So how was your experience with stains on the blue tape?
Jawine,
My experience was bad, bad, bad, and great! That's because the first, second, and third tried left me with blue hands and gloves, and the last worked fine!
This was some years ago, but as I recall, Tressostar cloth tape bled color like crazy. There was a second and third try that didn't work well, and I believe one was Benotto and the other was a plasticky tape by Cello that really surprised me by not being color-fast when it was soaking wet. The last and best-ever was made by CatEye, which was hands-down the best cloth tape I ever used. CatEye laid-on flat, resisted rucking-up and rolling under hand pressure, could be slightly compression-wrapped with helped keep it down, was a smidge wider, and kept its color. It even did well against sun-fading, but eventually succumbed to that, as all cloth tapes do in the end. I went with MorganGrips by Morgan Concepts on that bike and have never needed to replace them, so problem solved.
The dyes used in synthetic cork tapes are pretty good compared to the old cloth tapes. If you're into the older-styles of tape, these folks are a good source:
http://www.yellowjersey.org/tapemar.htmlIf you really are into wrapping patterns, it is a fun project to do an argyle offset double-wrap. You can vary the wraps to get patterns like diamonds and such, and it looks really good with, say, black-and-blue or pale blue/dark blue. Here's a couple examples:
http://www.wastedlife.org/bike/harlequin/index.html ...and...
http://www.bikecollectives.org/wiki/index.php?title=Diamond_Handlebar_Wrap Needless to say, this works with cloth or cello tape much better than synthetic cork, which is more brittle and thick and doesn't stand tensioning as well.
You can also shellac your handlebar tape, but that can have some problems if the bike is left sitting in the rain for extended periods while parked. It.can.come.off on things and you can imagine the results. Yes, it makes cloth tape last longer. Yes, you can in effect dye it pretty off-shades. Yes, it looks neat and retro and all. Yes, it is a mess to do and takes patience and a long while. Yes, it can be worth it when dry. And yes, it can be a mess afterwards. Ask anyone who has tried to remove it. It is a bit like unwrapping a shellac'd mummy. Before-and-after pics here:
http://lovelybike.blogspot.com/2010/09/shellac-why-and-how.html Instructions everywhere Google can take you.
I always thought it looked best and cleanest to start winding the tape at the stem and capturing it beneath a set of 'bar-end plugs, but that is a recipe for short life 'cos the "shingles go the wrong way and the edges roll under hand pressure. The most long-lived way to wrap is to start at the lower end and work toward the stem, securing the stem-end with an over-wrap of adhesive plastic tape. Start the first wind really tight, then make two more that are as relaxed as possible. Tis prevents the adhesive-back plastic tape from "creeping" and leaving behind a little snail trail of sticky adhesive that always grows fur and dirt and hair and looks terrible.
Best,
Dan.
