I'm Dreaming of a White Bar Tape

Warning: this blog entry will repeatedly endorse white bar tape.

White bar tapes look best, period. It is very rare to see riders win races with bar tape colors other than white. Even when that is the case, the first bike with white bar tape across the line still wins.

Pozzato won the 2006 Milan-San Remo, or did he?

In this picture, it is clear that Filippo Pozzato (Quick Step) does a classic victory salute, and Tom Boonen (Quick Step) throws his arms in the air to celebrate his teammate's win, but what was Alessandro Petacchi (Milram) doing? This photo proves that he was the first rider with white bar tape to cross the finish line, so Ale-Jet was the actual winner that day, which is why he was initiating his own victory salute. Now that the real reason is out there, Boonen just looks silly.

Some riders refuse to use white bar tape because it gets dirty too quickly, but that is the same as saying "I don't want to be stylish because I'm not cool". It is totally worth spending the time to clean your bar tape and replace it when necessary. In cyclocross, riders and their bikes get dirty all the time, but that doesn't stop top riders like 'cross world champion, Zdenek Stybar from rocking white bar tape.

Stybar and white bar tape covered in mud, awesome. 

White bar tape works best when matched with a white saddle. Mismatching white bar tape with a black saddle is okay, but not as stylish as the white/white combination. A hot girl in a mismatching bikini wouldn't look as good on the beach... wait I take it back, that's a different story.

Put Your Stunna Shades On

In modern cycling, sunglasses provide more than just protection for the eyes. They also add style, but only if the eyewear is stylish. Look at the professional peloton, you will immediately notice that most riders wear sunglasses with bright-colored frames, or team-colored frames, or just plain white frames.

Michael Matthews, winning in style.

Frames with bright colors stand out, such as neon green, yellow or hot pink. Frames with matching team colors are cool too, but white frames are the safest bet and will go with any kit. Any of those three choices are stylish. Try to avoid black-framed sunglasses or other boring colors like gray, brown, silver, etc. Those are colors you wear for suits in the office, except for silver.

Sorry Mr. Armstrong, try again.

If you have to have black-framed sunglasses, at least use colored lenses and a few color accents on the frame to show some contrast. Also notice the brands both riders are wearing are not exactly cheap, but other sunglasses that fit the aforementioned criteria could still be stylish, just not on the same level of style. Designer sunglasses are banned; those are reserved for soccer moms out for a jog.

Now go put your stunna shades on and ride your bike. Don't ghostride your whip though.