Handlebar tape care?

[slidey]

So I ride gloveless and for the first time, I've got a bartape colour that isn't black. Unfortunately, it is turning black with every ride...could you suggest how I can prevent this metamorphosis from happening? Does dabbing simple green work?

If it helps, the tape in question is a Deda cork tape.

[67-59]

So I ride gloveless and for the first time, I've got a bartape colour that isn't black. Unfortunately, it is turning black with every ride...could you suggest how I can prevent this metamorphosis from happening? Does dabbing simple green work?

If it helps, the tape in question is a Deda cork tape.

I've had good luck cleaning cork tape with Dawn and water on a rag.

[rice rocket]

I use Fizik glossy tape almost exclusively now. Original color always shows through with a quick wipe. :)

[Ahneida Ride]

www.handlebra.com :banana:

[jr59]

www.handlebra.com :banana:

+1000 the BEST wrap out there!

[coffeecake]

I had a friend who would unwrap his bars and soak the tape. I would try using a Mr. Clean magic eraser (meant for cleaning surfaces in your house.) The magic eraser also helps polish up shoes.

[one60]

I put a bit of waterless hand cleaner (Go Jo or similar product) on the tape & after letting it sit a few minutes, remove it with a clean cloth. Take care to rub or rotate the towel in the direction of the wrap.

Lemon pledge also works.

[christian]

I replace it every year or so.

[Kontact]

Windex. Or just buying new tape every time its on sale.

[boxerboxer]

www.handlebra.com :banana:

How long do you find this tape lasts? What sort of maintenance is required? Can you ride it in the rain? Is it comfortable as is or do you run something underneath? I really like the look of it but if I'm paying that price it'd better be good for a while.

[Earl Gray]

..Or just buying new tape every time its on sale.

+1 I'm not as picky as some in regards to how my bike looks but I can't bring my self to spend more than $15-$20 on bar tape. I have often found quality stuff on sale in the $10 range.

You can change out $15 tape 5 times and still save money over the high end stuff.

[GRAVELBIKE]

Highly-diluted (liquid) laundry detergent, water, and a rag.

[reggiebaseball]

soap and water work fine. deda cork cleans up pretty easy.

Handlebra is leather and feels very different than deda cork, so telling you to just change to it is a bit irresponsible. It is also the owner of Handlebra telling you to switch. It is fine stuff, but he should probably let someone not financially involved in the company recommend it.
It can be wrapped and re-wrapped many times, so it will go much farther than a cheap cork wrap. Because it is thin you might want to wrap it on top of cork since you ride with no gloves.

[jmoore]

Simple Green

[slidey]

Thanks for the link. I actually think the 'Rick Red' colour might be close to what I'm looking for, but for the present I'm going to stick to soap and water to see how long I can make this one last :)

www.handlebra.com :banana:

[slidey]

Thanks everyone for your replies and suggestions!

I'm going to go with Simple Green based on two factors:

1. Dilution of any liquid detergent with water is subjective, and since the handlebar tape is a porous material I expect the mix to soak in and secrete out upon pressure whilst riding.

2. I ride gloveless and I hate the sensation of slippery hands in general (oil, soaps, etc). If 1 occurs then I'll inadvertently ingest some of it whilst eating on the bike, etc and I've heard Simple Green is organic/edible, etc so would work well for grown-up toddlers like me.

[Kontact]

Thanks everyone for your replies and suggestions!

I'm going to go with Simple Green based on two factors:

1. Dilution of any liquid detergent with water is subjective, and since the handlebar tape is a porous material I expect the mix to soak in and secrete out upon pressure whilst riding.

2. I ride gloveless and I hate the sensation of slippery hands in general (oil, soaps, etc). If 1 occurs then I'll inadvertently ingest some of it whilst eating on the bike, etc and I've heard Simple Green is organic/edible, etc so would work well for grown-up toddlers like me.

If you believe the tape is going to leech what you put on it, avoid Simple Green. That stuff is not good to get on your skin. Not too hot for aluminum, either.

Regular, cheap rubbing alcohol is pretty effective if you want something simple and unlikely to hurt anything.


Hey Earl, If you really want cheap tape, buy Nashbar cork tape on sale for $5 a roll.

[lhuerta]

409...cleans quickly and effortlessly AND disinfects.

[Earl Gray]

...
Hey Earl, If you really want cheap tape, buy Nashbar cork tape on sale for $5 a roll.

That's what I'm talking about! Hard to go wrong at the that price.

I'm tempted to ty the $16 Leather look alike.

http://www.nashbar.com/bikes/Product_10053_10052_532888_-1___202444#ReviewHeader

It get's decent reviews.

http://media.nashbar.com/images/nashbar/products/1500/DD-LT-BR-TOP.jpg

[Seramount]

after decades of using only black tape, I got a great deal on a white saddle, so I stepped out of my comfort zone and went with white tape...

picked up some bargain 'on-sale' stuff...by the 10th ride, the tape was beyond nasty...dingy, gray...looked awful.

tried all the cleaning products under the kitchen sink...dishwashing soap, windex, Murphy's oil soap, vinegar, rubbing alchohol...all these did was make the dirty gray color slightly more uniform.

bought some Fizik Microtex...had heard from a riding partner that it was good stuff. it didn't seem to get dirty nearly as quickly as the cheap tape. when I finally did clean it, just plain old warm water on a rag took most of the grime off. when it started looking grungy a few weeks later, I hit it with a little soapy water and a toothbrush and it looks almost new.

had it for almost a year now and it's still relatively clean. I'll probably throw some new tape on in another six months or so.

[jemoryl]

+1 on the Nashbar deluxe cork tape. If you like the standard Cinelli cork stuff, this wears better, installs nicely, feels good and is cheap. Maybe won't convince the more $$$ = better crowd here, but I keep coming back to it.

[beungood]

www.handlebra.com :banana:

+1

[slidey]

I hear you on this...my two other bikes have Fizik Microtex (Black and Black/Red dual). I recently changed out the black one as it was torn in the drops...but I can't say enough good things about these. Moreover, I never did any maintenance on the Fizik's, also it being black helped...but if you're paying any attention to them as you say you are, you can expect a couple of years from them, unless you rip them in an unfortunate way, etc. Fizik was my first option but I was trying to exactly coordinate the colour of my SSM saddle's red to the bartape, and the Fizik was just not right. :cool:

after decades of using only black tape, I got a great deal on a white saddle, so I stepped out of my comfort zone and went with white tape...

picked up some bargain 'on-sale' stuff...by the 10th ride, the tape was beyond nasty...dingy, gray...looked awful.

tried all the cleaning products under the kitchen sink...dishwashing soap, windex, Murphy's oil soap, vinegar, rubbing alchohol...all these did was make the dirty gray color slightly more uniform.

bought some Fizik Microtex...had heard from a riding partner that it was good stuff. it didn't seem to get dirty nearly as quickly as the cheap tape. when I finally did clean it, just plain old warm water on a rag took most of the grime off. when it started looking grungy a few weeks later, I hit it with a little soapy water and a toothbrush and it looks almost new.

had it for almost a year now and it's still relatively clean. I'll probably throw some new tape on in another six months or so.

[William]

I'm not financially invested in Handlebra, but after years of riding and trying different wraps I won't use anything else. I'm a person that always likes a bargain but in this case it really is that much better. It lasts a long time and so far the bikes I'm running it hasn't faded. I know some folks like to put it over old bar tape for extra padding, but I find it's very comfortable just over a layer of athletic (or hockey) tape.

A bit on the expensive side, but you'll go through a couple of rolls of cheaper wrap before the Bra wears out.






William

[slidey]

Thanks for sounding the alert on this...I was only going by the marketing done by Simple Green. I'm going to just try warm water for now, until I figure out something better.

If you believe the tape is going to leech what you put on it, avoid Simple Green. That stuff is not good to get on your skin. Not too hot for aluminum, either.

Regular, cheap rubbing alcohol is pretty effective if you want something simple and unlikely to hurt anything.

[Elefantino]

I'm not financially invested in Handlebra, but after years of riding and trying different wraps I won't use anything else.
Ditto for me.










Ray, mailing the check is fine. :cool:

[dbh]

One of the reasons I primarily use black tape. I have a few bikes still with white tape. I usually spritz a bit of citrus degreaser (you can get a big jug of it at home depot for under $10 bucks). I don't bother diluting it. Then scrub with a clean cloth. Does the trick for m.e

[gavingould]

i've gone back to black tape... but the synthetics like Fizik are generally pretty easy to clean like others have said. i'm generally gloveless these days too, and really like the Lizard Skins DSP 2.5mm tape. stays grippy no matter how sweaty or rainy.

[lhuerta]

Thanks for sounding the alert on this...I was only going by the marketing done by Simple Green. I'm going to just try warm water for now, until I figure out something better.

So you receive countless smart and effective solutions to your initial query and you are just going to use warm water....huh??
Lou

[slidey]

How can you beat a solution that involves turning the faucet to the left? ;)

Will try this over the weekend, if that fails...then I'll go on to more involved solutions mentioned herein.

So you receive countless smart and effective solutions to your initial query and you are just going to use warm water....huh??
Lou

[Ahneida Ride]

Protection is the key ...

On my site I recommended numerous white water based creams.
Just a dab can go a long way, placing down a sacrificial boundary layer.

The wrap underneath stays clean.

303 protectant is probably the one more available in retail stores.
Visit a Harley shop for some Master Cream.


oh yea, HB wrap loves water.