Method for Spacing Bar Tape

[George Schick]

Let's say that you've purchased a couple of rolls of bar tape for your bike.  You begin wrapping at the plug end of the bar on one side, around the brake lever handle, and on toward the stem and whoops you come up short.  Or, you come up long with lots of extra tape left over by spacing too far apart.  Given the length of bar to be wrapped and the amount of tape available is there a standard rule-of-thumb for wrapping the bars with an estimate of even spacing so that one doesn't run short or with too much extra?

[Brian Turner]

My eyeball method typically takes the width of the bar tape itself, and then overlap each successive wrap by somewhere between 1/3 or 1/4 of the overall width. The overlap will be tighter on the inside of bends, but if you try to keep that same overlap in the straight sections, and the outside of any bends, it usually works out. If your tape has a strip of adhesive backing, I use that as a guide - trying to make sure at least some of that adhesive touches the surface of the bar on each wrap. Hopefully this makes sense... it's a bit hard to explain without visuals.

Brian

Lexington KY

On Tue, Jun 9, 2026 at 4:05 PM George Schick <bhi...@gmail.com> wrote:

Let's say that you've purchased a couple of rolls of bar tape for your bike.  You begin wrapping at the plug end of the bar on one side, around the brake lever handle, and on toward the stem and whoops you come up short.  Or, you come up long with lots of extra tape left over by spacing too far apart.  Given the length of bar to be wrapped and the amount of tape available is there a standard rule-of-thumb for wrapping the bars with an estimate of even spacing so that one doesn't run short or with too much extra?

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[Garth]

Padded tape is the easiest to do as the padding in the middle creates a perfect guide for a relatively uniform wrap. If there is a sticky tape underneath you can always wrap it first to test without peeling it. 

if it's a all sticky like I suppose Newbaums is then I can't help you other than get some extra to practice on and not concerned it you have to toss it. I've also been unhappy with a padded tape job with the sticky underside removed, and carefully undid it and did it again. The adhesive takes a while to set so it taken off it still has enough to sick for a redo. 

BTW, I begin the tape job flush with the end of the bar, without the bar end plug. It's of no concern to the tape job, it's an accessory thrown in after the tape job. 

[Bill Lindsay]

I "solve" this by taping lots and lots of handlebars.  I get the overlap right so that it looks pro to an audience of one.  The left overs are all cloth, and once a year or so I can do a piece meal patchwork quilt tape job like the Rivendell folks do sometimes.  I always save the scraps.  

The analytical way to do it would be to take a fabric tape measure and get an estimate of the length of the handlebar.  Just guessing, my 46cm Noodle is probably about 50cm long per side (500mm).  That bar has a diameter of 23.8mm, so it's surface area is roughly pi * 23.8mm * 500mm = 37,400 square millimeters.  Newbaums comes in a 10 foot roll and is 3/4" wide, so the total surface area is 3040mm x 19mm = 57800 square millimeters.  So you have enough to cover the 37,400 of handlebar and have 20,400 square millimeters left over for overlap.  So about half of the bar is "single layer" and the other half is "double layer". that means on average you would overlap about one quarter the width, so that for each width of tape, 1/4 is over the last wrap, 1/4 is under the next wrap, and the half in the middle is single layer.  Around curves, it's more overlap on the inside and less on the outside so you'd have to judge to get to right about 1/4 on average.  At the brakelever, there's bar surface you are NOT covering because it's already covered by the brakelever but some people use up a ton of length with figure 8 stuff around there, so you'd have to include a fudge factor that accounts for that.

Bill Lindsay

El Cerrito, CA

[Chris Lang]

I know people with drop bars who will wrap the bottom of the bars less thick, and overlap more on the tops because that is where they spend the most time on.   

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[Philip Williamson]

Two of the methods here are correct. 

1. Overlap consistently by about 1/3 or 1/4, or run the adhesive strip on the bar up against the edge of the tape you just put down. 

2. Wrap lots of bars. 

The math method probably works too. 

Philip in CA

On Tuesday, June 9, 2026 at 1:05:46 PM UTC-7 George Schick wrote:

[Ron Mc]

All my bars are wrapped in leather, and I always end up with 3" to 6" to cut at the end.  

One nice thing about leather, the width of the narrower adhesive strip makes a great guide to get you started.  

Always stretch leather, and straight runs get about 1/3 overlap so most of the adhesive tape sticks to the bar. 

You're going to have to overlap more on bends, and stretch much harder.  

Good thing about more overlap on bends, your hands work the leather harder on bends.  

 

[John Bokman]

Ron, what is your tape of choice, if you have one?

John

[Ron Mc]

John, 

Brooks makes the toughest with thorough dyes that won't change color.  

My oldest Brooks in antique brown still looks new after 15 years - I expect the violet on Roaduno to last the same way.  

All white eventually wears through at grip points, but will last until you get around to replacing it.  

Leh Cycling in Austin sells the best white I've tried.  

Natural leathers such as Berthoud change color with sweat, but with the stain, Berthoud has lasted very well.  

The best leather barwrap treatment I've found is NikWax Waterproofing for Leather.  

Regards

[John Bokman]

Thanks for the info Ron.

John

[Ted Durant]

On Tuesday, June 9, 2026 at 3:05:46 PM UTC-5 George Schick wrote:

Let's say that you've purchased a couple of rolls of bar tape for your bike.  You begin wrapping at the plug end of the bar on one side, around the brake lever handle, and on toward the stem and whoops you come up short.  Or, you come up long with lots of extra tape left over by spacing too far apart.  Given the length of bar to be wrapped and the amount of tape available is there a standard rule-of-thumb for wrapping the bars with an estimate of even spacing so that one doesn't run short or with too much extra?

You might come up short if you're wrapping a really wide bar, like Noodle 46's, and your spacing is tight, but generally on drop bars one roll should fit each side. Also, it depends on whose tape, of course, some are longer rolls than others. In general, I always have leftover bits. Sometimes I'll use a bunch of leftover bits to make a mixed-color wrap for fun or temporary purposes.

When I wrap drop bars I do separate wraps of the tops and bottoms, both ending up at the brake lever.  If the brake lever allows for it, I wrap with the clamp in place but the brake lever removed, then the brake lever holds the tape ends in place. Otherwise, the tape goes up the side of the lever body and the brake hood covers it up.

For spacing, I go for 1/4-1/3 overlap on the straight parts. I use the angles of the weave (in cotton tape) to judge it.  On the curves, it's 1/2 overlap on the inside of the curve and just a smidge of overlap on the outside. If you are using tape that doesn't have adhesive on it, you may need more overlap.

Also, FWIW, I have started wrapping the entire bar with electricians tape to hold cables in place. Newbaum's comes off of electricians tape way easier than it does off raw aluminum, making fresh wrap a much less time consuming job.

Ted Durant

Milwaukee WI USA

[Will Boericke]

This is why I like silicone bar tape: didn't get the spacing right?  Unwind and rewrap.  Need to replace your brake housing?  Unwind and rewrap.

Will near Boston, a notoriously mediocre bar-taper despite much practice