Timeline for Why do new road bikes come with handlebar tape attached?
Current License: CC BY-SA 3.0
21 events
| when toggle format | what | by | license | comment | |
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| Nov 22, 2016 at 20:19 | vote | accept | gschenk | ||
| Nov 21, 2016 at 22:50 | comment | added | Daniel R Hicks | I have never seen a bike (of the sort where one would use tape) on the showroom floor without tape. And if "fitting" the bike is involved enough to involve swapping out the handlebar or levers then removing the tape is a minor issue. The only time where the tape would be a significant issue, relative to the entire job, would be if "fitting" involved only repositioning the levers on the bar. (Although I personally use hockey tape -- I find that regular handlebar tape shifts too easily.) | |
| Nov 21, 2016 at 22:22 | comment | added | andy256 | @mattnz [W]ell beyond the profit margins of even the most expensive bike - no, if I sell a bike for $10k, I'm happy to spend a whole day making sure the client is happy. Adding the idea that it's a potential up sell with big margins, why would a businessman give it away - it all depends on the focus of the shop. If the focus is service then it's usually provided to attract and retain customers. Almost everyone appreciates good service, and the more people are paying the more service they expect. | |
| Nov 21, 2016 at 17:51 | answer | added | gschenk | timeline score: 6 | |
| Nov 21, 2016 at 4:00 | comment | added | mattnz | Do you over estimate the importance of bar tuning for an average buyer? A basic bike fitting service (seat setback and height) with a new bike is expected, but the cost of a fitting involving bar width and shape and tweaking brifters etc is well beyond the profit margins of even the most expensive bike and patience of 80% of buyers, most of who won't notice the difference between a stock and fully fitted bike. Adding the idea that it's a potential up sell with big margins, why would a businessman give it away. One fitting probably makes as much profit as the the last 10 bikes sold. | |
| Nov 20, 2016 at 21:49 | history | tweeted | twitter.com/StackBicycles/status/800456074646016000 | ||
| Nov 20, 2016 at 20:58 | comment | added | gschenk | @Batman you might have misunderstood me. There is nothing to bother about the tape per se. It is replacing the handlebar I mean. If the width is not correct it seems not possible to get a good position on the bike. The ability of the rider to flex at the lower back seems to have a strong influence on the shape of the bars, eg. shallow drop, longer or shorter reach, and so on. It seems thus crucial in fitting a bike to get properly sized bars and test out different types. This does not mean, that it is done indeed. If it isn't it would be worth to mention. | |
| Nov 20, 2016 at 20:51 | comment | added | Batman | Adjusting a saddle or swapping spacers around on the stem is a quick job to account for those sort of things (or even sticking an adjustable stem on there temporarily). The bar wrapping is not that much of an effect. | |
| Nov 20, 2016 at 20:21 | comment | added | gschenk | @Batman "especially when the default will work for testing for pretty much everyone" that is an interesting point that hasn't been brought up yet. I find it quite surprising. Is that indeed so? Looking at the variance of stature of different people with the same leg length this is somewhat surprising. Or at least not self evident. | |
| Nov 20, 2016 at 20:16 | comment | added | Batman | Testing without tape is uncomfortable, and most bikes have a set of platform pedals on them for testing in shops. Swapping a set of pedals is a minute of work. Swapping tape after adjusting is much more, especially when the default will work for testing for pretty much everyone (and if they really want, they can swap it). Most people need to mostly re-angle the bars and raise/lower them for tests, not so much move the levers. | |
| Nov 20, 2016 at 20:13 | comment | added | gschenk | @Batman wouldn't that apply as well to pedals? I assume that one could either put tape on after choosing the bars and then do a test ride, or simply test it without tape? | |
| Nov 20, 2016 at 20:13 | comment | added | gschenk | @rclocher3 " Whenever I've changed handlebar tape, there has been no glue; [...]" That is interesting. I've not changed tape in quite a while. I remembered that the sticky residue was really tough to remove. If it comes off clean now, that changes everything with regard to my question. In particular in the light of mattnz point. | |
| Nov 20, 2016 at 19:04 | comment | added | mattnz | Cost to manufacturer of adding tape is very small - maybe 1/10 or a shop doing it. Cheaper to rip it off for the one in 20 riders who wants a custom bar/lever position/tape selection. Most of these 1/20 will do it themselves anyway, leaving the shop to do maybe 1/100 sales. (I made up numbers to make the point) | |
| Nov 20, 2016 at 19:02 | comment | added | DWGKNZ | I think this stands true for many bikes, they come with a default setup that will only suit some riders. Due to this on many high end bikes bars, stems and saddles are not at the same spec level at the rest of the bike as a lot of riders will customise. They don't do it for pedals however, they just don't give you any! Personally, on MTBs I have a seat and grip that I will only use. I'll also like a shorter stem and wider carbon bar on my XC bike so I'll likely have to change that too. A lot of stuff comes off a new bike and gets recycled onto something else and I get the bike I want. | |
| Nov 20, 2016 at 18:59 | comment | added | Batman | How do you expect people to take a test ride? | |
| Nov 20, 2016 at 18:56 | comment | added | Criggie♦ | Also, a bike looks damn strange with bare bars. Lack of pedals can be explained away by "everyone prefers their clipless style" and they stack better without pedals, and are less likely to bash the next bike over. But no bartape would make them look unfinished, and less appealing to the buyer. | |
| Nov 20, 2016 at 18:33 | comment | added | rclocher3 | I get the impression that the great majority of road bike buyers are happy with the stock handlebars and the position of the brake levers (or brifters). Whenever I've changed handlebar tape, there has been no glue; the last handlebar tape I installed came with something like double-sided cellophane tape that wasn't very sticky. The cellophane tape is probably there as a convenience; I think the handlebar tape would stay in place fairly well without it. | |
| Nov 20, 2016 at 18:33 | answer | added | Jeff in Palm Beach | timeline score: -2 | |
| Nov 20, 2016 at 17:53 | history | edited | gschenk |
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| Nov 20, 2016 at 17:52 | review | First posts | |||
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| Nov 20, 2016 at 17:48 | history | asked | gschenk | CC BY-SA 3.0 |