Cotton Bar Tape - To Pad, Or Not

[Frank Conway]

Just ordered some TRP levers and while installing them I'm going to try cotton bar tape with shellac on my Heron. Having always ridden cork bar tape, I'm inclined to go with some sort of padding but wanted to see what works for others.

So, if you use cotton tape, do you pad underneath, and if so what do you use? Thanks in advance.

[Eric Daume]

I have my Albastache bars set up with cotton tape over generic cork tape. I really like this setup: the diameter is good, the amount of squishiness is just right, and I like the texture and appearance of the plain cotton as it fades and wears.

Eric

On Sun, Apr 24, 2016 at 6:51 AM, Frank Conway <frankj...@gmail.com> wrote:

Just ordered some TRP levers and while installing them I'm going to try cotton bar tape with shellac on my Heron.  Having always ridden cork bar tape, I'm inclined to go with some sort of padding but wanted to see what works for others.

So, if you use cotton tape, do you pad underneath, and if so what do you use?  Thanks in advance.

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[Frank Conway]

Thanks Eric. That's pretty much what I'm leaning towards - cheap cork tape under cotton.

[Kainalu]

I like to wrap with parachute cord first.
-Kai
Brooklyn NY

[Pondero]

I've taken a no-padding approach for my cotton bar tape for the last several years. I think I prefer the smaller diameter. It seems I get more finger wrap-around and more grip with less squeeze. So maybe my hands are more relaxed. Just a theory. It was cloth tape exclusively on my drop bars, but now that I've migrated to albatross bars on my bikes, I have cork or Ergon grips with cloth tape (no pad) on the forward bends. It seems to work well for me.

Chris Johnson
Sanger, Texas

[olof...@gmail.com]

Presently I use both cork (only) and cotton (only). On different bikes but on the same bar (Nitto 176 aka Dream bar). Both are fine but different which only adds to the pleasure. I have also used cotton over cork but liked that the least, it became "too much". It is probably very personal, try all and see what you like. After all, experiment is fun and in this case not very costly.

Olof Stroh
Uppsala Sweden

[Deacon Patrick]

Cotton only, they get a bit of padding when I tape over, but I prefer them with no more than 2-3 layers. Much better feel and connection with the road that way.

With abandon,

Patrick

[Lungimsam]

Green Grips cotton bartape.
Specialized BarPhat 4mm version bought direct from Specialized website.
I like to match the bartape color to the frame color.

[Kevin Lindsey]

I've more or less given up on padding - straight cotton seems to work very well for me, I like the looks, and century-plus rides give me no trouble.  This having been said, I ride with my bars more or less at saddle height (so I don't put a lot of weight on the handlebars), and I use padded bike gloves.

Kevin

[John Hawrylak]

From the RWB website, Handlebars/Accessories/Cork Tape,

"What about the cush factor of cork vs cloth?
When the handlebar is high enough, you'll be comfortable grabbing pure steel, because your hands aren't carrying weight. When the bar is too low, even the cushiest tape is like spitting on a camp fire."

I pretty much agree, I use Newbaums, and the Nitto Noddles (B177) are 10mm above the sadlle.  My only complaint with the cotton tape is it wears faster than cork.

John Hawrylak

Woodstown NJ

[Patrick Moore]

Even with bar 3 cm below saddle, I find padding less important than "grip." I do like a bit of padding, but Lezyne's thinner handlebar tape is padded enough, and the Lezyne is desirable as much for its "feel" and grip as for the minimal padding. (Note: Lezyne wears faster than some other, less comfortable tape).

I switched to another recommended brand when the thinner Lezyne on my '03 began to wear out after a few K miles, and while it is as thick or thicker, it lacks the "grip" and nice feel of the Lezyne -- it feels "slippery."

I ride without gloves, except in winter, and would judge that even a double layer of cotton tape would feel good to my hands.

Patrick Moore, who remembers the cheap vinyl stuff from the 1970s, in ABQ, NM.

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[Eric Norris]

Same here. I gave up padded gloves a few years ago. For me, being able to fully grip the bars is more important than padding; padded gloves and padded tape make it harder to wrap my fingers around the bars.

--Eric Norris
campyo...@me.com
www.campyonly.com
campyonlyguy.blogspot.com

[Patrick Moore]

I actually found that padding put pressure on the area between thumb and forefinger, particularly with my very sensitive left palm -- and I tried any number of gloves, heavily padded and lightly padded; the heavier padding hurt worse.

I really do think that proper saddle position, and in next place, proper bar position, solves many hand problems.

Patrick "no padding on hands, no padding down there, either" Moore

[Utah]

If you go with cotton, you want to go ahead and schellac them at least twice.  The schellac gives them a nice leatherish feel.  The straight cotton is a bit hard on the hands after a couple of hours.  I resisted the schallac for a while before finally trying it.  Made the straight cotton more comfy IMHO.

Scott

On Sunday, April 24, 2016 at 4:51:01 AM UTC-6, Frank Conway wrote:

[Deacon Patrick]

Just to prove that you really have to just try things to see what you like, I love straight cotton. Grin. I gave up the shellac. Much better feel to me, especially on rough roads and trails. Softer and better grip.

With abandon,

Patrick

On Sunday, April 24, 2016 at 4:51:01 AM UTC-6, Frank Conway wrote:

[Frank Conway]

Thanks for all your inputs. Now I'm leaning towards just cotton/shellac, but I'll probably change my mind three times by the time I order the stuff. As Deacon Patrick said, you just need to try something and see what you like. Thanks again for your advice and knowledge.

Frank Conway

Bedford, NH

[Mattt]

I second your decision. I have cotton bar tape with no padding provides a better feel.

If you don't like the tape setup it will only cost you 10 bucks in tape to change.

[Evan E.]

Frank,

To further muddy the waters, I suggest you consider polyurethane instead of shellac.

I like shellac, but a few weeks ago when I was running low on shellac, I recalled that a list member recommended polyurethane because it's more durable. And I had a can handy, so. Here it is. It's "green" and it does not smell of solvent:

http://www.vermontnaturalcoatings.com/our-products/polywhey-natural-furniture-finish/

I used the satin finish. It's not slick or glossy. And it permits you to still feel some texture of the cotton.

Since I applied the PolyWhey finish, I've ridden twice on long rides (~ 40 miles) in pouring rain. The tape has held up well. Just an option for you!

Evan

[drew]

im really interested in the poly option.  i love the look and durability shellac, but im not a fan of the hard crust, and slippery feel in rain. 

how long does that polyurethane to dry and how many coats do you need to do?

also, as a person who recently moved back to drop bars, i was afraid of going just cotton tape. i thought for sure that i would need some additional padding, since i like a little cork on my albastache. i didn't. at the right height, my hands dont get worn out at all on the noodles.  it's sort of counterintuitive to find myself wanting padding more on albatross or albastache bars than on drops, especially when they are all about saddle height. 

[masmojo]

If you are going to put shellac or urethane, a lot of padding won't work anywayz; the tape will be squishy & the shellac will crack. I have some scraps of a rubbery tape(neoprene ?) I used several years ago (on something ?), I Cut a strip of it and stick it to the bar lengthwise where my hand will rest. I wrap the cotton tape fairly tight, this compresses it some so it's not squishy at all but does dampen road vibration slightly. Works for me!

[Brian Campbell]

I too like just one layer of cotton tape. I put some shellac on to keep it from getting too dirty. You can also do 2 layers of cotton tape to get a bit more of a "cush" factor. Just remember if you go that route, that the first layer should not be wrapped in an overlapping fashion. I just wrap it so the edges touch. This keeps the tape from looking uneven and possibly too bulky when the second layer goes on.

[Evan E.]

Drew:

The PolyWhey polyurethane takes just two hours to dry. But I let it dry overnight: safe side.

Before my first ride, in a rainstorm, I had just one coat of urethane on my Riv-content Newbwaum's bar tape (no padding). The tape and the finish held up fine. Before my next ride, I added another coat for extra protection. Then it rained again. Maybe I should add a third coat. We're still in a drought. :)

Evan

SF, CA

[Frank Conway]

Thanks for the other option, Evan. I'll keep that in mind for next time. For now I've ordered yellow Newbaum's and will be going with amber shellac. I rode a bit with a guy on a recent 100k and he had that combination and it gave a rich brownish color. Hopefully mine comes out similar! Thanks again to all for the advice.

Frank