On 11/20/2013 09:04 AM, Tony DeFilippo wrote:
I'll start, not that it's much of a secret but I've come to really like
starting my handlebar wrap with a layer of recycled inner tube... Cheap and
available, more cush than cork under cotton. You can also run with it without
cotton on top as you are trying out different brake/shifter configurations or
bar height. It's really easy to work with and you can even cut it in half
canoe style to reduce the'thickness' in some areas or add thickness in other
places.
My favorite base handlebar wrap layer is friction tape . Quoting the
Wikipedia:
*Friction tape* is a type of adhesive tape
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adhesive_tape> made from cloth
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cloth> impregnated with a rubber-based
adhesive <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adhesive>, and sometimes an
abrasive substance, mainly used to increase grip or friction.
Because the adhesive is impregnated in the cloth, friction tape is
sticky on both sides. The rubber based adhesive makes it an
electrical insulator
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrical_insulation> and provides a
degree of protection from liquids and corrosion
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corrosion>. In the past, friction tape
was widely used by
electricians,^<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friction_tape#cite_note-1>
but PVC <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PVC> electrical tape
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrical_tape> has replaced it in
most applications today. The frictional properties of the tape come
from the cloth material which is often made from cotton
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cotton>. One common use is to wrap it
around the blade of a hockey stick
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hockey_stick> to improve puck
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hockey_puck> control. Another use is
to wrap it around the handle of a softball or baseball bat to give
oneself a better grip. It's also useful as a base when wrapping a
bicycle handlebar <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bicycle_handlebar>
with handlebar tape." -- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friction_tape
I thought a definition might be required because so few these days seem
to know what the stuff is. It's a challenge finding it in hardware
stores -- they look at you blankly when you ask for it in most places.
Wikipedia doesn't mention it, but friction tape has a distinctive,
unmistakable odor that, for those of us who grew up with the stuff,
instantly brings back memories of childhood. We used to not only wrap
bat handles (in my case, oftgen recycled broom sticks made into
stickball bats) but also baseballs, once the leather covering had ripped
off.
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