[Frith]

Is there any white bar tape that can be kept clean?
Is it really that bad?

I'd like to buy a white saddle and would thus be stuck with white bar tape for the duration of that saddle's life... I'm a slave to fashion. Please help me.

Frith (the man who posted about bottle cages that were the wrong shade of yellow last week.)

ps i stripped and painted the cages... they're looking lovely and yellow.

 

[JimP]

White bar tape? I tried that on a bike once and the tape looked clean and nice for a couple of weeks. The longest lasting white tape was the old Benotto slick tape. That would stay clean because you could wipe it off with a sponge but it wasn't very comfortable. I now use black tape since it matches the bike and even so, I have to replace the tape yearly because it wears.

 

[collinsc]

Oh yeah baby

It can, and must be done. White is the only color for bar tape. Saddle to follow if you dare.

It really isnt THAT hard to keep clean. Some decent degreasing cleaner (409's orange crap seems to work ok) will do the trick just fine. If it gets really bad, Clorox Cleanup w/ bleach will re-white that lovely saddle in no time. Careful with that stuff though, it's a bit nasty.

 

[C-40]

vinyl is easiest..

You can still get padded vinyl tape in white. It cleans up a lot easier than any of the new foam tapes, but it's slick if it gets wet.

I used a white Flite saddle for a couple of seasons, a long time ago. About twice a year I wiped it down with lacquer thinner (brief contact only) and restored the color with the spray coloring intended for shoes. It's flexible and won't crack. Worked pretty well. After 2 seasons I gave up and went to black.

 

[CFBlue]

Wow, That's really striking

I really like the black and white theme. I think that's one of the best looking bikes I've ever seen.

 

[UNCCCycling]

if you want to wash it all the time

 

[Frith]

It can, and must be done. White is the only color for bar tape. Saddle to follow if you dare.
.

OMG. I think I felt it move when I looked at your fondriest.

i'm doin it!

 

[russw19]

My Merckx has white tape and hoods

And I wear gloves most of the time, so they stay white.

 

[lonefrontranger]

It can be done if you're diligent

First, as someone else mentioned, one of the keys is to WEAR GLOVES. If you flat, take the gloves OFF to change the tire, clean your hands up, then put gloves back on.

Most bar tape gets mucked up from a) changing a flat, then putting yer grimy drivetrained paws on it and b) rain rides.

Most pros use white bartape. Reason: they have a hired wrench who does nothing but clean and tweak bikes all day. Also, they change their HB tape about once a week or so. I'm not making this up.

Most amateur racers / recreational riders (myself included) stick to black for convenience's sake. I do way too much filthy weather riding to use white tape, altho' I did used to use it on my Gitane about a million seasons ago (Campag Victory, leave it up to you to do the math).

I had a housemate who was a white bartape user on one of his racers (a hot pink Giordana, go figger, it was 1990). He used some kind of automotive upholstery cleaner to keep it nice & white. He also didn't ride that bike in the rain.

Personally, the prettiest combo I've ever seen was a hunter green steel Bottechia with tan leather wrap, the old stitched style. Very sporty.

 

[MShaw]

Bar tape?

Is there any white bar tape that can be kept clean?
Is it really that bad?

I'd like to buy a white saddle and would thus be stuck with white bar tape for the duration of that saddle's life... I'm a slave to fashion. Please help me.

That's easy. Change the tape when it gets dirty. It usually takes me about 6-8 weeks before the tape gets too dirty for me.

One of the things I've learned to do is buy non-sticky tape. Since I buy non-sticky tape, I just turn the tape over at about the 6-8 week range and re-use it. Now you get 12-16 weeks out of one set of bar tape...

Or you can just ride another color...

Mike

 

[Spirito]

why not - white is still the best selling color for underwear

go figure !!!

personally i really like white bartape - it doesn't get more classic. excel sports still cary some plastic coated but lightly padded white tape made by ambrosio. it lasts a looong time, keeps clean really easy and is cheap as well. the only downside is that it's slipppery compared to cork. i like the way white cork looks when dirtied from use but that's me and like other poster's mentioned above it ain't hard to clean and when it's past its best it gets replaced.

http://www.excelsports.com/new.asp?...bar+Tape&vendorCode=AMBROSIO&major=1&minor=32

undies ??? i dont see the point and personally i like to freebag.

ciao

 

[Jim Nazium]

Omg - Lmfao

Nice pic Spirito! Gald I was already done with breakfast!
ROFL

 

[Spunout]

Whoa! Love that Merckx,

And I wear gloves most of the time, so they stay white.

Celophane tape is the only way to go for white. Hint: Wrap cotton tape underneath to soften it a bit.

That Merckx reminds me of my Colnago of 1984, Super Record, etc. Those were the days!

 

[Squishy]

Gotta keep your white dirty

It looks racy.

 

[GreenFan]

White tape works...

Both of my bikes have white tape, the key being to ...
a) wear gloves
b) don't touch the chain and then the tape
c) wash the tape down with fantastic or 409 and a wet towel about every 2-3 weeks
The white tape really does add charater and looks a whole lot better than any of the multi color chunk tapes out there imho.

 

[tube_ee]

It looks racy.

Where, oh, where did you get that Huffy / Serotta 7-11 team frame? At some point, I'd like to have one each of the Murray / Serotta, Huffy / Serotta, and Eddy Merckx 7-11 bikes. With Descente making the reproduction jerseys, it's a great time to honor the original "America's Team"

 

[rufus]

i've always liked white bar tape. it just looks classy, much nicer than generic black.

and it just works as an offsetting color. red frame and red bar tape? bit too much color coordination. with black tape? ehhh. but throw some white tape on the bars and you got a beauty of a red frame, which the white just shows off even more. works for any color frame. well, maybe except for white frames.

 

[Keeping up with Junior]

Built in training log

The white tape ages nicely. Each mile on the bike adds a bit of character to your bike and shows how hard you ride. It is kind of like looking at someone's bike with a Brooks saddle that is thoroughly broken in, you can really see that they are a serious rider. When you do decide to rewrap it then your bike looks brand new.

 

[cmdeasis]

Gleaming White Handlebar Tape

If you follow the link below, you will find the only place I know online that still sells white vinyl handlebar tape:

http://www.excelsports.com/new.asp?...ebar+Tape&vendorCode=BIKERIB&major=1&minor=32

It is really cheap at $5.95 a box so you can get a couple of boxes as backup. Both of my bikes (a 2004 Quintana Roo TiPhoon and a 2004 Cervelo Soloist) have white bar tape with white saddles and even white tires from Vredestein and they really turn heads.

To keep the white clean, I use Finish Line's Bike Wash:

http://performancebike.resultspage.com/search?p=Q&ts=custom&w=Bike+Wash

This stuff is non-toxic, biodegradeable, inhibits rust and oxidation and works better than just about anything I have found on the market. Just spray and wipe. The vinyl tape cleans up quick and lasts for years if properly maintained.

Hope this helps.

Is there any white bar tape that can be kept clean?
Is it really that bad?

I'd like to buy a white saddle and would thus be stuck with white bar tape for the duration of that saddle's life... I'm a slave to fashion. Please help me.

Frith (the man who posted about bottle cages that were the wrong shade of yellow last week.)

ps i stripped and painted the cages... they're looking lovely and yellow.

 

[AZGiantrider]

You will have to remove it after Labor Day. (you said you were a slave to fashion)