Schwalbe Marathon Plus tires can be hard to mount on a rim. They’re big, thick, heavy tires. The folks at Spa Cycles, in the U.K., have published a video that shows a good way to get a Marathon Plus, or any difficult tire. onto a rim.

Some of you have seen this bar tape on the Fizik Europe website. Since three of the colors are “black,” “honey,” and “antique brown” we have assumed they were produced with Brooks saddles in mind. (Fizik and Brooks are siblings in the Selle Royal family)

Turns out they are made for Brooks if you are somewhere besides the U.S.  The tape doesn’t meet the California lead standards!

Lead in bar tape? Who knew?

So, I guess if you want the dangerous, but nicely color-coordinated, bar tape you will need to do your shopping on the other side of the Atlantic.

Tags: bartape banned