How do you keep clean white bar tape

[weaponsgrade]

Looking for some tips here on how to keep white bar tape clean. So, who here uses it, how do you keep it from looking grimmy or do you just not care.

[vandeda]

re-tape every week?

never had white tape, but white brake hoods. yeah, they stay clean for about 10 miles it seems ... I gave up and clean them periodically when I can't stand the filth anymore

[Ozz]

depending on the tape, you can clean it. Not so much with foam tape however.
wash your gloves / hands
replace it
just don't care....dirt shows you actually ride your bike

:beer:

[Ginger]

Wash your gloves.

Make sure your gloves don't "transfer" dye when wet. (DRAT)

Wash the tape now and again with soapy water and a sponge.

Wear latex gloves when changing tires and messing with the chain so you don't transfer grease

Keep your hands clean and your tape will stay cleaner.


It isn't going to be perfect after the first week...but it can still be white...unless you have a dye transfer issue...then you need new tape (BAD Gloves! BAD BAD Gloves!)

[Kevan]

you can only postpone.

[Climb01742]

if you're gonna use white tape (i do) dirt is just part of the deal. let it go. oddly, dirty white tape looks better than dirty colored tape (like red or blue) i think.

[swoop]

use fizik tape. it stays white for 3 months.

[thwart]

Easily shampooed with water and a bar of soap, and a cloth (or dish scrubber brush). The tape is tougher than you think. You'd be surprised how much **** you can wash off.

Although I agree completely that "dirty" white tape looks like the bike was used, rather than hung on the wall...

[Jack Brunk]

I use white tape and I never worry about how it looks.

[merckx]

The only dirt that hurts is the first episode. After that, it looks okay. Dirty white tape is cool. To expedite the process, I wrap new white tape just after cleaning my chain.

[fiamme red]

Benotto.

[Blakebe1]

Keeping white tape clean isn't difficult. Use some simple green (straight from the bottle) and a wet scotch brite sponge. It will clean the most stubborn bike grease.

Excellent choice, by the way. Old school and classy. Look at the White Meivici on Serotta's home page.

[cadence90]

There's a great photo of Museeuw (not the famous Hincapie/Knaven/etc. ones) where he has dirty white tape. It looks great. Gritty is better than sterile, imho.

[OilyFish]

Ride for a ProTour team.

[mike p]

"How do you keep clean white bar tape " You don't, thats why black is so popular.

Mike

[davids]

use fizik tape. it stays white for 3 months.
Yeah, what he said.

[chrisroph]

coylifut uses simple green and says it bleached the tape clean. I haven't tried it.

[A.L.Breguet]

"How do you keep clean white bar tape " You don't, thats why black is so popular.

Mike
Dirty white is the new black.

[72gmc]

Dirty white tape says "I really ride this bike." Don't forget to rub your gloves around on the drops time and again to maintain the hardcore image.

[SoCalSteve]

Keeping white tape clean isn't difficult. Use some simple green (straight from the bottle) and a wet scotch brite sponge. It will clean the most stubborn bike grease.

Excellent choice, by the way. Old school and classy. Look at the White Meivici on Serotta's home page.

Along these same lines...Pledge Wipes Orange or Lemon Citrus de-greaser. Works quite well.

[coylifut]

Keeping white tape clean isn't difficult. Use some simple green (straight from the bottle) and a wet scotch brite sponge. It will clean the most stubborn bike grease.

Excellent choice, by the way. Old school and classy. Look at the White Meivici on Serotta's home page.


Why no love for Blakebe1? He's completely right. I spray the tape generously, then lightly scrub it with a nail brush and then wipe it with the remnants of a white t shirt and then repeat the process one more time. It takes a few minutes but the process completely bleaches the tape back to a nearly new white finish.

I taped my Zank at the beginning of cx season and had bright white tape all season long even after the brownest of races.

[steelrider]

Ivory soap and a rag.

[obtuse]

wash it.

obtuse

[AgilisMerlin]

blood sweat and tears...........



amerliN

[catulle]

White Colnago tape keeps pearly white without any effort. Simple Green will get it like new again if need be.

[LONE RIDER]

Use black tape.

[saab2000]

I use white tape and I never worry about how it looks.

Bingo.

The dirtier it is, the better it looks. It means you ride.

[merckx]

Saab gets it

[Jack Brunk]

Saab is the man.

+1

[R2D2]

A mechanic buddy gave me a tip that Scrubbing Bubbles is the BOMB for cleaning bar tape.

[stevep]

you can replace the tape?
obtuce told me it was a " bike worn out indicator..."
hmmm. and his old bike disposal service is fake too?
i thk im too trusting.

[trophyoftexas]

....with bleach.

[thosmm]

you can replace the tape?
obtuce told me it was a " bike worn out indicator..."
hmmm. and his old bike disposal service is fake too?
i thk im too trusting.

His old bike disposal service is very, very real. However, I have a more economical and environmentally 'green' service that I will make available to you the next time your 'bike worn out indicator' lets you know...

Tom

[Peter P.]

Obviously, all us white bar tape users "get it"; we leave it alone because it makes us look like Belgian hardmen, strikes fear into fellow cyclists, and oozes "class".

For our weak moments when we do clean our bar tape (like before visiting mom), there's definitely a consensus of which I'm a part- Simple Green and a scrub brush.