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Christmas Might Be Just In Time

12.20.2012 by Ray Niekamp // 2 Comments

I noticed a couple of things on my bike during yesterday’s ride. I need some minor upgrades. Not anything big, mind you, but when I get them they’ll improve my biking experience.

The Serfas tail light.
The Serfas tail light.

The first thing is that I need a new tail light. Two years ago, my wife got me a nice Serfas light. It was bright, had several different flash patterns, and she tells me it could be seen at quite some distance. I liked that it was made of a soft rubber, and fastened easily around my left seat stay.

The problem is that the soft rubber was so soft, it tore easily. Gradually, I found myself going to the next loosest setting after the little “ladder”-like connectors ripped off. Even at the loosest setting, the light stayed put, though, because its overall soft rubbery texture kept it stuck in place.

But one day that ended. I got home from a ride and noticed that the light was missing. It had obviously torn for the last time, and fallen off during the ride.

I had a cheap light in my bike box, the kind that clips into a seat bag’s reflective strap, and since the onset of autumn, with its shorter and more overcast days, have been using it regularly. It’s not great, but at least on a gloomy morning, drivers get a little extra warning that I’m in the area. Trouble is, I don’t want them getting a “little” warning — I want them to get smacked in the face by my presence.

Blackburn Mars tail light.
Blackburn Mars tail light.

So, I put a bug in Mrs. Noob’s — I mean Santa Claus’ — ear, and suggested she look for something along these lines. I know they’re so bright on strobe mode that they’re uncomfortable for other riders to follow, but if I’m on a club ride I’ll just set it to steady. When I’m out by myself though, which is most of the time, I want the added protection of a bright flash.

I also noticed some small gaps appearing in my bar tape. It had been on for some time, and in fact, I had rewrapped it probably three times since I got it. I made a mental note to get some replacement tape, because this stuff is at the end of its life. But when I pulled the bike into the garage after yesterday’s ride, the bar end plug was dangling from the bar, held in place by the tape, which was starting to unravel.

I made a temporary repair by shoving the plug back into the bar end, and wrapping the bottom quarter of the bar with electrical tape. So now Santa has a second item on the list — some new bar tape. Let’s see, I’ve been using blue for awhile now, and it’s the cheap Performance house brand stuff. That’s not a knock, by the way — I like this tape. It’s got a spongy feel to it that keeps my hands from getting pounded too much on the chip seal we ride on around here. But just for a change of pace, maybe there’s something else worth trying. Instead of house brand tape, something from Cinelli or Fizik.  Maybe it’s time to spiff it up with some blue & black marble pattern tape, if I can find any (That’s sooo 2005!).

The nice thing about getting bike stuff for Christmas is that around here, I can put it on the bike and take a ride with it on Christmas Day. It’s something to look forward to.

 

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Categories // Accessories Tags // bar tape, tail light

Bar Tape — A Quick and Easy Fix

08.21.2012 by Ray Niekamp // Leave a Comment

Guest poster Don Blount has some suggestions about changing your bar tape.

I recently changed handlebar tape from a synthetic leather tape that looked great but provided absolutely no padding, to something not as flashy but much more comfortable. It was a quick, easy job.

Old tape on left, new on right.

Changing bar tape is an inexpensive way to give your bike a different look, from black to red, white or blue, you can accessorize your ride.

I stick with black tape. It matches my bike and doesn’t show dirt easily.

For some, taping handlebars can be frustrating. But with a little practice just about anyone can handle this job.

Here are a few quick tips I received from a bike mechanic to get a clean, professional-looking job:

Start the tape at the bottom of the bar. And instead of starting the tape with a half-inch or so hanging over the end of the bar, align the tape with the edge of bar. This will provide a clean look while eliminating the task of trying to stuff the tape in the bar end and getting the bar end plug to stay in.

Don shows how he wraps electrical tape around the base of the bar plug.

Many handlebar tapes come with a sticky backing, which helps it stay in place. If it does not have this backing, you can use a small piece of electrical tape to hold it in place.  This will be out of view when the bar is wrapped. You can also wrap pieces of electrical tape around the inside of the plug, the part that goes inside the bar, to help it stay in place.

And, with a few exceptions, remember to wrap over the bar and away from the frame, this tightens the tape naturally as you ride. Look at how you twist your hands in the drops and this will help you determine how to wrap the bar. If you turn you hands in, wrap in that direction and vice versa.

Also, use the small rectangular piece that comes with the tape to cover the bottom of the brake levers. Finally be sure to stretch the tape as you wrap but not as if you’re playing tug of war, and check your work so you don’t leave gaps.

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Categories // Accessories, guest post, Maintenance Tags // bar tape, Blount, guest post

The Mysterious Popping Bar Tape

02.07.2012 by Ray Niekamp // 7 Comments

Here’s a weird one: When I went into the garage early Sunday morning, with an idea to get the bike ready for the club ride that I never went on, I discovered this:

For some reason unknown to me, the bar end plug had popped off overnight, unraveling the bar tape. When I put the bike away after the last ride, Friday, it was okay. When I was in the garage to get into the car Saturday, it was okay.

What happened?

I haven’t any idea. I had taped the bars some time ago, probably in early fall, and hadn’t had any trouble with them since. I had even taken a scrub brush to them the last time I washed the bike, and got off most of the dirt smudges. The bar end plugs had held the tape in place much better than some of my previous tape jobs.

My next reaction was that I had to fix it, and fast, if I planned to ride that day. I’d already decided the foul weather would keep me from doing a club ride. Logically, I would have waited a few hours until the bike shops around here opened for their short Sunday hours, then picked up a new roll of tape.

But sometimes, I don’t think logically.

I removed the tape. It looked to be in reasonably good shape, so I decided to use it again.

Now, the usual advice you get when you go online for a refresher on winding bar tape is not to reuse it — get new stuff. I can understand that. But the tape wasn’t torn or otherwise damaged. I started winding it on the bar, paying close attention to the amount of tension I kept on the tape. You want it to be taut. You don’t want it to be so taut, it tears. I managed to stay on the good side of that fine line and got the tape rewound on the bar. Heck, it would look new, except that the rewind had uncovered some grungy dark areas that will have to be scrubbed clean again.

By the way, this is not high end bar tape. This is the run of the mill stuff I picked up at Performance. It’s a cork gel, and costs only about $10 for enough to do both handlebars. I like it. I like spongy tape that provides some cushioning, and this does that. Some riders say they prefer a harder tape that transmits road feel back up to the hands. I’m perfectly happy with the feel I get from this tape.

I’ve ridden the bike a couple of times since retaping the bar. It’s holding well.

Have you ever reused old bar tape? What were your results? Did it last as long as you’d hoped, or did it break down in a short period of time?

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Categories // Accessories, Maintenance Tags // bar tape

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