How To Clean Bar Tape - Get Your Bars Looking Like New Again!

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How do you keep white bar tape white?! We test three methods.
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White bar tape looks great, for a while, but it quickly starts to show up dirt and grease.
So, what is the best way to go about cleaning it? Dan tests out three ways - soap and water, whitening toothpaste and a dedicated bike specific cleaner.
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Опубликовано:

15 сен 2024

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Комментарии : 387

@jgagnier 8 лет назад

I just spent 5min of my life watching Dan Lloyd washing his bar tape. I think I've gone off the cycling deep end, and I love it.

@williamkeys5701 8 лет назад

My wife just accused me of watching porn due to the music you chose for this video. Thanks GCN!

@Psyk078 8 лет назад

It could be considered bike porn...would have been a big turn off for her anyway.

@richardnick2216 8 лет назад

I certainly know I was. Are you sure we were watching the same GCN video?

@prdcs 8 лет назад

That must be some sort of achievement! :D

@KevIn-tu4fv 8 лет назад

oh yeah rub it off baby !

@EddieMunstar87 8 лет назад

Just add Vaseline

@DrMcAwesome 8 лет назад

"I'll have to admit, I have never tried before, toothpaste and a toothbrush." ~Daniel Lloyd 2:08

@gcn 8 лет назад

+Dr. McAwesome that explains his breath.

@DamnTrue 8 лет назад

Better than all the listed methods - Mr. Clean Magic Eraser pads. They're meant for cleaning marks off of painted walls and such, but they're the business for cleaning white bar tape. Don't know if they're available in Europe under the same name but I'm sure there is a similar product even if by another name.

@DerFilmgucker 4 года назад

@@DamnTrue I have to try them. We have a whole Costco-sized pack of those lying around. Thanks for the tip. -white bar tape user in SoCal!

@valemodsVD 5 лет назад

I’ve had the same bar tape for years and I cleaned it with just a good household degreaser and toothbrush, it takes only a few minutes and the tape looks brand new...way better than anything tried in this video.

@brianduffany7669 8 лет назад

Lemon Pledge and a microfiber towel! Its also great for shining up carpet fiber.

@paulrichman 8 лет назад

I cleaned up every single parts of my bike after a ride so it always looks brand new to me. Thumbs up to Dan and this video.

@danahajjo396 Год назад

Respect bro😅

@EscapeWavefold 8 лет назад

So happy you uploaded this! I fell off my Defy 4 for the first time yesterday after forgetting to unclip and i ended up getting my white bar tape covered in dirt while picking it up. Hopefully, I'll get the automatic mindset of unclipping soon...!

@experiment54 8 лет назад

happens to all of us. I made a video about mine.

@experiment54 8 лет назад

***** its a good bike. I have a defy

@ethansloss6854 8 лет назад

My first road bike was an aluminium defy. Great bike, it served me well.

@steveemery9740 8 лет назад

I had similar once, although it wasn't that I forgot to unclip... The clip on the shoe had come loose and i couldn't twist out. I check the Allan screws regularly now!

@Liofa73 8 лет назад

This my solution: Make up a paste using a small amount of water and a about a cup of powdered laundry detergent. Rub it onto the bar tape with a sponge and work it in. After you've finished cleaning all of the tape, rinse with clean water. Works better than any of your methods shown here. It doesn't matter if the paste is a little gritty and all of the detergent doesn't dissolve. I've had the same white tape on for 4 years using this method. #gcnhack

@shadow110 8 лет назад

You can use that on anything that is white. On your white wall tires on your exotic car, your shoes. Etc

@alheeley 8 лет назад

tried loads of methods of keeping white bar tape clean and this is by far the best (if you really like white bar tape which I do). tried baby wipes and WD40 and GT silicone spray, but conc washing powder slurry is the most powerful degreaser and a bit abrasive when its not fully dissolved. Just wear gloves as its quite caustic to skin, and you';ll end up with lots of white splatters on your frame which need rinsing off afterwards.

@miguel_montenegro 8 лет назад

4 years!? Wow! That's what I call persistence. I've turned to black after one entire year, and never look back.

@pr0faker 8 лет назад

The whole point is degreasing since its mostly skin grease and muck combinded to the dark residue so detergents make sense. for the splaters: hang the bike up upside down, and you wont have the whole frame covered in detergent.

@mattburkey8393 8 лет назад

I hope you bought Lasty a new toothbrush after this video.

@Fidasaind 8 лет назад

He washed it off with hot soap and water afterwards.

@nathanedensor3543 8 лет назад

+Fidasaind then dried it with the hand on his bollocks

@lightphoenix1522 8 лет назад

Simon would probably USD WD-40 which I find the best working product to clean your bar tape

@bikeanddogtripsvirtualcycling 8 лет назад

Every year I change my bar tape and all cables - to colour coordinate. I changed to blue a few days ago, last year was black and the year before was red. Gives my bike a new lease of life and makes it look new

@jeffdavis5841 8 лет назад

I've found Park chain cleaning fluid to be the trick. Use a lint free cloth...dab some fluid on and clean. No need for a toothbrush. When done use a spray bottle of water and rinse and dry with clean rag. Takes about 5 to 10 minutes. Another hint is to use light colored palm gloves. Often the black from the glove transfers to the tape.

@shadzer12 8 лет назад

I find using baby wipes works well

@lethalbeatz995 3 месяца назад

I just use a laundry gain pod and warm water. took a close to no scrubbing. Looks and smells great. Win-win

@seyed7705 4 года назад

I used a damp Mr. Clean magic eraser. Worked great.

@DookSweats Год назад

I had incredible results using a combo of Mr Meyers biodegradable dish soap, and biodegradable degreaser I got at Harbor Freight (comes in a gallon and is bright/green yellow). I also used a Mr Clean magic eraser for a sponge.

@sophiescyclingandwalkingch4294 2 года назад

Done Lloyd, thanks for the tips. I think I need to get mint green toothpaste for my Celeste bar tape.

@asifditta8745 3 года назад

Hi great video clean it with vanish white washing powder works awesome

@dcliftonsimms 8 лет назад

Furniture polish - Mr Sheen in Australia. Works. Every. Time.

@sacreasey 8 лет назад

Vanish Oxy Action gets them whiter than white! And it smells nice!

@ytyehyeh 8 лет назад

Wipe with a rag with a bit of full strength degreaser, then rinse with water. It has worked for me in the past to make white bar tape look like new. I suppose if it is not natural cork though, the degreaser might dissolve the tape, so try it at your own risk.

@richardlindsley8210 6 лет назад

Just did mine with baby wipes. 5 mins looks great!

@focicos 8 лет назад

I use white bar tape and always clean it with "Cif" (Unilever) It is absolutely brilliant. Only a couple of minutes with a sponge a then fresh water and it looks like new!

@experiment54 8 лет назад

One does not clean white bar tape in the same way one does not clean a white belt in martial arts, black bar tape like a black belt is earned through blood sweat and tears. Embrace the dirt, embrace the yuk

@brianmerryman6743 8 лет назад

Here in the US we use white wall tire cleaner and a brush. Then rinse.. You can find it at your auto parts store. B Merryman

@Patrick94GSR 8 лет назад

Step 1: don't use white bar tape. Step 2: don't worry about trying to "refresh" it.

@junyr73 8 лет назад

@Lone_wolf_31 3 года назад

Nothing enhances the look of your bike when you use a white bar tape. And it looks even better when it gets dirty, gives it a rusty look 😉

@bryanordonez5748 8 лет назад

I find using shoe cleaners like the clyde product. It specializes on white rubber soles like bartape material :)

@joeweiner7570 8 лет назад

Soft scrub. Works like a charm.

@mikejames172 8 лет назад

Try Johnson lemon pledge - I find it works !

@methan1 8 лет назад

a brush+ wather with washing powder= success. For white bar tape I use washing powder for white clothes. It gives a extra white effect.

@marxnex71 8 лет назад

The best thing I've used is one of those Flash Magic Erasers. Brought mine back to almost new. Can leave a bit of a chalky residue though if you don't wash it off completely. But generally does a great job.

@steveemery9740 8 лет назад

I think you summed it up at the end... wash regularly. Mine gets done after every ride, regardless of whether the whole bike gets a wash (which it normally does). I usually dampen the bars, then dip a nail brush in some washing up powder and scrub with that, then rinse off. Indecently, a nail brush top and bottom of the chain dipped in degreaser works as well as one of those chain baths too.

@stevebaxter8154 8 лет назад

Try Vanish Gold and Baby wipes - works a treat!!

@leonsergent253 7 лет назад

I've had good success with foamy furniture polish (Lemon Pledge) that you leave on for 5 minutes and wipe off with a terry cloth rag/towel.

@repairdrive 8 лет назад

Windex and a washcloth. works like a charm for me.

@FrancoisKleynhans 8 лет назад

I own a white MTB and Handy-Andy (amonia base cleaner) works the best. Put it on, let it rest while you clean your drive train and then wash and rinse.

@johnathanhunsley 8 лет назад

i use "astionish" a paste kitchen cleaner... tape comes up a treat...also great when cleaning the brake pad muck off the rims...

@cameronoliver9521 8 лет назад

I work in a bike shop and we've found the best way to clean tape is to use a degreaser such as TF-2 and then wipe off with a sponge and water.

@rejean1337 8 лет назад

Brake cleaner and a microfiber towel works pretty good too.

@lenf3641 5 лет назад

tilex cleaner on soft tape and Simple Green on other tapes. Works like a charm for me.

@UrbanTangoNights 8 лет назад

Vanish Stain stick works very well

@stephenconnor1274 8 лет назад

Another great tip for white bar tape is use Fizik Microtex white tape. I've used plenty of brands of white tape and all but Fizik Microtex (may be called Fizik superlight now) end up looking fairly second hand unless you clean them constantly. Fizik Microtex (superlight) normally lasts 1 - 1.5yrs before it needs chainging.

@thenorcorider88 8 лет назад

Try warm water and bleach cleaner (bathroom cleaner product) and apply with soft brush, wrap with cloth soaked in bleach cleaner around the bars tape for an hour or so, works a treat.

@jasea2118 8 лет назад

Baby wipes are great for cleaning these bits up - they are also good for getting grease and oil off your hands and out from under your finger nails.

@stuff4meutube 3 года назад

I just cleaned my orange lizardskin bar tape is isopropyl alcohol. It worked very well and not so much fuss with the cleaners in this video.

@samnanopoulos7477 8 лет назад

This weeks GCN show will be on my birthday

@deanevans4906 8 лет назад

Secret is baby wipes. They clean anything on your bike, white bar tape included! I use them for any oil or grease on the frame and wheels plus even de-greassing the chain if it's not too clogged up.

@danger.m 8 лет назад

Windex window cleaner and a scrubbing brush brings them back to new. Try it Dan!

@ScottyCycles 8 лет назад

I use either rubbing alcohol and a clean skotchbrite sponge (scrubbing side) or WD-40 Bike Spray Wash and the skotchbrite sponge. Keeps my white tape looking new.

@johnbouttell5827 8 лет назад

Very informative. Well done.

@mcleroult 8 лет назад

Dishwasher soap DAWN blue, for white tape, magic !

@joeirving5567 8 лет назад

The best solution I have found is using car upholstery cleaner. That stuff works wonders on white bar tape

@jackallison3971 8 лет назад

guys you should do a building tour it would be epic!

@Cortexan 8 лет назад

Use Gojo-type hand cleaners made to remove automotive grease from your hands. Toothpaste and soap are surfactants and very good at removing built up dirt and even grease from smooth hard surfaces (like your teeth, or your cassette), but wont have the same effect on a porous surface like bar tape / your skin. Muc-off has a degreaser component added to it which will work better than plain soap, but doesn't contain any sort of abrasive and is generally not very viscous, so it may have a hard time "gripping" into a porous surface. The optimal option is something pasty (viscous) and lightly abrasive like toothpaste, with an added degreaser like in muc-off. Gojo and products like it are exactly that. Theyre usually easy to find at the local hardware or automotive store, but if you want a home remedy, try vaseline (which is itself a grease, but will dilute and absorb the dirty black grease and thus remove it).

@guidoverona6721 8 лет назад

Simple Green.

@Velogi 8 лет назад

I have better idea - just keep disposable latex gloves in the saddle bag. In case of puncture just wear those and you'll not stain the bar tapes in the first place.

@fedos 8 лет назад

It gets dirty from the oils on your skin, not because you've handled a tire.

@nathanedensor3543 8 лет назад

+fedos but it can do and will do if you have to right a chain-off, idk about tires

@fedos 8 лет назад

+Nathan Edensor I wasn't saying that handling tires or the chain won't make your bar tape dirty. My point was that it's going to get dirty regardless of whether you handle dirty parts of the bike. The oils from your hands get on the tape and then hold onto various dirt particles. Wearing gloves when fixing a puncture or slipping your chain back on will prevent the tape from becoming dirty right away, but after hours of riding you still need to clean it.

@NHGJLK 8 лет назад

Entäs fairy + karhunkieli?

@ScottyCycles 8 лет назад

I do that!

@OliverPickard 8 лет назад

kitchen wet wipes or a good de greaser like kh7 motor and one of those white magic sponges tend to do the trick for me im a little ocd about these things

@echtogammut 8 лет назад

A pro mechanic told me he uses Pledge. It works like a charm, a spritz of Pledge and a micro-towel kept everyone asking how my tape always seemed clean. That and Fizik tape or cork... Lizard skins never gets fully clean.

@johnnyjack1552 7 лет назад

Lysol All Purpose Cleaner (Yellow Spray Bottle) Use A brush Work Great

@sovalente 3 года назад

Cif cream with baby wipes after, to clean it up, does the trick quite well.

@shuycg 8 лет назад

It depends on the type of tape you have. I had the original white cork bar tape on my Pinarello for about 25000 km. Kept it clean using dish washing detergent (good results but difficult to rinse) of baby wipes, the non oily kind. The rubbery kind you have on that trek is more difficult to clean. So if you go white bar tape, use the cork ones.

@2Truth2you 11 месяцев назад

Use pure dish washer, foam scourer and toothbrush with very hot water. Wash off and dry then use Cif/Vim and repeat the process.

@superdaveinca9254 8 лет назад

Did you guys ever try a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser? I used to have a bike with white bar tape and I was able to make the tape look brand new using it with some soap and water. Also works great on tennis shoes.

@WhiteMFingRabbit 8 лет назад

Morgan Blue Polish spray! :) even on cheap cork tapes

@scatt1502 8 лет назад

Use automotive white wall tire cleaner and a toothbrush. Quick and simple! Just have to rinse off quickly or may leave residue on black parts.

@bertalangyorgyszigeti7021 4 года назад

Brake cleaner is the way to go, friends. Just make sure not to spray it directly onto the tape but use a microfiber towel instead. Spray it onto the microtowel rag and grab the bar with it and do like Daniel does with the sponge. Also important to wipe it off with an other rag afterwards, either a fully dry and clean microfiber or one with soapy water. I once grabbed my bar while regreasing the bottom bracket with graphite lithium grease, cause the frame started to fall of my table and this method cleaned it perfectly! Good luck!

@brianmerryman6743 7 лет назад

Dan, I got one for you. Use white wall tire cleaner and it makes them new again. Just rinse when you are finished. Give it a try mate!

@spanish111japan 8 лет назад

My personal advice. For leather-ish white tape, use scotch brite with soapy water. Does miracles.

@seanmcdaniel2510 8 лет назад

Try some Simple Green, a small brush, and where it is really nasty use your finger nails and drag them along these areas to pull out the dirt. Most bar tapes are porous and just a sponge or brush will not get the dirt out. Two years on my white bar tape and they still look fresh.

@jarnedeprins3617 8 лет назад

if your bar tape is really dirty and it is white, you should use Chemico(I don't know if you can buy it in England, or that the name is the same in England as it is in Belgium) but Chemico will do the job perfectly

@UKBROOKLYN 8 лет назад

N0 no no no no.. Ajax yes yes yes... Make a heavy mix of Ajax and water.. apply to the white tape and sort of scrub it in.. (make sure the mix is wet enough) Wait 5 minutes.. use plenty of water to wash of drying paste.. repeat if still dirty. Have been using this method for years and my tape always looks new. Yer welcome lads and ladies...

@DraHciR11x 8 лет назад

I use a toothbrush and detergent with water - this works really well and is really fast

@deanoturn1985 8 лет назад

Baby wipes Dan. Give it a go, it works on my white shoes too

@diegotoledo6798 6 лет назад

Power washing (on med/low, wide wash*Putting it on high pressure/jet stream would wreck it) works for foam bar tapes. Not sure about leatherette or rubber ones, never tried it on those.

@MattDion 8 лет назад

Citrus based degreaser. Use a few squirts of gojo pumice hand degreaser paste and you'll be good to go.

@witte2702 8 лет назад

That sure is some sexy music, an appropriate soundtrack while we watch Dan having a good rub!

@djpalmer31 8 лет назад

+1nobodiesbusiness I was think the same thing. sounded like dodgy 80's porn music!

@walterscott2709 8 лет назад

I used a pedro's frame cleaner and it melted my Ettix Quick step gloves. next time I'll try Muck Off specific or just buy new bar tape. i had red bar tape and the pedro's made it pink.

@base1y 8 лет назад

Use the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser. This works best.

@teunluijbregts 7 лет назад

some simple carpet cleaner followed by rinsing with water works a lot better ;-)

@cup_and_cone 8 лет назад

You should be trying to lift grime out, not wipe it in (what a sponge does). Bar tape is an extremely porous surface, not smooth like a bike frame. The secret is a nail brush and strong AP cleaner that foams (i.e. - Mean Green). You need to scrub with the nail brush vigorously, in a very short high-speed motion, which creates a foaming action and agitates the grime. I switched to white bar tape exclusively the last few years out of preference, and it's work a treat washing every two to three weeks. I also ride without gloves, which helps a lot.

@bikeanddogtripsvirtualcycling 8 лет назад

It looks as though Dan has been in front of the camera for one too many GCN pro bike reviews. Have you seen the holes in the knees of his jeans? I'm just glad he doesn't sit down much ;)

@DJMIKEY469 8 лет назад

I use a product made by Natural Chemistry called Clean & Perfect, my tape is over a year old and still looks brand new. It's safe and easy.

@domenicoflorianrescigno4377 8 лет назад

You should try Cif Cream it works much better than any product you used in the video! Cheers :)

@scbarnett3703 5 лет назад

clingfilm overthe new white b' tape keeps them looking as new and helps grip in wet weather.. bring your bike to theairport they have a contrapion to rap your bike in secs

@iamspecialised 8 лет назад

Good job Dan.

@kona6812 8 лет назад

Easy solution. I use a tennis overgrip tape (0,5mm thickness, less than €10,- for 4 tapes). Change it all two month. Best tape riding w/o gloves.

@DamianNAudio 8 лет назад

I use hand cleaning paste. 100% effective, easy to use and smelling :}

@buckswolf3112 8 лет назад

Best thing to use is magic eraser - amazingly good at wiping all the dirt off and just takes seconds - also great at getting grease marks off matt-finish frames (the only thing I've found that can do that!)

@punkrockbarbie9687 2 года назад

I wore the surface of my tape off using magic eraser, so it looks worse now. Proceed carefully if you try this.

@mynaamiskaas 8 лет назад

I found that white leather cleaner worked fantastic...Bar tape type depending of course. A little bit expensive, but effective. Otherwise, keeping your gloves clean could prolong the proper grime

@CorvusCoroneCanisLupusSawel 8 лет назад

Car wash liquid or washing up liquid, lemon is best and a nail brush or scrubbing brush will get bar tape as good as new.

@AllanPhillips 8 лет назад

Cif household cleaner works well

@myvloggingaddictionhannahp5806 8 лет назад

A solution of vinegar and bicarbonate of soda would would but make sure you rinse of very very well

@willbert7715 8 лет назад

white saddle or bar tape is also good to be cleaned with scrubbing milk

@andrasvarga5568 8 лет назад

Before watching the video, i knew it will be the muc-off stuff. How? Spnsors of GCN. I'd try microfiber clothes with soapy, warm water, or the "bike specific cleaner", they can do an amazing job picking up these nasty dirt! If still no real results, go to carburetor cleaner spray, risking the material of the tape itself! Metal clean surface ROCKS anyway! :D

@simple_simon 8 лет назад

bit of furniture polish on a rag. works wonders on white tape

@jamesdickson8015 8 лет назад

Guys WD40 works quite well too get off the grease etc.

@danielgrunnetsrensen3684 8 лет назад

Try using a sneakers cleaning solution, like Jason Markk, and wipe it of with baby wipes.

@erikglou1317 8 лет назад

Pro mech tip: Gojo Scrubbing towels will remove the nastiest of stains on your tape and no mess. Even the cervelo owns don't know when I get grease on their bars on the test ride.