Handlebar Tape
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I've never double wrapped. I usually do enough of an overlap near the hoods which I guess you can say is effectively a double wrap.
Never tried the inner tube thing, but back in the day I used to wrap Benotto over Cinelli. Compressed the cork a fair bit but still gave some grip to the bars. I thought pure cork was too cushy (hey I was young then) but straight cloth or Cello left the bars too skinny. Helped to keep the cork clean as well. Looked a bit flash, mind.
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I've used Fizik grippy tape in the past and just installed this tape on my bikes. I needed more cushion, but not bulk, and this fit the bill.
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I guess it depends on what you mean by "double wrap"; I once (years ago) did a diamond pattern with 2 rolls of cloth tape (1 black, 1 white), which I then shellacked.
My 'normal' method is to put down a base layer of black friction tape over bare bars and cable housings, to not only locate them securely, but to also have a slightly stick base to put the (usually cork padded) tape on top.
On a couple of bikes, I added a bit of extra padding by taking cut strips of previous tape, and laying them down on the top surface of the bar, around the bend (where my hand often sits), and maybe a second strip on the top of the drops, near the end plug. But actual double-wrapping of my bars with cork tape? Tried that once, but the bars ended up with too much padding.......
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377 Posts
@NTT
Interesting. The meaty area I need is located on the drop, parallel to the road. After the deep bend I taper for more cushion toward the plug.
The top bar area left and right of the stem to the shifter is where I may have excess because of flat bar profile and therefor unnecessary or bulky to double wrap that zone.
I'm still playing with this.
Now starting to question my bar width at 42cm.
Interesting. The meaty area I need is located on the drop, parallel to the road. After the deep bend I taper for more cushion toward the plug.
The top bar area left and right of the stem to the shifter is where I may have excess because of flat bar profile and therefor unnecessary or bulky to double wrap that zone.
I'm still playing with this.
Now starting to question my bar width at 42cm.
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12,570 Posts
Not sure how scientific this is, but Art's Cyclery has a video here on how to judge which handlebar width is right for you starting at around 0:35:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=abbNEPP_Z94
My shoulders are wide and if I use his formula I take a 46cm, but these are hard to find, so I end up with a 44cm which seems OK.
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2,196 Posts
double wrap has been common practice for myself and riding buddies going back at least 30 years now. My training buddy was 6 6 and I am 6 4, big hands so the conventional handlebar diameter feels narrow and painful, so we were double wrapping with Cork Ribbon from then till today.
A few years ago I started putting that bicycle bar gel under the contact points as well as double wrap. But you know what? The gel doesn't do anything for me. The double wrap still does the heavy lifting in reducing hand hot spots. I've even triple wrapped it for the top halves.
I just buy the cheapest foam/cork bar tape. It's all the same to me. I was buying tape for 8 dollars a pack, but recently found it for $0.99 a pack on Amazon, so I stocked up. I also have to shop around to find thicker grips for my mountain bikes - oem grips feel like holding onto a piano wire.
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377 Posts
This video about bar width touches on some critical relationships with ones fit.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYjvsg-ztmo
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Not all handlebars measure the same - I have 1 set of 44's that measure like 42s and 1 set of 44s that measure 46 at the hoods. I can ride with either of them comfortably though, the 42s just feel a little cramped vs what I'm used to. The 46s are fine being a bit wider because they are on my gravel bike and it's nice to have a bit more leverage sometimes even on the hoods.
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Some manufacturers of handlebars measure from different points too - either the hood area or the drops. And with some gravel bike bars having flared drops, that can be a big difference.
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yeah, my gravel bars measure 46 at the hoods and just under 52 at the bar ends.
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I found it interesting in the Cade video I linked,
the fitter mentioned 80% of road bike riders riding the market standard equipted 42cm bars, actually do better on 40cm bars.
Another take away is the term shoulder measurement being well inside ones outer shoulder, and closer towards the armpit.
This perspective would likely apply to correct road fit.
the fitter mentioned 80% of road bike riders riding the market standard equipted 42cm bars, actually do better on 40cm bars.
Another take away is the term shoulder measurement being well inside ones outer shoulder, and closer towards the armpit.
This perspective would likely apply to correct road fit.
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Well the guy in the video looked like he has quite narrow shoulders. I have actually ridden a bike with 42cm bars and breathing felt restricted. I checked again and bone to bone I measure between 43 and 44cm. According the Art's video, I should add 2cm and round up to the next size.
In the real world, 44 feels about right while 42 feels too narrow.
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The Rise of Riser Drop Bars
Interesting concept:
https://www.slowtwitch.com/Gravel/The_Rise_of_Riser_Drop_Bars_7280.html
Interesting concept:
https://www.slowtwitch.com/Gravel/The_Rise_of_Riser_Drop_Bars_7280.html
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8,521 Posts
agreed
So "Riser drop" is the modern term for "randonneur"? So hard to keep up ...
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More like the modern term for, how did the old velominati blog say, "sit up and beg".
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