[jackman]

Just swapped my bar tape from black for white.  I've always liked the look of white and since a guy in my group has the EXACT same bike as me, I'm trying to do something to make my ride seem less generic.   Bad mobile phone pix but I'll be curious to get some opinions. 

Either way, it's a pretty inexpensive change, new tape cost $6.00 at Performance.  Once you get the hang of wrapping bars, it shouldn't take more than 10 minutes or so.  My reason for changing wasn't totally for aesthetics, I wanted to get rid of the gel inserts and Buzz-Kill caps.  They work well, and completely deaden road feel but are on the heavy side.  The new cork tape I selected has some cushion but allows you to feel the road. Haven't ridden it on the road yet but I hope to get out this week, if it doesn't snow! 

Is white cooler looking?  It's faster!


Cheers,

J

[bunnyma357]

I like the white way better - of course it will show a lot more dirt, especially if it is cork or cloth.

For looks and durability on lighter colors I really like the old school shellac on the tape technique. You can use clear or amber depending on the look you like.


Jim C

[ooheadsoo]

White definitely looks better.  Next, if that's a carbon fork, sand it down

[jackman]

Thanks guys.  Yes, the fork is carbon.  The two black stips you the front of the fork are actually unpainted black carbon.  the rest of the fork is painted red and white.  I'm not going to strip it because I may sell the bike next year and get a Colnago C-50, and I want to keep the Trek stock.

It was interesting how much the old tape weighed with the Buzz-kill devices (soft rubber with solid aluminum bar inserts) and the large gel strips.  It was very heavy but comfortable on the road.    I'm sure I'll feel much more road vibration with the new tape but the change seems to be worth it.  Either way, if it stays clean or useable for one year, I don't mind swapping it out for clean tape every year.  Lots of guys use Fizik tape which costs abt $30 (less on-line).  The Fizik is supposed to be easier to clean and looks cool.  Maybe I'll give that a try. 

The bike LOOKS faster!

Cheers,

J

[AB]

If it looks faster then it is faster. Now about that triple....

 

[jackman]

If it looks faster then it is faster. Now about that triple....

 

I hear you!  Keep in mind, I'm still (technically) a 44 year old fat guy who just quit smoking in August fighting a fierce wind (and some minor hills) in the cornfields west of my home.  Lost 35 lbs since last year and the lungs and legs are getting stronger every day...but I still use the granny on some steep hills near my house.  Some are man-made hills like a steep bridge that takes my group across a busy 4 lane road.  I need to granny gear on the return (from 50-60 mile rides) to get over the hump.  I can almost make it on the second ring but not quite. 

This has been a great learning process and the personal improvement has been the best part.  I love my bike because I can ride it for miles with no pain. It's OLCV 120 and USA made, and lightweight.  The wheels are the first thing I'll change if I decide to keep it.  The triple was first on the list..before I started to ride!

Cheers,

J

[Don_S]

J,

The white tape works well with the white (pearl?) head-tube and fork. Keep the triple. What would you gain by switching it for a double--a couple of ounces?  What you might lose is the ability to climb some hills in a more knee-friendly gear.

[Browntrout]

Cool. I just did the same thing but changed the handlebars at the same time.(they bent slightly when I came off a year ago)
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=33643                                                                                                                I used Fizik tape which cost ten pounds with free delivery had to get grey as they had sold out of black but colour does not really bother me that much. It feels nice and firm which helps my confidence in my grip.


my new brakes were noticably lighter than the Scott own brand ones that came with the bike...


Your bike looks really nice, the wheels look like nice ones what are they? I've got a 3T Doric Team seatpost and 3T team stem coming also some Token carbon ceramic jockey wheels and a nice SRAM 991 Hollow Pin chain coming which should help things along no end. Went out yesterday and felt like I was flying with my new carbon fiber shoes and cabon pedals and lighter handlebars. This lark is mega addictive, riding fast is soooo much fun especially when you zooom past other riders on the road

P.S Jackman I'm probably incorrect but it looks like the steerer tube for your forks protrudes above the top of your handlebar stem if thats the case then the fit of the stem is not 100% secure. The clamp part of the stem is supposed to go slightly higher than the top of the steerer so that when the bolts are tightened the stem comes in over the end of the tube. If it is not or you have a different type of stem then please ignore my comment. Chees, Ben.

P.P.S What size and make of saddle bag is that? I'm gonna get one and don't know what size to get. Do you keep a pump in there or do you use those CO2 thingies?

[AB]

The saddle to bar drop looks to me to be pretty aggressive . The saddle tilt is also pretty unusual. Have you had a proper fitting?

As for my triple comment. I was just giving you some roady attitude.

I live in the mtns of Colorado and triples are everywhere. I ride a weird compact 38/52 but most folks here without triples run compact 34/50.

It's snowing here so no riding.

[knut_the_viking]

The white looks MUCH better!
It must be the way the frame/fork is painted white at the front that makes a white tape just work better.

My Pinarello is mostly white, with black/red areas, and white works well.

I ordered some Fizik 2-tone tape in red/white thinking that would complement my frame/fork. Turns out it made the handlebar look like a candy cane. Not good. Had to go.

[bunnyma357]

It's been quite awhile since I've touched up the shellac, but here's my current favorite style.

Yellow Tressostar cloth tape with Amber Bullseye Shellac


Cinelli Natural Cork Tape with Amber Shellac


I really like the feel and durability of the shellac as well as the looks.

Jim C

[jackman]

Hi Browntrout, the wheels are Bontrager Race.  They look cool and have held up dispite the bumpy roads around here.  The space you see above my stem is the steerer tube.  When I bought the bike, the stem was afixed to the top of the steerer tube and I have lowered it as my flexibility has improved.  My  shop did the work and it's set up properly.  I'm going to have it cut (at the shop) as soon as I am flexible enough to get it set at the  lowest position. 

Thanks for the comments.  Your bike looks very good and the Fizik tape you installed is the exact stuff I want to put on my bike one of these days.  Good luck!

J

[jackman]

Hey AB,
I agree, the saddle/bar drop looks aggressive and the saddle looks like it's slanted forward.  Both are optical illusions.  The saddle is a Fizik Arione and the angle of the picture really makes it look strange.  The actual position is parallel to the ground, level.  Also, the head tube on my  bike is slightly taller than a racing bike's head tube (similar to the Performance fit on the new Trek Madone), so a low stem is still realatively moderate.  It's very comfortable in this position and I can ride the drops without any discomfort. 

Here is a link from the Fizik website and the saddle also looks slanted, it's not.  Also, I love Fizik saddles.  They are very well made and comfortable (saddle is a personal choice and everyone's butt bones are different).   http://www.fizik.it/catalog.aspx?subid=Arione_Wing_Flex

The bike was professionally set up at my local shop and I've put hundreds of pain-free miles on it with this setup.  I'll take another  picture from the side and you will see that it's pretty standard looking.  Your comments are funny because they are exactly what I was thinking when I looked at the picture!


Cheers,

Jack

[AB]

Hey AB,
I agree, the saddle/bar drop looks aggressive and the saddle looks like it's slanted forward.  Both are optical illusions.  The saddle is a Fizik Arione and the angle of the picture really makes it look strange.  The actual position is parallel to the ground, level.  Also, the head tube on my  bike is slightly taller than a racing bike's head tube (similar to the Performance fit on the new Trek Madone), so a low stem is still realatively moderate.  It's very comfortable in this position and I can ride the drops without any discomfort. 

Here is a link from the Fizik website and the saddle also looks slanted, it's not.  Also, I love Fizik saddles.  They are very well made and comfortable (saddle is a personal choice and everyone's butt bones are different).   http://www.fizik.it/catalog.aspx?subid=Arione_Wing_Flex

The bike was professionally set up at my local shop and I've put hundreds of pain-free miles on it with this setup.  I'll take another  picture from the side and you will see that it's pretty standard looking.  Your comments are funny because they are exactly what I was thinking when I looked at the picture!


Cheers,

Jack

Understood. 
I have a friend who rides a saddle tilted just as yours looks. His hips are so inflexible that without the tilt he ends up with numb bits. He probably has more weight on his hands than on his sit bones - which probably adds to the "benefit" of the saddle tilt. 
He'd rather ride than stretch and I don't blame him.

[turkey]

He'd rather ride than stretch and I don't blame him.

I have seen quite a few studies showing that stretching doesn't really work. What always works better is warming up. In other words, start out gently and ramp up to full exertion as your muscles warm up.

What I do is walk my bike for a couple of minutes, then hop on and and lazily ride for a few more minutes. Then I start putting more effort into it and work my way up to really pushing it.

For cool-down, I again pedal lazily for a few minutes and then walk the last couple.

I did try all those stretching exercises and they didn't work as well for me.

[jackman]

Hey AB,
I agree, the saddle/bar drop looks aggressive and the saddle looks like it's slanted forward.  Both are optical illusions.  The saddle is a Fizik Arione and the angle of the picture really makes it look strange.  The actual position is parallel to the ground, level.  Also, the head tube on my  bike is slightly taller than a racing bike's head tube (similar to the Performance fit on the new Trek Madone), so a low stem is still realatively moderate.  It's very comfortable in this position and I can ride the drops without any discomfort. 

Here is a link from the Fizik website and the saddle also looks slanted, it's not.  Also, I love Fizik saddles.  They are very well made and comfortable (saddle is a personal choice and everyone's butt bones are different).   http://www.fizik.it/catalog.aspx?subid=Arione_Wing_Flex

The bike was professionally set up at my local shop and I've put hundreds of pain-free miles on it with this setup.  I'll take another  picture from the side and you will see that it's pretty standard looking.  Your comments are funny because they are exactly what I was thinking when I looked at the picture!


Cheers,

Jack

Understood. 
I have a friend who rides a saddle tilted just as yours looks. His hips are so inflexible that without the tilt he ends up with numb bits. He probably has more weight on his hands than on his sit bones - which probably adds to the "benefit" of the saddle tilt. 
He'd rather ride than stretch and I don't blame him.

Hi, the saddle is pretty much flat (parallel to ground) and not tilted forward.  The angle of the picture makes it look tilted.  I could not ride with a lot of weight on my hands, or a lot on my butt bones.  To be comfortable, you need to be balanced.  Pro sprinters are actually pulling up on the bars, so there is negative weight on their hands.  My only restriction is ability to air-flow.  If my position is too aggressive/low, my ability to breath is constricted (in the drops).

[jackman]

He'd rather ride than stretch and I don't blame him.

I have seen quite a few studies showing that stretching doesn't really work. What always works better is warming up. In other words, start out gently and ramp up to full exertion as your muscles warm up.

What I do is walk my bike for a couple of minutes, then hop on and and lazily ride for a few more minutes. Then I start putting more effort into it and work my way up to really pushing it.

For cool-down, I again pedal lazily for a few minutes and then walk the last couple.

I did triy all those stretching exercises and they didn't work as well for me.

Agreed!  I do lots of core work but I don't stretch prior to riding or after.  My group rides usually start off slow and flat so it's easy to get warmed up.  Core work is done on a situp bench and with fitness ball. It's not fun but my back feels great. 

Also, bike fit is the MOST important aspect of fun and painless rides (and fast rides!).  Before my bike was professionally fit, I had trouble with my lower back and left knee.  Turns out my seat was set way too far back and my cleats were also too far back on my clipless pedals.  Bikefitter made some changes (and lowered my bars by an additional cm) and I was shocked by the increase in comfort and power.  I can ride for 60 miles with no knee or lower back pain...and my position is more aggressive (compared to prev. more upright position).  This has been the most eye-opening discovery since I started cycling.

[drphoto]

Hey Jack! Good to see you back man!. Yes the white tape looks good, and yes, you are a giant pussy for running a triple. . (My old riding buddies used to give me crap for not running one of those 'corncob' freewheels) Of course, who am I to pile on? I haven't been on a bike for years. 3 jobs sort of prevents that much free time, however, still playing the guitar on occasion. You?

[BikeWNC]

White bartape is where it's at! 







Andy

[drphoto]

Andy, I visited Ashville (sp?) a few years ago and my first thought was "What a great place to ride". Lot's of beautiful scenery, good climbs and little car traffic. I'm a really skinny guy, so I never had those big legs needed to go fast, (I sucked at time trials)  but I could climb hills all day, back when I was in shape.

Nice rides. That Parlee is sweet.