Someone in one of the threads recommended using heatshrink as a barrier between the bar tape and the aluminum handlebars so that sweat doesn’t affect anything. I’ve seen some people on other forums swear by it. Is this a common thing people do, and is it effective?
I wouldn’t call it common as I rarely see it mentioned. I can’t say I have even seen pictures posted despite hearing it offered more than once. Key question for me in application is what to do around the hood mounts. Do they install the hoods over the fully shrinked bars or is there a deliberate gap made there with separate pieces. I see potential issues with both options but much relies on the precise shrink used.
1 Like
In addition to Chad’s questions, I question if the shrink wrap is fully waterproof to humidity, not just liquid. It could end up trapping moisture and making the problem worse.
3 Likes
Search results worth a skim.
I used heat shrink for years and have never thought of using it for handlebars. It might sound like a good idea, but it’s not really a great idea IMO unless you use the sealing tubing because even with it being tight, it’ll still wick moisture up the tubing. Yeah, that might be rare but it happens more often than people might think. PLUS heat shrink tubing is not really that ‘grippy’. Some of it gets downright slick when wet.
Maybe a d+ for the idea? If it’s that much of a problem for a rider, and I sweat A LOT, and have never had a set of bars corrode out yet (YET, knock on wood) I’d consider carbon bars first.
But if someone wants to try that, don’t get the cheap stuff at the local big box store, look for the good stuff at an electrical distributor. Maybe run a loop of electrical tape at the ends under the tubing to try to block-out any sweat/water too?
I’ve double wrapped bars quite often. Start with really thin non-vented wrap and top it off with a thicker layer.
Did not read all the replies, but one thing we did at the bike shop I worked at was to carefully wrap the bars with electrical tape, which effectively seals them.
But electrical tape, even the ‘good stuff’ does not last very long, surprisingly. The stickum eventually fails and the tape comes apart. I have been doing electrical work for decades and did the wiring in our current house and have been horrified at the number of outlets and switches I’ve had to replace or upgrade, and the tape has largely fallen off due to the sticky failing. Seriously… Using the heavy duty tape almost exclusively and it’s failing…
Any bar wrapped with that tape will eventually fail and provide nothing more than the falacy of ‘protection’, and could actually fail in such a way that the over-wrapped bar tape starts sliding and potentially bunching up. I’ve also had to toss rolls of tape that are completely useless because if the stickum failure…
Maybe use Gorilla Tape instead?
Decent elec tape can work fine and lasts fine for this purpose. I prefer 3M 88 tape.
Me too, and that’s the tape that has failed! People can do what they want, but I’ll only use electrical tape for taping the edge of bar tape, and heat shrink tubing for insulating wire. I mean, who remembers that slip-on foam gorp from the 70’s and 80’s that people put on their BSO’s. (Bicycle shaped objects) It was a disaster…
And in all of this, I’m wondering why I haven’t had a set of bars corrode out of existence. I sweat a hell of a lot, and pulled tape off bars where the tape was so infiltrated with sweat, it crunched when it was bent, and no bar damage at all. I was expecting the bars to be completely wasted, hanging on my mere molecules, and they have always been fine. Perhaps there was an electrical charge issue not present somehow? My sweating has already cost me a pair of pedals, but so far nothing else.
Am I not riding long enough on the same set of bars (nearly 2 years) and not getting that result because of it? Are people anticipating a problem and potentially creating another problem down the road? Are people using cheap bars/parts? Now I’m jelly I haven’t destroyed bars on any of my bikes. I mean, how common is it? Common enough for people to come up with outlandish efforts to fight it? Not trying to be incendiary, just not seeing the need…
Also I have been curious to get carbon bars but have heard issues some have with them, including them breaking. The flex issue might be a little unnerving to get used to if they actually flex as much as some say.
Can’t say I’ve suffered from corroded handlebars in the all the years I’ve been cycling. Which is over half a century.
Sure, neither have I…but just because we personally have not had an issue doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen and shouldn’t be an area of concern / inspection, in general.
1 Like
Closed cell foam bar tape (just about any padded tape) and the finish paint largely would do the same thing. You’d still have the bar exposed at the shifters and bar internals. You’re better off just considering your bars wear items and replacing every 5-10 years.
1 Like
@robcow very interesting. When I replaced my bar tape most recently I wrapped my handlebars in electrical tape first so I didn’t have to spend an hour pealing the bar tape residue off of the handlebars the next time. No issues so far, but it’s only been a couple of months, almost all of which have been inside with towels over the bars to protect them from sweat.