New Bars, New Tape

I had those FSA Gossamer bars on hand but I wanted something with a flat top, having really enjoyed that about my previous bars. Instead of the FSA Wing Pro Compact I went with the PRO PLT, a lighter and less expensive alternative. They have less reach and drop compared to the old carbon bars so I ended up with a bit more cable exposed. Whatever.


The Cinelli Jelly feels good; a non-slip grip similar to Lizard Skins. There is no adhesive backing like other Cinelli tape so if you wrap it slightly off it is easily re-worked. It's a durable tape so you can pull it taut without worry that it will rip.


It smells like a pool float and the look of the wrap reminds me of 80s road bikes and their metallic-ish tape. That's pretty cool but not really what I wanted for this bike. On the bare hand it feels very latex-y. It would probably look better on a silver or white bar. Ritchey Red might be iffy. (I kinda want a pair of those bars, though!)

I picked up another Cinelli tape, the Mash Volee in black. It provides the same tacky Lizard Skins-like grip but with more padding than the Jelly. It is adhesive backed but is still extremely workable; the adhesive doesn't crack when stretched. Plus the topographic print is totally me.



The down side is that it doesn't come with shifter backing so I had to cut a bit off the end. For a 44cm bar that could present a problem so ask your shop for some black shifter backs, they'll probably have some laying around.

Down Goes Cort!!

I had some errands to ride today so I went downtown in the morning around 10AM. Both places I needed to go were closed but this time Midtown Bikes was open so I went in and hung out with Daniel for a while. (Did you notice him on the red Townie in the Urban Magnets video below?) After our visit I popped in to the first place, Havana Mix, to get a gift certificate for my friend's birthday (hopefully he doesn't read this!) I know it looks strange for a cyclist to patronize a cigar shop but even though I don't smoke cigars they have very beautiful art deco lighters and I just think they're neat. Anyways, the second shop wasn't open but by this time it was close to lunch so I headed back towards Midtown to meet Em. Headed North on Madison there was a tractor trailer blocking the intersection at Belvedere. In my head I'm saying, "Ha. Suckers hafta wait. I can just go around!"

You know how cars often drip oil and other fluids and it all kind of accumulates at a traffic light? Yeah. So I maneuver past the cars and am making my way around the trailer, cutting back onto Madison and the bike slips out from under me. I stood up and checked my wheels and gears, everything spun. I should have taken the time to realign my left shifter but I rode off. Pulled up to Kwik Chek, aligned my shifter there, grabbed some food and rode the few blocks home with no problems.

After lunch I make my way back downtown, do my thing, and coming back I heard a little pop as I pulled up on the shifter for leverage. Crap. I played with it a little and felt it move and heard it creak. I made it home, unwrapped the left side and didn't see a crack. I took it off the stand and applied pressure the same way I did on the ride. After I removed the electrical tape and shifter completely it was obvious:


It's up and to the right of the cat toy. Thankfully I have some FSA aluminum bars hanging out at home but I don't know how to wrap them. Let me rephrase that: I'm not sure with which tape I should wrap them. Help me decide:


SRAM Supercork White or Cinelli Jelly Ribbon (kinda clear). White hoods or black hoods? IsoGel or no IsoGel? If I go Cinelli Jelly what should I put underneath (stickers, pictures, words, nothing)? Leave it in the comments!