but is holding up

[@mortallious1234]

@@svfutbol20 Yep, mine's going to work but it's not too pretty. But, we both did it ourselves, good on you.

[@andrewfeatherstone2265]

Going to try to wrap my bars for the first time today. Thanks for all the amazing videos, they help me loads as I’m new to road bikes!

[@gcn]

Great to hear, Andrew! Best of luck!

[@andrewfeatherstone2265]

manwithnoname65 took me a while but managed it fine. You just need to be patient.

[@steveprokopiw9677]

I'm just glad there's a video showing the conventional method that mentions that pro mechanics wrap the opposite direction. I have been doing the 'outside-in' method of wrapping the drops since my crit racing days starting in the late 80's. When I sprint and even when I'm riding steady in the drops, the heel of my hands load inward not outward. I always wrapped outside-in on my track bikes too.

[@CyclingOffToSomewhereIDK]

I just taped my new Surly Truck Stop handlebars yesterday, having watched MANY videos on the process. This is the one I learned from, and emulated. I havent wrapped bars in almost 40 years, and it wasn't the best job, but I took it for a 2 mile ride and it felt amazing. The 3cm rise in the bars was great too. I'm going for another 20ish mile ride in about 30 minutes, just to really break the bars in. Thanks GCN, another very instructive video

[@crnkspinnr5863]

I always use tape I had left over from a previous wrap job to place a strip on the bar top from levers toward the stem to make the bar a bit more cushioned.

[@stagumphs]

Just did it. Figure 8 was good. I also did the clockwise right and anticlockwise left. My finishing was shit. On the aero bars. I used cut down gaffer tape as opposed to electrical tape. Not the best. But sufficient. Club ride in the morning. Nobody will know the difference and it looks equal. This video really helped. Thanks. Gave me confidence and saved me $70 at my local shop

[@foodforthought4428]

Third or fourth time wrapping my own bars, but the first time I have done it correctly, was after watching this. Great information!

[@stagumphs]

Simons therapeutic voice helps me during my first attempt. Thanks mate!

[@James-yy4vl]

The Kim kardashian fry winds me right up.

[@martinooo29]

My first handlebar tape installed. Thanks for the guide all went nice and smooth with your instructions!!! Regards form Poland !!!

[@Naturalhighz]

I always tape inwards because when you hold the top of the bars you have a tendency to twist your hands backwards. When you do this having taped inwards makes it so that you actually tighten the tape when you do it as opposed to loosening it. Taping inwards therefore is a lot more durable which is also why most pro mechanics do it that way.

[@VestigialVoice]

Wonderful way to describe the elbow-wrap portion! You really helped me out, bud, thank you!

[@josephalaguna]

This is brilliant. GCN always has it going on.

[@alantang7804]

Excellent video - helped an amateur like me make the handlebars look good!

[@MrIanMoss]

Wrapping from the outside to inside, (opposite to Simon) this gives the outside view of the bars the very neat view of the vertical section of the figure 8.

[@leedorney]

Wrapping bar tape is a true art form !

[@jasonyang292]

Great video! My first figure 8 wrap. Between the hoods and the stem wrapping the curve is tricky. I found it’s better to have more overlap on the inside of the curve, otherwise there don’t be much overlap at all on the outside.

[@DahVeeDeeOh]

yep, I usually focus on getting good coverage on the outside at this point and let the inside do what it does.

[@bizzehdee]

Just got some new carbon bars this week, tried this twice from memory, just had to come back and re-watch to get the figure-8 right. New bars look great now :D

[@trickyrickymtb5622]

Yep, followed this guide, was pretty easy. Thanks Si.

[@stevehageman6785]

First time I have tried the 'figure 8', and it turned out to be the best 'wrap' I have ever done. Thanks for the tips!

[@marcivic]

Hey, there's more pedantic comments on here than views 😂 A couple of things I found helpful about this (free) advice (meant for the unpractised) 1) stretch as instructed as otherwise you lose a lot of the spring in the cushioning and will just throw that away 2) any more than a third overlap and you may struggle to get that nice hill/valley effect that looks great and gives better feel during the ride. The rest of this I found effective and is otherwise personal preference. My own tips 1) some (or all?) types have a tapered edge on one side, so ya know, make note of that directionally 2) stretch the 1st loop tight as it helps the finish and getting the cap on (if too much resistance trim it) Thanks GCN👍😃

[@Patrick94GSR]

Nice timing, I need to replace the tape on my road bike commuter as it's getting torn in a couple places. I always do it this way, with the figure 8 behind the brifters so that there are no gaps. But I always use black bar tape.

[@mercurial_cyclist]

Wrapped some new bars for the first time yesterday, this video really helped and I got a pretty good finish out of it. Not perfect, but not far off!

[@averageman4240]

The direction of force that your grip applies in each area of the contact denotes the direction of wrap, that way it tightens and doesn't loosen, that is why the "figure 8" was applied to bar tape people. When your wringing its neck it will come away from the bars if you don't do this or if you are less aggressive it will just take longer to happen, but it will happen.

[@danmyname]

Best bar taping without gimmicks

[@ajwitt7472]

04:49 - best description of how to do the final cut, something that's a little counter-intuitive and thus easy to get wrong.

[@lyallmacey7590]

Never change my bar tape until today! Video was very helpful, but 1st time is always so stressful!!

[@kimkimkim8]

Thank you. Just wrapped my ribble gravel bike, going to test it out now.

[@jaywhitney789]

Fantastic video for first-timers 😎🤙🏽🚴🏿‍♂️

[@robertbotta6536]

Fantabulous as usual. I watched a few of these and yours is the best. BY FAR !!!! Thank you.

[@mvaupel]

When resting your hands on the drops, your hands put a rotational force on the top and outside of the bar, when resting on the top of the bars your hands will put rotational force on the top and to the front of the bar. Thus, you should always wrap in the direction your fingers are pointing when resting on the bar. This way your hands will be tightening (not undoing) the bartape in case there is any slack or slippage. :)

[@ben6089]

Best guide, it's a lot easier when you do it, you just do the figure 8 in the natural way

[@Guoenyi]

I use fizik and lizard skin tapes and both come with two short strip of tape just for covering back side of lever junction and nice finishing tapes with logos. Never used electrical tapes for finishing.

[@miniwarrior7]

Guoenyi electrical tape wears out so fast and gets sticky and electricaly

[@burchds84]

Thanks, just taped my bars for the first time!

[@TamTamster]

Thanks Si. Just done my first bar tape replacement. Fisher Price My First Bar Tape. Could have done it better no doubt. But could have done it a lot worse. Took two goes each side to go around the hoods...trying to watch carefully!

[@Combat556]

I have “practice” tape for learning the technique, and after a couple of tries on both sides, the good stuff gets installed. I found that the overlap is crucial, as too much overlap leads to not enough tape on top at the end.

That profile design tape is the best I have ever used. No sticky back, that means you can undo and redo your bars until you are satisfied without tearing the tape apart. Its really comfy, I like it a lot. For anyone interested its the Shock wrap with gel, you can't find it in the big online bike parts stores, I had to go to my LBS.

[@compassionsix]

I used to always make a mistake going the wrong direction, now quick success after watching this video before application!

[@Antifogasta]

Beautifully clear explanation and very well filmed!

[@louiekidd]

When we do find GCN brand bar tape in the shop?

[@shavonpeacock7967]

Last time I retaped my bars, I wrapped one side from the hood to the stem in one direction, i.e. away from the rear of the bike and the other side in the opposite direction, i.e. towards the rear of the bike. 3,000 miles later and no problems with either way. Clearly, unless you apply a vice-like grip to your bars, there should be no problem with unwinding if you get the tension right.

[@willgh6767]

Very useful, am redoing my tape this weekend!

[@gcn]

glad we can help

[@JS-tb9hu]

Is this way wrong?

[@elenabatryncha2933]

perfect...best video about wrapping no doubt

[@johnguzman1964]

Been curious from 7 days on how to install a new tape on my bike until i watched this video. Took me 30 mins to do it. The first one i had more or less 30cm extra, the other, about 10cm only. But i dont wanna re do it again. My new tape is neon (giant) and my old worn out tape is made by fisik. Thanks man! I miss Ashford, Thames and Tesco! Haha! (From a biker in the Philippines)

[@mikemcgibney]

Brilliantly clear for a beginner. Thanks!

[@makerbeelab5546]

Useful! actually taped my bike using the instructions from that video!

[@dan_lazaro]

I was just about to convert from straight bars to dropbars on my road bike.😂😂😂😂 I know how to do this but it's fun to watch. Si probably has more experience changing bargrips on MTBs tho

[@shopinthebasement4262]

Great vid. Specially the part around the LEVER. I wish I was cool enough to say LEEVA’ 😂😂😂

[@tyraelasd]

That feeling when you are watching a video about how to tape your handlebars and you don't even own a road bike 😂

[@adamcrookedsmile]

not yet.

[@420cm]

Soon

[@RealDonatus]

Any day now my LBS should receive it 🤤

[@boscoboasdad6562]

This video tells me I'm not crazy for buying $90 spiked peddles so I can ride to work with my steel toed boots on. It also helps me think about possibly changing from flat to dropdown handle bars. ☺

[@TeslasSecret]

The new tool shed looks terrific.

[@Australia-ky7kx]

Thanks for explaining this mystery.

[@MrSomeofthem]

I Always install my tape watching this video 🙏🙏

[@Naturalhighz]

Another trick you didn't mention is thatwhen you use the electric tape to close off at the end the last bit should be stretched a bit, that wayit sort of hugs the bar tape and make it look that tiny bit better.

[@josephgorton2815]

Hey GCN, really enjoy your videos. Are there any thoughts on doing a 'bike build' series showing how to take a frame and fit all the components? That would be brilliant

[@weenshen1203]

They gotta split the vids one by one so they don't run outta ideas on what vids should they do next. Fyi Dan did this vid already

[@albionslayden4721]

there are too may variables. so may types of frames and components they wouldn't be able to generally cover everything..

[@laforrestroxbury9909]

Great video! Saved me $35.00 at the bike store! Which I refused 😢to pay, when the tape cost$35.00 also 🤦‍♀️

[@DragonRides75]

Thanks Si, very god advice took me several goes to get it write but did thanks to the video and explanation

[@a_nimbostratus]

I made it, halfgood but motivated. Tanks guys

[@BikeItUK]

Great how to video as always, nice and clear.Cheers guys Andy

[@ds94703]

Simon gives the best detailed version. Dan's version is simpler, but Simon knows what he's talking about

[@timothyseavey3243]

tip: before wrapping the bars with the bar tape, FIRST wrap the bars with electrical tape completely. This will keep the bar tape adhesive from sticking to the bars if you ever need to remover the tape. This is especially true with alloy bars as the stick um of the tape can leave a real mess on your bars. After applying electrical tape, then wrap as you usually do for a clean, professional look to your ride.

[@Dhungerf60]

I like the color combination.

[@Zombie_FrieZ]

I just got some fizik gels and some Cannondale synapse tape. can't wait to wrap my bars. Thanks GCN for the tips!

[@nich6220]

Great video! Thanks. What tape are you using?

[@raybarber9526]

I've got to take my perfectly good tape of because the rear brake cable is binding. So, if you're putting on new tape, it might pay to change the cables at the same time?

[@helmetless]

OFF TOPIC: That accent is BOLD, would love to hear from you regarding where is it from, cheers

[@jeffbrunton3291]

Nice job. Pro direction makes sense as they change their tape frequently so it does not have time to deteriorate. Non-pro direction is better when you are leaving it on for a long time so it will not be pulled against the grain

[@grahamsmith2087]

First time I have done figure 8 turn out great thanks ....one more thing (nice reply please) what do I do with the oblong bar tape I have left over due to doing the figure 8 many thanks great vid

[@elit3401]

Excellent job !! Thanks , you make easy !

[@patrickmurray3580]

@GCN Hi guys. Just wondering if that roll of bar tape was meant for one side or two sides? If for one side, there was quite a bit spare. Would you unroll it and wrap it closer together or no?

[@malabarspyder]

how do you move the handle hood out of the way? at the very end, might it not be more secure to wrap the last bit UNDER the wrap next to it? Then if the electrical tape fails, the tape might stay in place?

[@Edq51]

nice job Simon

[@ysarn]

Why do you think the pros wrap outside to in? Because it works better. I always had problems with my tape coming loose using the conventional method, then did an experiment where I loosely wrapped the tape on the drops both ways. wrapping inside to out, if i then wiggled by hands on the drops the tape came loose. When trying outside to in, wiggling my hands on the drops self tightened the tape. I have since always used outside to in taping and have always had good results.

[@johnstonlowry1578]

Very helpful. Just one thing: I have two small lengths of the bar tape each about 3" long! What are they for, please?

[@gcn]

If you tape the bars in the figure of 8 style, you don't need them, they're intended to fill the gap left by the traditional bar wrapping method

[@johnstonlowry1578]

@@gcn Thanks for such a speedy reply. I kinda thought it would be something like that but when you don't know you don't know so best to ask.

[@hlobend2111]

made it look easy. Thanks.

[@sjod9460]

Ha! Just sat down to watch some GCN after putting some new bar tape on and saw this! 😀

[@michaelgurd7477]

Easy to follow. Very Many Thanks.

[@georgeshaw6207]

Superb Video & looks brill !

[@waedjradi]

Well orchestrated.

[@justingharst3779]

Si is the BEST!

[@walsallcyclecam1445]

As a retro rider - ok older rider -when did we change from taping from the centre of the bars and finish at the bar plug, no sticky tape required to finish off then.

[@stevenellis8365]

We were taping this way back in the early 80's ... Back when brake cables came out of the tops of the levers and the shifters were on the down tube.

[@leeglaze]

I've always felt that wrapping from the inside out was a more elegant solution. Saves having to clean up old tape adhesive later, too. I've heard people recommend both inside-out and outside-in wrapping since I first started riding in the 1970's.

[@locotte]

thank you guys for all your videos . very helpful . i enjoyed it a lot.

[@malcolmhodgson7540]

Right, right, I shall unwind my last effort and do it properly tomorrow!!!!

[@betoborrela]

Good job mate! Well done!

[@marekhavrda9077]

Thank you, video helped a lot.

[@thomaswalter7845]

Great video, nice to watch, but I did it like Calvin Jones told us

[@mcake1234]

Thanks. Big help mate.

[@ddingo48]

I finish mine off by wrapping the end, a full one width back, with a flat "serving cord" giving a look you see on line(rope) to keep the strands from unraveling.

[@sameldridge9527]

you guys should do a video on how to do braided bar tape ie two different colours.

[@robertwilcox494]

i love profile tape it feels great

[@HoudiniNL]

I actually taped my handlebars last weekend, but since I have aero bars I stopped taping just passed the top bend. #personalchoice

[@gosbusta]

my shifters have the cable pointing 90 degrees adjacent to the shifter. Is there a model for a 2x7 that you would suggest that can get the cables out towards the bar?

[@ShermanSitter]

I just came to see the comment section. I suspect a lot of handlebar wrapping experts have various points of view.

[@carstrucksboats]

you want to go the other way when wrapping for one reason, tension. as you ride the bike and your hands pulls back on the top it can loosen the tape where as if you tape from the outside in, the tape at the top will end with the end facing the back of the bike. doing so will keep the tape tight while riding

[@Jahnu8]

Great video guys! Very helpful!!

[@AKindChap]

I don't get why people hate wrapping their bars... other than riding one, it's the most relaxing thing to do on a bike! After seeing Contador's tape wrapped from top to bottom without any tape, I decided to give it a go thinking that if it didn't work I'd just wrap it again (yay!). It's been like that for a few months now, and it's still like new. I'm not sure why people insist on wrapping bottom to top. It's neater and works absolutely fine.

[@LaughingSaint66]

Holy shit that figure 8 is so pro I've always struggled with that section. Many mahalos 🤙🏽👍👏🏼💪🏼

[@Hertog_von_Berkshire]

Figure 8 is ok with thinner tapes. With thick stuff figure 8 is often judged too bulky. There's another way, which I won't try to describe. It uses less tape and gives virtually the same end appearance - with practice.

[@JasonPasteJP]

so satisfying

[@DrRKelly]

Super helpful! Thanks!

[@dodiisaurus]

Great technique! Thanks!

[@MartianTom]

Great vid, as usual. Thanks.

[@gcn]

Glad you enjoyed it