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Rule on handlebar tape color

148K views 102 replies 65 participants last post by  MXL 
#1 ·
Does anyone care?

I almost always run black or white. Is there any rule? Does it matter? I have heard to match the saddle but........

Thoughts?
 
#39 ·
I had the original white leather tape on my Technium for 8 years, along with a white saddle. As they both got worn out, I switched to a more comfy black saddle. The yellow and black splash tape was actually supposed to be a gag gift for my friend who has a bright yellow bike. I thought it would look cool on mine, so there ya go. Yeah it may clash with the lavender and mauve frame, but I like it. Besides, it does kind of match the saddle and even the cable housing haha

 
#68 ·
To the owner of the yellow Specialized on page 1:


How the hell did you get your bike to stand up like that? Did someone let it go while you snapped a quick pick then just grabbed it again or what? lol...
Special Eyes.....is a witch!!!!! BURN HIM......


and the moral of this story is...NEVER believe ANYTHING you see in a picture!
 
#55 ·
I only have one rule about bar tape: the right side color must match the left side color.
 
#58 ·
I have stock white tape on my bars and it matches my seat... however- I don't see the white staying white for very long before it starts looking real old and dirty. I was thinking Black Bar Tape. I see there is now a bright green tape to match my green- but me thinks that would be too loud!!!

Chris
 
#61 ·
I've got the Fizik apple green bar tape on my bike(black) and you sure know which way it's pointed.
If you want to stick with white tape give the Fizik a try, it stays clean. I'm going on my 2nd season with the green and it still looks good and I had pink on before that and it made a season and a half and still looked good, but I just wanted a change of scenery.
I've got the red fizik on another bike and it's looking at better than 2yrs., almost 3. It doesn't see the use that the other bike does though.
 
#65 ·
I found it to be fine. I have Cinelli Neo Morphe handlebars, which have a LOT of curves and anatomic sections. The Fizik tape was not easy by any means, it did need to be pulled/stretched over the difficult sections, but stretched sufficiently to do a damn good job.

I don't see mayself using any other bar tape soon.
 
#71 ·
I got NO problem with Yellow bikes!!! My first road bike was a Yellow Schwinn Continental from back in early 70's. I paid my LBS $10 a week when I bought that- it was a lot for a 14 yr old kid back then.

Come to think of it- it had yellow bar tape as well- although there was no such thing as padded tape then.

Chris
 
#67 ·
To the owner of the yellow Specialized on page 1:


How the hell did you get your bike to stand up like that? Did someone let it go while you snapped a quick pick then just grabbed it again or what? lol...
 
#103 ·
Think the yellow tape looks great, Special Eyes.
But yeah, rule 15a, paragraph 7: Bike can only be
photographed from drivetrain side. All others shall
be considered null and void.
True, but that only applies to bikes adorned with Campy, all others must be photographed from the left side because nobody wants to see shimano or Sram. :-D
 
#87 ·
I have a black/whit/silver Cannondale Synapse that came with white tape and a white saddle. I tjust put bright green on it. I plan to put a black saddle on the bike to at least be a bit more complimentary, but I think of bright bar tape colors (done tastefully) as an 'F you.'

If everything matches BUT the tape and the tape is an obnoxious color like green/orange then I think it's a statement.
 
#89 ·
What about finishing tape? Should it be black, white, is it 'sposed to match something on the bike. And what about finishing by whipping with cord, or is that reserved for leather bar tape?

Myself, I've used black, green, red, white, yellow and I think blue, always tying in with something or another on the bike from handlebar tape to the color of the lettering, shux the green was used to match the s SwissStop brake pads I use.

But that's all changed now. I found a full roll of orange tape and decided that it would be used as my finishing tape until it's used up.
It's good to have a reason to do things.
 
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