How to Wrap Your Bar Tape

[@ChrisB...]

Best explanation of the final diagonal cut that I've seen. Thanks!

[@SILCAVelo]

Thanks so much for this feedback.. at this point, it's hard not to see comments on this video that aren't: 'YOU did EVERYTHING wrong!!'... Sincerely, I hoped this helped with your perfectionism journey! - Josh

[@Thylacine1]

Your almost insane attention to detail is why I am a customer. Your obsession is greatly appreciated by us all, even us crusty gravel riders who break some of the "rules" :)

[@dmitryhetman1509]

But he forgot to change direction of tape on flat bar

[@richardharker2775]

I'm impressed with your detail. More so is why you have perfected how a tape should be constructed. My bike shop doesn't seem to know more than "Yeah, these are pretty good". Thanks Josh.

[@SILCAVelo]

Bike shops are pulled in hundreds of directions across categories so they don't always ave all the info at hand, feel free to share our tape with yours! Since this video was published Nastro beat 22 other big tape brands in a Tour Magazine test in Germany.. which is the gold standard for lab testing of bikes and equipment, so we're pretty proud to see the hard work and research pay off! Best - J

[@rapidunscheduleddisassembly]

9:10 starting alignment 12:00 "Figure eight" at he Brake interface Thank you, good advice, great products

[@CS1174]

Perfect, thanks for this detailed explanation and instruction. I’ve been looking for this video for the past 35 years and now I know how to do this perfectly.

[@washthomas]

For many years I've been using filament tape instead of electrical tape to avoid the inevitable sticky mess that electrical tape ends up becoming when exposed to the elements, especially here in Texas. Also fantastic for securing cables to the bars underneath the tape. Give it a try!

[@edrcozonoking]

I don't use the figure 8 because it switches your direction and you end up wrapping forward on the tops which is counter to the way you apply force. It also is going to change the exposed texture on the Silca tape, and printed patterns on others.

[@SILCAVelo]

Not necessarily.. the reversing of direction is the alternate form of the figure 8.. it's what I use on my personal bikes as I tend to ride unhooked (thumb over the top of the bar) which puts forward force on the tape.. I'd say this is less common and for me personally, has been something I've developed after a serious elbow injury and years of bursitis which make the hooked grip on the tops almost unbearable.. but you can absolutely run figure 8 and maintain the initial wrap direction, you define this when you come out from under the hood on the figure 8, at that point, you can take the tape either side of the bar which will set the direction for wrapping the tops. - Josh

[@hardmtnbiker]

I’m getting Silca bar tape and re-wrapping my bars. Thanks for the best video on wrapping bars!

[@SILCAVelo]

Thanks so much!! - Josh

[@betamoose]

Also, thanks for the video! I installed your thickest tape and it went great! And I finally nailed that diagonal cut at the end!

[@SILCAVelo]

Awesome! Thanks!

[@h20s8804]

Only Josh could take almost 1/2 an hour to show us how to wrap bars :) Exactly how I've done it for 3 decades tho. From the bottom, inside out--otherwise you'll 'unwrap' with your natural hand positions as you ride. Then at the top, hold the tape at it's continuing natural angle and cut it off with your scissor 90degrees to the bar tops.

[@radiohead1911]

This is great. Can you make some recommendations on the best ways to clean and maintain nastro bar tape? Especially the white.

[@davidstihler9689]

Excellent. I normally start at the stem knowing it won't last long but will try this method next time. I'm going to buy Josh's new product on the wrap. Thanks so much.

[@GrantStevens68]

Great video, I'd be interested in how you'd tackle the bar ends when using the Shimano Di2 connectors that sit flush with no room to tuck the tape into the tube?

[@flameriderful]

Thank you! Did my first wrap, it's not perfect but better than I hoped!

[@barryrobbins7694]

I have never seen a pro race mechanics wrap bar tape in that direction the whole way up the handlebar. Some times the wind direction will be different between the drops and the tops, but it always finishes over the top of the handlebar in the direction of the seat. In the case of pro riders, their position is more stretched out and most of the stress on the bar tap is from pulling on the handlebar, not from resting on them.

[@donmassonne893]

I just taped my bars using Silca tape and the "classic Euro" techniques demonstrated in this video--my bike looks so pro!

[@SILCAVelo]

Love it!!

[@richardnortier107]

Just installed the Nastro Cuscino tape. Amazing! Thanks Josh!

[@SILCAVelo]

Thanks Richard! - Josh

[@therealbonj]

Great level of detail, thanks. I really like the butterfly piece, I feel this is where most bar tapes fall down, so good to see some thought gone into it. The slanting sight line finish method is exactly how I finish a squash racket, right down to the need for sharp scissors otherwise the cut line doesn’t go straight as the scissors stick to the tape too much and want to finish the cut too early (the sharpness of the scissors needs to exceed the tendency of them to stick to the tape). Can I just ask, have you any tips on double wrapping please, and whether this silca tape is suitable as a top layer over some cork bar tape underneath?

[@bigboybiker]

Perfection, thanks Josh! I’ll have to put in an order for your tape.

[@VHaard]

This was close to 100% like I was taught, and the guy who taught me called it "the Italian way"! Regards Klaus

[@lukaoblak5668]

If you do figure 8 a bit diferently, you can change direction of the tape on the top.

[@michaelpearce6982]

Does the finishing tape adhere to both bar tape and bar? I've seen people just finish tape around the end of the bar tape, not sticking into the bar also.

[@SILCAVelo]

You can do either.. our finishing tape is super stretchy and uses a really high end 3M adhesive on the backside as I like to get the finishing tape ~80% on the tape itself, but then have it also come off the end of the tape and onto the bar to make a nice sealed off appearance.. but technically either way is fine, it's more about aesthetics.

[@milepost1445]

This tape is worth the price for the butterfly piece alone. You had me at "completely covered with high-quality 3M adhesive"!

[@burple65]

The little butterfly piece seems like a good idea; surprising nobody has improved on that previously; has always been a complaint of mine. But referring to it as "he" and "him"??? It's a piece of tape!

[@treesnbikes]

Simple tip to deal with the growing length of backing tape - use the scissors that you already have handy to trim pieces off as you go

[@2wheelsrbest327]

Thanks Josh. Hope I can buy this tape in UK. Fancy popping over and doing it for me 😉

[@b374mxg]

Just placed my order yesterday for the black bar tape!!

[@SILCAVelo]

Thanks, you'll love it!

[@rainerschenk5667]

The butterfly will cover the locking holes in the Shimano hood, which are meant to hold the rubber cover in place?

[@SILCAVelo]

On modern Shimano hoods no, but it will on 1990's era STI levers, in this case you can just cut it with scissors.

[@tonyg3091]

Aren’t we supposed to wrap the tops counterclockwise?

[@davidstihler9689]

I'm also wondering what type of instrument is mounted just in front of the stem. It looks like an analog device.

[@SILCAVelo]

The gauge from our friends over at Omata. Here is the link to the gauge: omata.com/products/omata-one-mph

[@wjs1]

Josh can you confirm that the direction of wrapping as you mention in the video is indeed correct for all types of riding from casual to performance level? Thanks

[@joshuapoertner9376]

Yes, the direction we advocate is what you will find used by 80% of pro mechanics for all types of riding. I currently only know of one ProTour mechanic who goes the opposite direction to what we show here and I do not know anybody who mixes directions for different types of riding.. these things are sort of religious for the mechanics, so this is typically viewed as being a 'right way ' and a 'wrong way' for all types of riding. Realistically, with modern adhesive backed tapes, you are really fine either way.. much of the argument and issue with wrap direction goes back to the days of cotton, cello and early foam tapes that did not have adhesive backing, so would loosen in certain areas of the bar under certain conditions. Wrapping the direction I advocate for was more about keeping the drops from unwrapping during sprinting, while wrapping the other direction is cited for being effective at keeping the tops from unwrapping during climbing when a rider's hands might be gripping more tightly when rotating backwards than forwards. With modern tapes the biggest challenge is generally keeping the tape together at the transition from the tops to the drops, as riders will rest palms on the tape in this corner and the loads are a sort of forward and outward sliding. This is why some people will advocate wrapping top down as the wrap direction is very effective at preventing sliding in this area, but then it presents an open edge of tape toward the rider which can want to curl up under these loads and can be uncomfortable with bare hands. Having said all that, in the one team we work with that has the one mechanic wrapping the other direction, I've never seen any difference in longevity, unwrapping, anything like that.

[@joshuapoertner9376]

Also to add, you can change direction during the figure 8 which is something we used to see done in the old days, so you can go one way in the drops and then reverse for the tops if you are having problems with unwrapping in one area or another.

[@ritchey111]

Josh, thank you for excelent video. As your Fiore Bar Tape is a bit thicker, is it still possible to use the Figure 8 wrapping without getting too much bulk?

[@SILCAVelo]

Definitely.. you can even figure 8 with the Cuscino, you just have to pull it tight in that area and be careful with the overlaps. Or you can use the butterfly and barber pole.. these are generally personal preference.

[@jayferrante1434]

What speedometer is that on the bike?

[@davidmaver7182]

Josh, how well do the Silca gear wipes work at keeping the white tape clean? Thanks!

[@SILCAVelo]

They work better than anything else I've found.. depends on the tape of course, but with our tape, you can get darn near back to white with the gear wipes, though they can't fully get everything out of the texture of the tape unless you spend some serious time wiping each bit of texture

[@davidmaver7182]

@@SILCAVelo Thanks! Thinking about going with the white nastro piloti tape, unless there's a blue version coming out soon.

[@srjuanjo]

This is the video I was looking for, thanks mate very useful, best video in its class 👌

[@Heltsin]

Doesn't more tension in the bar tape mean it becomes thinner?

[@justjxn2626]

Well done. The end angled tape cut is reversed on each side...

[@rickdoehler502]

Trouble with the figure 8 is the top is rotating the wrong way. As you naturally twist with you hands you are not tightening like on the drops. Love all the Silca products and so glad it still exists.

[@SILCAVelo]

The beauty of the figure 8 is that you can either reverse the top wrap or not when you do it.. many riders need the tape to wrap forward as they tend to load the tape down/forward when riding on the tops, other riders tend to 'moto' the tops when climbing twisting it backwards.. by doing the figure 8 you can actually swap directions to accomodate either of these styles.

[@rickdoehler502]

@@SILCAVelo I'll play with that I have a couple rolls of your tape on hand. Cheers

[@jrgenstutemeyer9185]

Love that you to have a Omata One 😍

[@bNaVSK]

This looks very good. Any plans to make lock-on grips in the future?

[@SILCAVelo]

Great question! We are always look at new product ideas; however, we don't have any plans in the immediate future. Thank you!

[@perrywall2532]

Add this! Use a toe strap to stop your bars moving about! Through the rim & bidon cage.

[@davidide1525]

Nice wrap, and good tips. How difficult is it to remove the adhesive when replacing the tape? I have had much frustration trying to get the adhesive residue off :)

[@BrianRPaterson]

Try using alcohol. Or hand sanitizer. Or get some of the electronics contact cleaner in a spray can -- that'll get most adhesives off pretty quickly and it pretty inexpensive. Cheers

[@moofie74]

Hey let’s talk about that head unit there! Whatcha got?

[@SILCAVelo]

That's an Omata One: omata.com

[@Francis14v]

You should make a pair of gloves that use the same material for padding, because as we now learned from the marginal gains podcast, riding on the hoods with bent elbows is much more aero. So don't we loose some of that low hysteresis benefit from the tape if we ride on the hoods? And while you are at it, you could make the gloves aero as well ;) (I'm sure you would)

[@vmchv]

great technique !! Thanks!

[@robertstad8796]

I think you have the tape in the wrong direction on top of the bar. You tend to rotate your hands toward you, unwinding the tape. I have seen other videos where they change rotation direction after the shifter.

[@8xlaxx]

After your Fig. 8s, you reverse-threaded the bar tape making it easier to unravel on top of bar. Like the bar tape tho.

[@ritchey111]

No, he didn't. The arch of the handlebar makes it look like it is winded in opposite direction, but if you follow the direction (try to point it out with your finger for example) you'll see it continues the right way.

[@edrcozonoking]

@@ritchey111 yes he did. The figure 8 means you wrap forward over the top which is opposite of what you want. I've done both methods and @8xlaax is correct.

[@chapmag6578]

Brilliant thankyou

[@betamoose]

When you mention overlapping by less to make the wrap thicker, don't you mean overlapping by more?

[@dannyloo9688]

Companies should be offering different lengths of bar tape with all these aero, flat top bars on the market. Some folks like to have the tops covered as well. Your regular size roll of tape just isn't long enough and the price of some tape is quite high. I also recommend removing the adhesive backing from the tape to avoid the glue residue on the bars. I've never had a problem with tape slipping even without any adhesive. You can also avoid the glue residue left when electrical tape retreats from the original position by using a self fusing silicone tape.

[@michaelmahan7260]

How in the world would you remove the adhesive backing from the tape? On every adhesive-backed tape I've seen the adhesive strip is stuck to the tape and not removable. It just took me an hour to remove the tape residue left from using Cinelli gel tape....it was incredible how much residue was there. It was like trying to remove old cellophane tape that tears and does not pull off in strips. I had to use 'Goo Gone' to remove all of it, along with careful use of a razor blade. Maybe Silica tape is different. I'll have to try it or only use non-adhesive bar tape.

[@dannyloo9688]

@@michaelmahan7260 It's not difficult. Put on your fav Netflix show or movie and just patiently roll off the adhesive with your thumb while you sit and watch tv. Do it slowly and it won't tear the tape material. Worth it to avoid all the gunk on the bars. I've done with Fizik and Specialized tapes.

[@michaelmahan7260]

@@dannyloo9688 Thanks for the tip, but there is no way the residue I had was going to be removed by simply rubbing it without Goo Gone or paint remover. It was ridiculous.

[@dannyloo9688]

@@michaelmahan7260 On the bars, no way. That's why you gotta remove it from the tape when new so it never gets a chance to gum up the bars. If I have a fresh roll in my stash I'll do up a vid of me rolling off the glue.

[@billeterk]

Hair dryer?

[@ndizl]

I obviously watch/listen to too much marginal gains podcast, i was sure you were going to say the bare end of the finishing tape is at the bottom facing backwards because it's more aero than a free edge facing forward!😂

[@Analogue_Cyclist]

I knew I liked Josh - then he said "I ride Campy" and I understood why.

[@Volkmannx]

👍

[@borasumer]

White bar tape needs to be replaced right after you finish wrapping it, god damn thing gets dirty in no time.

[@SILCAVelo]

Yes, but it looks so PRO!!

[@l.s.754]

I think it is irrational to start from the bottom, rather from the top. Applying electric tape on the top, makes it look unattractive. I always apply handle bars tape from the top and move downwards.. End result is nice and clean. Before the start. at the top, cut tape angularly, and it will not create the bulge. Even if you end up having a little bulge, it will look great and bike will have clean look.

[@JeffC-fq1be]

i hate how they always only show the right side.

[@trevekneebone369]

He?!

[@TnFruit]

Why pittinge Add between the video. That's really annoying

[@Eirikkinserdal]

Is it pebax bartape? 😂

[@paradox963]

This lost me as soon as he started wrapping to the outside, or as it's known the leisure ride wrap, it's called this casue wrapping this direction the tape only tightens in relaxed leisure rideing situations and will loosen in high effort senarios like sprinting in the drops or pulling on the tops in hard climbs. It's the reason you never see pro team mechanics wrap bars that direction. Also the figure eight is still what is used by most pro teams and no one uses the cheater strips.

[@justjxn2626]

Debateable

[@wjs1]

Research the product and the company a bit more mate. Josh is employed BY the pro teams so he knows a fair bit more about most things to do with bikes than any mechanic alive. Often he'll find that what the mechanics do is just because that's the way they've always done it, not because it's the best. Bring yourself up to speed first before making ignorant comments in the public space.

[@paradox963]

@@wjs1 I am very much up to speed and Silca makes excellent products and has been since long before it's most recent acquisition, and I own several from back when Claudio Sacchi still owned it. My comments about the wrap direction is based on both conversations with pro team mechanics and just the basic physics of what happens when riders are exerting high effort on the bars. Perhaps you should do more research before making ignorant derogatory comments.

[@wjs1]

@@paradox963 LOL, so Josh Poertner got it wrong? ie he completely mixed up the wrap direction of his own product? Have you actually bought the product and tested it to see if he is correct or whether your "basic physics" trumps him? Tut tut Josh - you know so much about so many things but when it comes to something as simple as which way to wrap bartape you get it wrong...unlikely buddy, sorry.

[@paradox963]

@@wjs1 I am sure the bar wrap is quality stuff as most Silca stuff is and if you bothered to read my first comment I explained that the direction he is wrapping is fine for a leisure rider just resting their hands on the bar but is not the best way to wrap for aggressive riders who will be sprinting from the drops or pulling on the tops on a climb. At this point, I am done replying to an irrational person it's like trying to explain things to a Trump supporter they are beyond reason.

[@johnwente1413]

A 25-minute video that should have been no more than 6 minutes. Too much talking. Just do the job and explain as you go.

[@wjs1]

Josh is an in-depth guy, an engineer. And people admire and appreciate him for that. If you just want to slap it together without the details and background to the product then you should probably buy something else because it isn't Josh's mindset nor the Silca mentality.