Wrap handlebar tape correctly
So your road bike looks like new
Road bikes are real eye-catchers - elegant, fast, a feast for the eyes. But above all, they shine when the handlebars look clean and crisp, and that's best achieved with a fresh round of handlebar tape. Not only does it visually enhance your bike , it also improves the feel of the handlebars and protects them from corrosion. How you can renew your handlebar tape yourself, explains you once Nic in the linked YouTube video and once I in this blog post. So: To the tapes, wrap, go!
Before you get started, make sure you have all the necessary equipment ready. To rewrap your handlebars, you will need:
- New handlebar tape
- Two extra pieces 5cm long handlebar tape
- End caps
- Scissors
- Insulating tape
Once everything is ready, remove the old handlebar tape and clean your handlebar thoroughly from adhesive residues and other dirt.
With the insulating tape you now first attach your brake cables directly behind the brake caps under the handlebars, if they are not already internally guided. For this you simply turn the brake caps forward. With a second piece of insulating tape, you then stick the brake cables once again at the point on the handlebars where your handlebar tape should end. The place just before the handlebar becomes wider again, is usually good.
Now take your roll of handlebar tape, wind it up and remove the first few centimeters of the adhesive tape cover. If you start with the right side, you now wind clockwise around the handlebars, on the left side counterclockwise.
At the bottom of your handlebars, start winding the tape, making sure to keep the tension high at all times. The tape should touch the handlebar and adhere well to it. Make the first turn like this, bring the rest of the tape back up and on the next turn make sure you cover at least a third of the previous row with the new round of handlebar tape so the rows overlap nicely. Work your way up the handlebars, keeping the tension and making sure you work evenly and without gaps. If you slip or get tangled, just unwind a few centimeters and try again.
Once you are underneath the brake lever, take the 5cm extra strip of handlebar tape, remove the cover of the tape and attach it to the underside of the brake lever.
Now it gets a little tricky for a moment: Continue wrapping the remaining tape tightly around the bottom of the lever, overlapping the extra piece of tape. Once you reach the inside of the lever, wrap the tape up along the side of the lever and over the handlebars. Again, overlap the extra piece of tape, but wrap a little tighter side to side than you've done on the rest of the handlebar so far, so feel free to overlap a little more than just a third and keep even more tension than usual. Wrap around the brake lever like this until you get to the upper handlebar bar.
Once you have done this, you can continue winding as usual. Once you have reached the insulating tape, wind a few last rounds until you have completely covered the insulating tape and mark the spot on the tape where you have now stopped winding. Cut off the protruding handlebar tape and wrap it back another 5cm.
Now you cut it again, angled. Start at the lower left end and cut to the upper right. Now wrap the rest of the tape around the handlebar so that you get a clear straight end edge. Press it tight and now you only need the last piece of tape to fix the handlebar tape. Wrap it around two or three times, cut it off and press it down one last time.
Fold the brake caps back down, stuff the end caps into the ends of your handlebars so that they clamp the handlebar tape nicely and use a rubber mallet for this if necessary.
That's it! If you have any further questions about changing handlebar tape or about bikes in general, you can always continue to browse the blog or contact our team. And a look at buycycle is always worth a look if you want to find your new dream bike or sell your old one. Until then, we wish you, as always: Happy browsing, happy cycling - and good luck with your winding!