Great to see a female bike mechanic in this video. And yes, bar tape wrapping direction is a personal choice. But Calvin at Park Tool is my touchstone for 'expert' advice, and just like this mechanic talks about the natural hand roll direction on the drops, Calvin also suggests there is a natural roll direction on the top of the bars - towards the rider. This technique does not take that into account. All it would take at 8:14 is to go up the inside of the hood and the wrap would go in the 'correct' (according to Calvin) direction.
Just applied and rode this tape today, and I gotta say it’s my favorite out of the hundreds of tapes I’ve laid hands on. Main thing to note when taping is you’ve got to apply at least twice the usual stretch force. This tape is very strong so you don’t have to worry about tearing it. Put it on my sl7 and immediately noticed greater damping properties than any other tape.
This video was excellent & Kat did a nice job of showing how you’re checking your work & even occasionally backing up as you go. She started the whole video with “this is my way, not the only way,” yet somehow half the comments are still haters who think their way is the only one. I’ve never had tops wrapped away from me unravel if the tape is even & pulled tight. If I’m yanking on the bars, it sure isn’t from the tops anyway. Also, when you’re deep in the hooks like where it’s ideal to sprint, some people don’t want even a hint of a figure-8 bulge.
Neat job. I used to wrap towards the rider up top and now have gone to keep the direction going. I am still on the fence what I like better. Bottom line: practice makes perfect. I am still improving each time I wrap. Far from perfect but better than 5 yrs ago.
This might sound a bit selfish, but I was not unhappy to see Kat struggle a bit with pulling the tape tight. As she mentioned, the Silca tapes are really strong, so you really have to pull hard to stretch the tape in some of the bar sections so as not to leave a "pucker" in which the tape isn't sitting flush against the bars. Also, it was nice to see the time she took... it isn't hard to wrap bars, but if you take your time it will look much better.
@@johntonetti7671 A cyclist tend to apply torque to the handlebar in two places on the drop and top. The bar tape must match the direction of the torque to minimize loosening the bar tape. On the drops the right side needs to be wrapped in a clockwise and the left counter-clockwise. On the tops the direction needs to be reversed. This is where Figure 8 helps getting the position correct when wrapping the tops. Cyclists to pull back on their hands. You do not want you bar tape to get loose. (That is her mistake here)
@@gilberttorres3089 I get that, and you're correct... the figure 8 does help with that. But personally, I rarely use the F8 anymore because bar tape is so thick it makes a big clump at the hoods. I tend to go over the hoods and change wrap direction as part of that. I note that she never talked about the hoods themselves. I've found it really important to avoid having much tape under the hoods such that it blocks the indents on the lever mechanism. All those indents are designed to keep the hoods in place, and with the thicker bar tape I find it hard (if not impossible) to keep from doing that. But what do I know... I'm an amateur! Hope you and your family are well.
I’ve seen World Tour mechanics wrap bars in both directions, which leads me to believe that if you wrap tight enough, there is no universally correct direction to wrap.
How do you wrap the bar-end of a Di2 bar-end-junction-box using Nastro Cuscino? with the Nastro I just pealed off I used double sided Gorilla tape. Works great but there’s a bulge at the site. It’s not bad but now t good either.
No offence...but not enough tape left for plugs, wrapped on top on bars in wrong direction, the last tape tip should be cut so it goes under the bars ..not on top... experts? hmmm
I really don't get a good image of how 4 mm is enough to fold under the bar end plug. Never have really found a good finish here, or a good video that shows it.
Realistic tape tension however the tape direction is incorrect on the tops. Here the tape on top of the bar should wrap towards the rider, or it will unravel with use.
I suck at wrapping bar tape but surround myself with highly skilled ppl. Couple of things I noticed: didn’t wrap far enough across the bar for my taste, I have those scissors … sorry Park Tool they kinda suck. Only pro tip I can offer up: steal your wife or kids hole puncher for sprint shifter wrapping AND punch the hole in the center of the tape. That is all (besides I hate my Hiro pump head 😂)
This was painful to watch for what was supposed to be "ask the expert"... There's nothing "expert" about using the clamp tape instead of a figure 8 and she really seemed to struggle transitioning around the levers in general. Good on her for getting the job done but it's a stretch calling this an "expert" tutorial.
My first thought when the video began was WOW... there's two beautiful looking ladies right there!. As i glanced from one to the other i soon realized that they were equally attractive!!!
Great to see a female bike mechanic in this video. And yes, bar tape wrapping direction is a personal choice. But Calvin at Park Tool is my touchstone for 'expert' advice, and just like this mechanic talks about the natural hand roll direction on the drops, Calvin also suggests there is a natural roll direction on the top of the bars - towards the rider. This technique does not take that into account.
All it would take at 8:14 is to go up the inside of the hood and the wrap would go in the 'correct' (according to Calvin) direction.
Totally agree
Just applied and rode this tape today, and I gotta say it’s my favorite out of the hundreds of tapes I’ve laid hands on. Main thing to note when taping is you’ve got to apply at least twice the usual stretch force. This tape is very strong so you don’t have to worry about tearing it. Put it on my sl7 and immediately noticed greater damping properties than any other tape.
Great job Kay! Love those bike shop hands! 💪
This video was excellent & Kat did a nice job of showing how you’re checking your work & even occasionally backing up as you go.
She started the whole video with “this is my way, not the only way,” yet somehow half the comments are still haters who think their way is the only one.
I’ve never had tops wrapped away from me unravel if the tape is even & pulled tight. If I’m yanking on the bars, it sure isn’t from the tops anyway. Also, when you’re deep in the hooks like where it’s ideal to sprint, some people don’t want even a hint of a figure-8 bulge.
Well done Kat, very helpful!
I do not think the tops are wrapped correctly. Maybe I am wrong.
Great job here, I just installed this tape, and it’s not as easy as it looks. This tape is very sturdy, and takes quit a bit of strength to install.
Neat job. I used to wrap towards the rider up top and now have gone to keep the direction going. I am still on the fence what I like better. Bottom line: practice makes perfect. I am still improving each time I wrap. Far from perfect but better than 5 yrs ago.
This might sound a bit selfish, but I was not unhappy to see Kat struggle a bit with pulling the tape tight. As she mentioned, the Silca tapes are really strong, so you really have to pull hard to stretch the tape in some of the bar sections so as not to leave a "pucker" in which the tape isn't sitting flush against the bars. Also, it was nice to see the time she took... it isn't hard to wrap bars, but if you take your time it will look much better.
But the bar tape is incorrectly install. I seeing many mechanics doing the same mistake.
@@gilberttorres3089 Care to elaborate?
@@johntonetti7671 A cyclist tend to apply torque to the handlebar in two places on the drop and top. The bar tape must match the direction of the torque to minimize loosening the bar tape. On the drops the right side needs to be wrapped in a clockwise and the left counter-clockwise. On the tops the direction needs to be reversed. This is where Figure 8 helps getting the position correct when wrapping the tops. Cyclists to pull back on their hands. You do not want you bar tape to get loose. (That is her mistake here)
@@gilberttorres3089 I get that, and you're correct... the figure 8 does help with that. But personally, I rarely use the F8 anymore because bar tape is so thick it makes a big clump at the hoods. I tend to go over the hoods and change wrap direction as part of that. I note that she never talked about the hoods themselves. I've found it really important to avoid having much tape under the hoods such that it blocks the indents on the lever mechanism. All those indents are designed to keep the hoods in place, and with the thicker bar tape I find it hard (if not impossible) to keep from doing that. But what do I know... I'm an amateur! Hope you and your family are well.
I’ve seen World Tour mechanics wrap bars in both directions, which leads me to believe that if you wrap tight enough, there is no universally correct direction to wrap.
How do you wrap the bar-end of a Di2 bar-end-junction-box using Nastro Cuscino? with the Nastro I just pealed off I used double sided Gorilla tape. Works great but there’s a bulge at the site. It’s not bad but now t good either.
Didn't she say "clockwise at the bottom and counter-clockwise at the top"? The tape was wrapped clockwise on both.
I thought she said clockwise on the right side, and counter-clockwise on the left side... but I could be wrong. That's how I do it, anyway...
Wow, for real? I can see bar tape unraveling when you are gripping on top. There is reason why tapes are wrapped in certain directions...
No offence...but not enough tape left for plugs, wrapped on top on bars in wrong direction, the last tape tip should be cut so it goes under the bars ..not on top... experts? hmmm
I really don't get a good image of how 4 mm is enough to fold under the bar end plug. Never have really found a good finish here, or a good video that shows it.
Realistic tape tension however the tape direction is incorrect on the tops. Here the tape on top of the bar should wrap towards the rider, or it will unravel with use.
I suck at wrapping bar tape but surround myself with highly skilled ppl. Couple of things I noticed: didn’t wrap far enough across the bar for my taste, I have those scissors … sorry Park Tool they kinda suck. Only pro tip I can offer up: steal your wife or kids hole puncher for sprint shifter wrapping AND punch the hole in the center of the tape. That is all (besides I hate my Hiro pump head 😂)
This video doesn't match the quality of Silca products, sorry!
This was painful to watch for what was supposed to be "ask the expert"... There's nothing "expert" about using the clamp tape instead of a figure 8 and she really seemed to struggle transitioning around the levers in general. Good on her for getting the job done but it's a stretch calling this an "expert" tutorial.
Kay is beautiful, I so would love to Indy for her
My first thought when the video began was WOW... there's two beautiful looking ladies right there!. As i glanced from one to the other i soon realized that they were equally attractive!!!