New Bar Tape Day

New bar tape day is one of those special pleasures for those of us spending endless hours in the saddle.  I prefer to wrap my own bars, nice and tidy covering all the little details the way I prefer them! 

The direction of wrap is key.

There are only 3 contact points between rider and bike. 

- Saddle

- Pedals

- Bars

Start with the wrap to the outside starting from the drops, this keeps the tape from sliding down over time, while also making sure that the forces from your hands during riding are acting to tighten rather than loosen the tape.

The aluminum end plugs have an awesome expander that keeps them in place no matter what, it's a great feature.

The SILCA tape combines a unique and very springy foam material that is super light with a top coating that is stretchy and tacky like nothing else.  The Piloti tape can be wrapped to expose one of two different textures, I prefer the higher grip texture which has more grooves and works well with or without gloves.

I prefer to wrap my own bars, it gives me a deeper connection to the bike, it also makes me happy to look down and see my own handiwork.  I think everybody likes their own method of wrapping the best, I know I sure do.

The Butterfly piece on the SILCA tape is extra nice, it allows an over/under wrap at the lever without everything becoming too thick or the hoods sticking out.  A few extra minutes spent here will be worth it over the rest of your season!

After a deep clean and new tape, the bike feels brand new again!