Ride Like a Leader: White Bar Tape
When done correctly, Cycling can be both the hardest and dirtiest of sports. We relish in the glory of returning from a ride, battered by the four winds and soaked by the seven rains; our bodies, faces, and machines covered in the reasons why most people might stay indoors. Given that, there is something almost cavalier about submitting to the deluge in the color white, particularly when it comes to shoes, socks, jerseys, and bar tape.
Modern cycling teams, with budgets outsized only by the egos inhabiting the roster, are tending strongly towards a Three Musketeers, unus pro omnibus, omnes pro uno mentality. Yet, in years gone by, when Rule #5 was a way of life more so than a badge of honor as it is for us, teams were dominated by a single leader who shouldered responsibility in all manner of races throughout the season. In those days, team bikes were generally built, as they are now, in accordance with Rule #8, with bars wrapped in blue, black, red, or green tape. One bike, however, always stood out as the exception: the team leader’s bars were always wrapped in white.
White is a glorious color to grace a set of handlebars. It emphasizes the sensual sweep of the drops and the beautiful curve from the hoods to the tops. It brings out the crisp shadows of the cables running beneath the tape to highlight a perfect wrap. It stands as a testament to the care that is undertaken in maintaining the machine, for without meticulous attention white does not stay white for long. It states that these bars are graced not by the sullied hands of a domestique, but by the clean grip of a leader.
When it comes to wrapping bars, there are many classy possibilities – black is always stylish and versatile (you can dress it up or you can dress it down), red is fast, celeste is classic – but for Bike #1, I always choose white not because it’s Pro, but because when I go out, I ride like a leader.
Absolutely. One of the bright sides of my Bianchi being black rather than celeste (last one in the shop, low price, optimum number of bikes being n+1, etc.) is that it came with white bar tape and saddle.
Nice article, if you’re going to have white bar tape ride like you have white bar tape.
In the CSC days Bjarne Riis wanted all his team to ride with white bar tape because he felt anyone, at anytime is capable of being a leader. In fact words to a similar effect were printed on the CSC bar tape packaging. Indeed they did – Cancellara, Sastre, Voigt, Schleck bro’s, O’Grady, Julich + so many more.
Swear by white bar tape #HTFU
Well said, as always.
you guys won me over on this a while back.
Then there is the other side of the coin; dirty white bar tape. Sadly, it’s a sight I encounter way too often at the races or just riding along. I always feel the urge to wash my hands when I see one of those..
.. and this stuff is easy to wrap and stays white for longer than any other I’ve tried, with or without logo. Excuse the yellow tinge which is entirely due to the the dodgy flash on my phone.
@Mark1
Nice tape job old chap, looks perfecto. You’re 100% correct about the stay clean quality of fizik microtex. Not only that, it feels good under hand. There’s a certain depth and warmth to it that exudes quality.
Ive only got white on #1 but when I finish a new colnago I’m building I think I may go white as well. The psychological difference is notable.
Totally agree, but what about Fizik split tape (which came with my Antares saddle)? I put it on but I’m still not sure I like it, although that could be due to my difficulties wrapping it. Yes, Cinelli cork ribbon is a lot easier. And here, for your consideration is my ride – you can just see the red tops of the bars, maybe I did it wrong?
@marko
Thanks marko but have to say the tape should take most of the credit, it makes it quite easy to get reasonable results. You can give it a good old tug, so to speak, to get a nice tight wrap without risking tearing it. Your right about the feel too, just the business. The bikes original spongy stuff wasn’t a patch in comparison and was irreversibly filthy within 200-300k.
@James
Pimp.
@frank
You’ll be riding like a follower on the Keepers Tour.
Behind black tape.
@James
Looks OK to me but I’m not familiar with how the split tape should look, maybe post some close ups.
Nice looking bike though!
Just make sure you don’t end up with a foot extra, including gaps. (looking at you G’rilla).
And in spite of Zinn’s article in “Tech Talk” on how to wrap tape in Novembers Velo: (and I quote): “HTFU, Anthony! Who cares what direction you wrap your handlebar tape!” (Holy Merckx’s cock on a crutch, first he uses Rule V, then fucks it all up); start at the ends, work your way to the tops and don’t cover the “names”.
Humbleness always holds me back from white tape. That, and an all black bike.
More Ninja, less Pirate…
Wrapping the tape is probably the most fun part of taking care of your ride. Last touch on a new build or just some «coquetterie». What mathod is everyone using? Figure 8? An extra piece on the inside? Something secret?
@brett
I’ve learned something about the internet the last few years; people are two shades tougher and three shades faster online than they are in person.
So your black tape will be where it belongs: being my domestique to the Kapelmuur and then getting dropped like last week’s newspaper.
@James
Sweet as…but to your question, ive never been much of a fan of the look of the split tape. I have three Antarases – one black/red, one black/patent black, one just like yours. I rode the split tape as long as I could but switched to regular. Looks like your bars may be smaller though so they’re not truly split. My splits always ended up somewhere under the hoods.
@frank
Where does that leave Gianni and I?
@Marko
Who?
@frank
So, nothing for me to worry about then…
@brett
Exactly.
@James
Wow…another hot like wasabi Look bike. What is going on here? The red and white is mighty great looking, I’ll take it.
@frank
Pneumonia *cough*
I just re-pimped the Merlin with more white goodness:white FSA bars, white stem, new white tape. The specialized roubaix tape was getting dirty even as I was wrapping it so it’s not on for long but it is nice and squishy. But I’m rolling with the white tape fo-eva. But not this stuff.
@SurLaPlaque
First off, excellent use of the angle quote, my favorite character in the whole wide world. Second, absolutely – the taping job is the most fun, the way to finish your bike, and to add that little last touch of Awesome.
I don’t use a figure eight, because it adds bulk to the hoods – one of the hallmarks, in my opinion, of a perfect wrap job is that there is absolutely no bulk anywhere. I cut off a very short section of tape to stick over the bit that shows when you wrap up around the bars. When I say short, I mean it only touches handlebar, no shifter body.
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@James
+1. Sweet ride.
@frank
Very nicely done Frank. I am going to try that technique next time. And yes, I am going to try some white tape on Bike #1… should look slick. I have been a black tape guy for a while, time for a change of pace.
Same bars, same tape, just one is in black. The white ones look way more sexiful.
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I love the fizik microtex stuff, though, it stays clean even in the most nasty weather.
@Gianni
Gianni, I need a full shot of that whole bike. Love that Deda stem, one of my favorites. I have been SO tempted to get white bars/stem for the #1 for ages, just gaggin’ to see what yours looks like!
I don’t do anything behind the lever bodies. I go up along the inside under the hoods, which switches the direction of rotation of the tape.
@James
Looks great except the levers are too low? I’ve seen lots of people with that era of Campa place them right where you have them, though, so maybe its to do with the length of the levers?
@SurLaPlaque
See the rain bike above for questions about black bikes with white tape. Issue settled.
@frank
That is an impressive wrapping job. Shouldn’t the finishing tape font be the other way, to match the bar logos?
@Calmante
I position them so I can read them when I ride. Everything I do with Cycling, from how I dress to how I set up my bikes, I do for my own benefit, not others’. (Meaning, I obsess over how I look, but only to the extent that I care how I look; I don’t care how other people think I look.)
If I could change the labels on the bars, I would. I’ve matured to the point that I only obsess over the stuff I can (somewhat) control.
@ Marko
I’m definitely planning to replace with plain white too, when the split tape is done. I thought the ‘split’ would end up under the hoods as well.
@ Frank
Keen eye. The levers are a touch too low for my liking, causing me to rotate the bars further back than I’d like for reach. Not a big deal for now, but when I come to replace the tape I’ll be making some adjustments.
@ Gianni
Literally stunning tape! Nice work
I’m actually waiting till I get new 3T bars before I get fizik tape. The standard lizard skin stuff that came with my bike is meh.
@Gianni
Is your bike in the back of Mr. Roark’s car out there on fantasy island?
@frank
When you get to the end of reading Fizik Fizik Fizik do you go back and re-read it? And do you mouth the words to yourself as you do? And have you ever crashed whilst reading instead of looking where you’re going? Just a random thought.
I do it that exact same way too, in fact Mark1’s look exactly like mine.
@Marko
Look Boss, de bike de bike!
@Marko
That’s the Fun Mobile. Its genius. It holds bikes, surf boards, SUP paddles, everything except people. Brilliant.
@James
The Fizik stuff lasts for ever – you’ll go at least a season if not more before “needing” to replace it. Just suck it up and buy some new tape if you don’t like what you have.
As for the levers, learned a great trick from Rouleur’s edition on rebuilding de Vlaeminck’s bike a few issues back. I’ve always done it using a straight-edge and making sure the levers are even with the bottom, but the mechanic in that special (Also Gios, who was actually RdV’s wrench at Brooklyn) was shot setting the levers on the bars and leveling the whole assembly on the workbench. It’s genius. I did it for my last two builds since, and it is magic.
Wrapped the bars in white for the first time last year, and had more than a few “did you get a new bike” comments. Putting Frank’s “I do for my own benefit” comment aside, it really does make a bike look good. +1 on the Fizik tape, I’ve seen many a white cork wrap job go yellow in a hurry. The Fizik tape looks brand new even a year on. I still will probably replace it this year. Gotta take it off to replace the cables anyway! Those don’t seem to stay as white.
Maybe I’m too old school but I was surprised to see that the rules did not include any mention that bar tape MUST BE WHITE. I move that the rules be amended to include it.
Gianni – Yes! You just made my evening. Was feeling a bit bad about putting a Zero1 on my LOOK and not the Zero100, but the price difference is staggering. And the grams difference is not. I’ve got one in white at 110mm on order. Looks great on your Ti steed! Can’t wait to get mine set up. Oh, oh and just ordered the Ritchey torque key as well. Oh, and also nearly complete on a White Out of my Casati. White bars, cable housing, tape, silver stem, silver bike. Yeehaw! I’ve been waiting to put all of this together for a year or two.
White bar tape is awesome, when done right, which is a slick wrapping job &, more importantly, keeping it clean. I have white bar tape on all three of my road bikes. Fizik Microtex glossy on one, about to wrap one in Deda Traforato, and my Tommasini has the original 1990 Cinelli cork tape on it. I like to keep tape & hoods either white or black. Plenty of other areas (wild Italian paint jobs?) to turn up the heat on a bike.
I still am pissed about a guy I saw last year in a group ride who was on a very nice new Pinarello with white bar tape that had slipped, thereby allowing a gap straight through to the bars, and it was dirty. What a fucking jerk. I thought about confiscating his bike.
Frank – Oh wow, setting it all on a bench. Awesome! I’ve long struggle to get my shifters in the same spot on each side of the bars, plus at the same angle.
And, bars like Dedas that come with marks are so darn nice! Getting the shifters, bars, stem, etc. all lined up and equidistant can be a major pain in the arse. I think each time I do it I come up with a new plan of how to pull it off properly, but I’m not sure any of them has been perfect.
The bench is a great idea.
@Ron
Go get ’em, Tiger.
@frank
Fuckin’ awesome! Why didn’t I think of that? I’ve used a straight edge, level, measuring tape (like the one used for sewing), but that’s just brilliant in it’s simplicity.
@monkeyman
Naw. ‘Cause only the team leaders could be white (by tradition). Explains why mine are white though……..
@frank
FREAKIN LIGHT_BULB MOMENT!
I’ve spent heaps of time friggin around with straight edge and ruler! Left side, Right side, check back left side, check back right side – loop.
Note that the head stem is fitted first, then levers!
Now-a-days, just remove the stem’s front clamp plate and “ikity akity oop – all yours” for perfect eveness!
Now – who has the best method of lining up the stem straight in-line with the frame/wheels?
@Frank
Great tip, thanks for posting
@sthilzy
Jeff Spicoli:
@Gianni
Brah, you must need some serious sunnies against that white cockpit there in the tropics. It’s so bright you almost don’t notice the black frame pump under the top tube.
Yeah, that trick about putting up the levers is golden! Lesson learned.