# Best handlebar Wrap jobs - post your pics



## martinrm (Jul 30, 2012)

I saw this on reddit and i just had to share. Im trying to figure out how they wrapped the bars, it would look so good on my bike.


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## ridingred (Aug 25, 2010)

Look at the chain stay.


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## PRB (Jun 15, 2002)

martinrm said:


> I saw this on reddit and i just had to share. Im trying to figure out how they wrapped the bars, it would look so good on my bike.


Here's how to do it with two colors. Harlequin Pattern Handlebar Wrap


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## Gumbyman (May 3, 2011)

That complicated pattern looks like it it is premade (started out as a quilt) and then just slipped onto the bar and then the levers are put on the bar followed by an actual tape job on the lower bar. Just my opinion.


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## ziscwg (Apr 19, 2010)

It's called "Fred" Tape. Just google it.


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## Favorit (Aug 13, 2012)

Gumbyman said:


> That complicated pattern looks like it it is premade (started out as a quilt) and then just slipped onto the bar and then the levers are put on the bar followed by an actual tape job on the lower bar. Just my opinion.


Yes, if you look near the brake hood, the wrinkles make it look like some kind of "sock" over the handlebars.:yesnod:


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## robdamanii (Feb 13, 2006)

Nice play on a harlequin wrap. Very tough to do with anything other than cloth tape.

If I recall correctly, some people used to wrap that way and then clear coat it to make sure it stayed pretty.

And no, it's not a premade "sock" that they stuck over the bar....


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## Favorit (Aug 13, 2012)

robdamanii said:


> Nice play on a harlequin wrap. Very tough to do with anything other than cloth tape.
> 
> If I recall correctly, some people used to wrap that way and then clear coat it to make sure it stayed pretty.
> 
> And no, it's not a premade "sock" that they stuck over the bar....


OK, I guess they just wrapped it a little loose in a couple of spots.:blush2:

Kudos for people putting the time in do achieve such results though.


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## nightfend (Mar 15, 2009)

WAAYY too much effort. I have a hard enough time changing my white bartape out when it starts looking less than white.


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## Creakyknees (Sep 21, 2003)




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## Jetmugg (Sep 22, 2010)

I've seen locals with 2 colors done in that style, but for the life of me, I can't see how it can be done with 3 colors and come out with that pattern.

Steve.


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## Bremerradkurier (May 25, 2012)

robdamanii said:


> Nice play on a harlequin wrap. Very tough to do with anything other than cloth tape.
> 
> If I recall correctly, some people used to wrap that way and then clear coat it to make sure it stayed pretty.
> 
> And no, it's not a premade "sock" that they stuck over the bar....


Back in the day, the harlequin wrap tape of choice was super thin plastic Benotto.

Benotto Bicycle | Benotto Classic Handle Bar tape


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## rkdvsm (Jul 15, 2006)

martinrm said:


> I saw this on reddit and i just had to share. Im trying to figure out how they wrapped the bars, it would look so good on my bike.


You set the bar too high for the rest of us =)


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## QuattroCreep (Nov 30, 2009)

Jetmugg said:


> I've seen locals with 2 colors done in that style, but for the life of me, I can't see how it can be done with 3 colors and come out with that pattern.
> 
> Steve.


The reason you cant figure out how to do it with three colors is because it is done with 4. 

1 - White
1 - Red
2 - Black

Simple over under tube braid. Similar to the outside braid of a climbing rope just with far less strands.


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## snosaw (May 30, 2006)

It's difficult to notice in the picture but I think the seat may be too high.


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## Rekless1 (Aug 23, 2012)

That's exactly how I would do my bike......












If I never rode it.


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## shreded7 (Oct 8, 2012)

pardon the instagram'd filter.....
i love that Cinelli Cork tape!


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## TXRR (Aug 9, 2012)

martinrm said:


> I saw this on reddit and i just had to share. Im trying to figure out how they wrapped the bars, it would look so good on my bike.



So does anyone know how this was done, I have an understanding of how to do the two color version, but 3 colors has got me guessing.


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## ratherBclimbing (Apr 2, 2007)

TXRR said:


> So does anyone know how this was done, I have an understanding of how to do the two color version, but 3 colors has got me guessing.


Man it still looks like a sock to me. The red doesn't look the identical color as the red tape below and the texture looks different and fuzzy.

But I found another example on Flickr:










There's a brief description of how to do it in the comments, you could probably ask the pic owner too and they might tell you.

New Handlebar tape | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

It does look a lot better than the two-color versions, IMHO.


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## metoou2 (Mar 18, 2009)

I wonder if the owner gets beat up much.


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## jshoebox (Jan 10, 2013)

That looks pretty cool - gotta try it!


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## metoou2 (Mar 18, 2009)

you're gonna get beat up


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## carbonLORD (Aug 2, 2004)

It's not a sock. My co-worker who is 55 did it to his custom Serotta but only with 2 colors, red and white. I used to do that pattern with fat shoe laces when I was 10 years old breakdancing in 1985


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## ratherBclimbing (Apr 2, 2007)

metoou2 said:


> you're gonna get beat up


What, by some other outcast in spandex, fingerless gloves, and a helmet? Didn't realize there was such a hierarchy to looking stupid.


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## metoou2 (Mar 18, 2009)

relax..................I'm just having a bit of a joke


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## ratherBclimbing (Apr 2, 2007)

Calmer than you are...


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## froze (Sep 15, 2002)

I wrapped my underwear around my bars for that unique look.

I use to do stripes but decided I didn't really like it. The only "fancy" thing I did was to my touring bikes I wrapped the bars with leather tape then instead of using tape to terminate I used hemp twine then shellacked the string when I was done. I figured out how to do it by watching this: Hemp Twine see the handlebar wrap and twine video. It took several tries to get it right, but it looks great and worth the headache; I think mine is actually packed tighter then the Rivendell guy did from looking at the video again, I have no space whatsoever between the wraps. Then the shellac actually makes the twine darker, and the more coatings of shellac you put on the darker the twine gets. Also only use hemp because hemp lasts longer then cotton, Jute or Flax, and forget synthetic twine because it doesn't look good obviously. 

Shellac can be done two ways, with cotton handlebar tape you can shellac the twine and the tape and both will become darker in appearance as more and more coats go on, so you can stop coating it at any time the darkness is just right to your taste. Leather you can't shellac, so I wrapped painters tape around the leather tape where the twine ended so as not to get any shellac on the leather, then shellacked the twine till I got the shade I wanted to match sort of closely the leather. The shade doesn't quite match which I like because it sort of stands out subtly in a very slight contrast to the tape. So on one bike I ended up with the twine being a bit lighter then the tape, and on the other it came out a bit darker. 

Here's a person shellacking the cotton tape and twine, which in the case of cotton I don't like the look of shellacked cotton tape, though I may have shellacked the twine if I wanted a certain coloring. Shellac Handlebars

Shellacking the tape and the twine will make both last longer then without shellac.


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## Touch0Gray (May 29, 2003)

froze said:


> wrapped the bars with leather tape then instead of using tape to terminate I used hemp twine twine


I've done this for YEARS.....one thing to keep in mind is the direction of the wrap...back to front, over the top or the action of your hands on the bars will loosen the wrap. Also, I put beeswax on the hemp instead of shellac and melt it in with my wife's hair drier. On my waterford I used two strands of hemp, yellow and black to give it stripes.


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## Love Commander (Aug 20, 2009)

Another excellent example of "just because you _can_, it doesn't mean you _should_."


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## froze (Sep 15, 2002)

Touch0Gray said:


> I've done this for YEARS.....one thing to keep in mind is the direction of the wrap...back to front, over the top or the action of your hands on the bars will loosen the wrap. Also, I put beeswax on the hemp instead of shellac and melt it in with my wife's hair drier. On my waterford I used two strands of hemp, yellow and black to give it stripes.


That's exactly how mine looks! except I used shellac of course but it looks the same. Wax is an interesting idea I never heard of, next time I'll try that, which probably won't be for a long time. The first twine job I did was about 8 years ago and it's holding up great, the last one I did was just 5 years ago and it too is holding up great.

Do you think the wax may hold up better then shellac?


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## Touch0Gray (May 29, 2003)

beats me, I have shellac but don't feel like mixing it up with denatured to make it liquid, and this way, I can unwrap it more easily.That above pic is 2 years old at the time and 4 or 5 now. It is a tactile thing, the hemp has a wonderful feel to it, like silk almost. I just throw some bee spit on it and take my chances.....I mean hell.....I have several hundred feet of hemp and it takes a few minutes to do. I thought I had a pic of the two tone but I guess i don't.....I works real slick too.....I use it on ALL my bar tape, not just leather, works great


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## vautrain (Mar 1, 2012)

I've long admired the harlequin wrap jobs, but don't think I could abide cloth tape, since I need/prefer far more cushion on my bars.

I do use Cinelli gel cork tape, and since I hate the look of finishing tape, prefer to wrap it starting at the tops, without any finishing tape. I start the tape underneath the bar, and then wrap over the end of it in a straight line on the first wrap, before I begin angling it toward the brake levers. This completely eliminates the need for finishing tape. I can generally finish the tape in the bar ends with the plugs, without ever cutting it. This may not be a completely ideal way to wrap handlebars, but it works well for me.


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## froze (Sep 15, 2002)

I haven't had to unwrap mine yet after 8 years, I guess when that time comes I won't care if it comes off easily since the reason to unwrap will be due to either the hemp wore out or the leather bar wrap wore out; my cables are not wrapped under the tape so I don't have to worry about undoing everything to replace the cables.

I don't like cotton wrap or the old plastic wrap myself, there's zero cushioning with that stuff though it does look old school. The leather and cork wraps have the best cushioning; on one of my road bikes I tried a synthetic wrap and discovered I don't like it as much as cork or leather.


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## Touch0Gray (May 29, 2003)

vautrain said:


> I've long admired the harlequin wrap jobs, but don't think I could abide cloth tape, since I need/prefer far more cushion on my bars.
> 
> I do use Cinelli gel cork tape, and since I hate the look of finishing tape, prefer to wrap it starting at the tops, without any finishing tape. I start the tape underneath the bar, and then wrap over the end of it in a straight line on the first wrap, before I begin angling it toward the brake levers. This completely eliminates the need for finishing tape. I can generally finish the tape in the bar ends with the plugs, without ever cutting it. This may not be a completely ideal way to wrap handlebars, but it works well for me.


That's the way I learned to do it....way back when they first invented bicycles....LOL...I still have a couple wrapped that way, I do find though, with the softer tapes, when I slide my hands down the bars, my hands catch the leading edge...not that big a deal, but it sure looks better than the stupid plastic tape they give you


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## nOOky (Mar 20, 2009)

I used to use electrical tape in my youth, nowadays I don't really care what my handlebars look like.


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## vautrain (Mar 1, 2012)

Touch0Gray said:


> That's the way I learned to do it....way back when they first invented bicycles....LOL...I still have a couple wrapped that way, I do find though, with the softer tapes, when I slide my hands down the bars, my hands catch the leading edge...not that big a deal, but it sure looks better than the stupid plastic tape they give you


That's the main disadvantage, succinctly stated, thank you. I find that by the time that becomes an issue, I'm generally ready to put fresh tape on the handlebars, anyway.


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## Francis Cebedo (Aug 1, 2001)

Ok, this twine thing is cool for my Brooks tapes. Look at that beer bottle cap too. I've seen corks as well at the end of the bar.

Any videos on how to do this properly? Tape, twine etc.?


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## quikrick1 (Sep 28, 2011)

Finishing tape isn't so bad. I used black electrical tape. Then finished it off with little strips of yellow electrical tape. It provides a nice contrast.


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## froze (Sep 15, 2002)

francois said:


> Ok, this twine thing is cool for my Brooks tapes. Look at that beer bottle cap too. I've seen corks as well at the end of the bar.
> 
> Any videos on how to do this properly? Tape, twine etc.?


I gave you a video on my post 27 titled Hemp Twine. My link takes you to the video that Rivendell made.

Here it is again: Hemp Twine


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## Keeshimself (Jan 13, 2013)

Touch0Gray said:


> I've done this for YEARS.....one thing to keep in mind is the direction of the wrap...back to front, over the top or the action of your hands on the bars will loosen the wrap. Also, I put beeswax on the hemp instead of shellac and melt it in with my wife's hair drier. On my waterford I used two strands of hemp, yellow and black to give it stripes.


Looks amazing!


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## Touch0Gray (May 29, 2003)

francois said:


> Ok, this twine thing is cool for my Brooks tapes. Look at that beer bottle cap too. I've seen corks as well at the end of the bar.
> 
> Any videos on how to do this properly? Tape, twine etc.?




there ARE corks....that's what the bottle caps are glued to...lol 

I have a bunch of beer bottle caps...all different colors!

Froze has a video link in post #27......same way you would whip the end of a rope...


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## froze (Sep 15, 2002)

Touch0Gray said:


> there ARE corks....that's what the bottle caps are glued to...lol
> 
> I have a bunch of beer bottle caps...all different colors!
> 
> Froze has a video link in post #27......same way you would whip the end of a rope...



That video in my post is the exact post I followed to figure out how to twine mine. It took me 3 tries but I am slightly a perfectionist and I didn't want even the slightest gap between the twines, I could have stopped after the 2nd time and it would have been ok. When I did the other side of the bar I got the twine right the first time. Practice makes perfect.


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## Touch0Gray (May 29, 2003)

the first time i did mine i had never even seen a picture, I thought I made it up....as it turns out, it is a very traditional method. I have a also experimented with a series of half hitches which is cool too!


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## Frankinnj (Feb 8, 2009)

nice!


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## camping biker (Dec 22, 2011)

I made mine from 26x2.1 mountain bike tubes, cut into strips. Cheap and effective. Easy to clean. Use spray contact adhesive when wrapping for perfection. Clean with windex and a washcloth as needed. 

View attachment 273760
https://cdn.twospoke.com/images/5/6/4/5/trek-1000-1.jpg



nightfend said:


> WAAYY too much effort. I have a hard enough time changing my white bartape out when it starts looking less than white.


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## camping biker (Dec 22, 2011)

I googled "fred tape" and got this. 
https://www.aolcdn.com/photogallery...d-flare-ll-bean-tinsel-flannel365js121008.jpg
View attachment 273763


I'm thinking of putting Plastidip on my next bike's handlebars.


nOOky said:


> I used to use electrical tape in my youth, nowadays I don't really care what my handlebars look like.


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## dualpivot (Oct 25, 2009)

froze said:


> I don't like cotton wrap or the old plastic wrap myself, there's zero cushioning with that stuff though it does look old school. The leather and cork wraps have the best cushioning; on one of my road bikes I tried a synthetic wrap and discovered I don't like it as much as cork or leather.


I have some Ravx Cottonwrap Gel tape arriving in the mail shortly. I am hopeful that this will give some cushion along with the great feel of shellac'd cotton. If it doesn't work out next time I'll try either the gel pads under the tape or pre-wrapping with cork. The cork and various synthetic tapes all feel unpleasant to touch. One of these days I should try leather.


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## froze (Sep 15, 2002)

dualpivot said:


> I have some Ravx Cottonwrap Gel tape arriving in the mail shortly. I am hopeful that this will give some cushion along with the great feel of shellac'd cotton. If it doesn't work out next time I'll try either the gel pads under the tape or pre-wrapping with cork. The cork and various synthetic tapes all feel unpleasant to touch. One of these days I should try leather.


I like both the leather and the cork but not the synthetic junk. How thick is that cotton tape you linked to? And is it as cushy feeling as cork? I have several old bikes I wouldn't mind wrapping with the cotton if it felt at least as good as cork.


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## AvantDale (Dec 26, 2008)

Best tape I've used to far. Lizard Skins DSP 3.2.


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## ratherBclimbing (Apr 2, 2007)

Bartape spray-fest! RavX Fiberwrap


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## dualpivot (Oct 25, 2009)

froze said:


> I like both the leather and the cork but not the synthetic junk. How thick is that cotton tape you linked to? And is it as cushy feeling as cork? I have several old bikes I wouldn't mind wrapping with the cotton if it felt at least as good as cork.


The gel cotton tape is still en route from Amazon. I'll post a review once I've got it on a handlebar.


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## steel rider (Oct 24, 2003)

nice job


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## steel rider (Oct 24, 2003)

wow that's insane. very cool


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## mrwirey (May 30, 2008)

AvantDale said:


> Best tape I've used to far. Lizard Skins DSP 3.2.


^^^^^^+1


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## heybrady (Jul 3, 2011)

I like the Lizard Skins quite a bit, just wish it was about a foot or so longer. I had a hard time getting within a couple inches of the stem


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## ratherBclimbing (Apr 2, 2007)

ratherBclimbing said:


> Bartape spray-fest! RavX Fiberwrap


Well that didn't work. Try that again. Guess I'm a product of my environment, I just couldn't get into the cork or cloth. Give me cushy rubber.


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## EggSalad (Jan 29, 2013)

camping biker said:


> I googled "fred tape" and got this.
> View attachment 273763


It has been quite a long time since I have been around the cycling community and I had never heard the term "Fred" before. I had to look it up myself. But this "Fred tape" almost made milk shoot out of my nose! Hilarious thought of someone wrapping that tinsel tape on their bars for the holidays.


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## ratherBclimbing (Apr 2, 2007)

EggSalad said:


> It has been quite a long time since I have been around the cycling community and I had never heard the term "Fred" before. I had to look it up myself. But this "Fred tape" almost made milk shoot out of my nose! Hilarious thought of someone wrapping that tinsel tape on their bars for the holidays.


If you've never heard the term before...


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## sli4 (Mar 26, 2012)

these look so good, I think it's time to rewrap mine!


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## munga (Jan 5, 2009)

cotton tape, thread to finish. bello.
View attachment 314454


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## SwiftSolo (Jun 7, 2008)

You ride in the circus?

Edit: didn't notice that this was a post from the rap era.


martinrm said:


> I saw this on reddit and i just had to share. Im trying to figure out how they wrapped the bars, it would look so good on my bike.


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## Opus51569 (Jul 21, 2009)

metoou2 said:


> I wonder if the owner gets beat up much.


Nah. But I bet it's tough figuring out where to put the bagpipes while you ride.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


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## James6b (Aug 22, 2011)

carbonLORD said:


> It's not a sock. My co-worker who is 55 did it to his custom Serotta but only with 2 colors, red and white. I used to do that pattern with fat shoe laces when I was 10 years old breakdancing in 1985


Good pull!


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## Lombard (May 8, 2014)

martinrm said:


> I saw this on reddit and i just had to share. Im trying to figure out how they wrapped the bars, it would look so good on my bike.





Beautiful........until it gets dirty.


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