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Equipment:
Round up the following:
Roll the brake hoods away from the bar or, if they’re worn out and you have replacements, cut them off.
Carefully
pry internal handlebar end caps free with a small screwdriver.
(First loosen
the center screws on internal-expanding types.) Remove the
finishing tape
and old wrap. You needn’t remove external end caps or bar-end
shift
levers. If the wrap is not supplied in halves, unroll and cut it
in 2 equal
pieces. Remove a 3-inch length from each. (Sometimes these short
pieces
are provided in the package.) Place new rubber hoods in hot water
to soften
them.
If you have aero levers or bar-end shifters,
double-check
the cable routing. For aero levers, the housing should travel in a
smooth,
gradual bend in front of the
upper portion of the bar.
This way it’s out of sight and fits easily in your grip when
holding
the bar tops. Route Ergopower shift cables similarly either behind
or in
front of the bars. Bar-end shifter cables should travel underneath
the bottom
portions of the bars and partway up the front side of the bends
before exiting
and curving to the downtube cable guide. Secure the cables with
transparent
tape if necessary.
External end caps: if they were removed, install
the caps
and secure them with transparent tape.
Affix another piece of tape to the end of non-adhesive wrap and
tape it
to the end
cap.
. Wind either type of wrap
around
the bottom of the bar, stretching it tight as you go. Overlap each
turn
about 1/4 inch.
Internal
end plugs: Tape the end of non-adhesive wrap to the bar
end.
Position either type of wrap so that most of its width is
hanging over
the edge. Wind it around the bottom of the bar, stretching it
tight as
you go. Overlap each turn 1/4 inch. Tuck the overlapping portion
into
the bar end and push the plug in
with
your palm
or a small mallet. Tighten internal-expanding types with a
screwdriver.
Attach the 3-inch pieces of wrap behind the
bars so they
cover the brake lever mounting bands. (Use transparent tape if
necessary
to secure the pieces.) Continue wrapping the bar, stretching it
tight
as you go. At the lever, wrap in a figure-8 pattern by going
over the
top of the lever, behind the bar, under the lever, behind the
bar, over
the lever, behind the bar, and under one final time.
This will hide the clamp and surround the lever. The trick to
preventing
wrinkles is keeping the tape taught as you wind (the slack shown
in the
photo is just so you can see the way it’s wrapped).
If you
have exposed cables (non-aero levers) you must detach the cables
from the
brake levers before installing new hoods.