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We’ve all said one day change one’s guidoline before a ride or while preparing one’s bike. Except that… Guidoline is not a generic term. It is actually a trademark registered by the French company Velox since 1975. In other words, to speak of guidoline to refer to any handlebar tape is like saying Frigidaire for a refrigerator, or Kleenex for a tissue. It passes in everyday language, but legally, it refers to only one product: Velox handlebar tape.
By Jeff Tatard – Photo: ©3bikes.fr
Handlebar Tape: The Correct Term
To be precise, one should therefore use the expression handlebar tape (or bar tape). It is the neutral term that encompasses all brands and all models, whether they are made of cork, foam, fabric, or modern composites.
Because today, the offer is plentiful: ultrathin tapes for performance, thicker and more cushioning models for comfort, or even textured tapes that provide better grip in wet weather.
A Short History of Cycling Language
If Guidoline has remained in our minds, it’s because Velox long dominated the market, and their tapes equipped countless bikes. Usage has surpassed the brand, to the point of becoming a common word in cyclists’ vocabulary. But as often, antonomasia (when a brand becomes a common noun) eventually sows doubt.
So, What Do We Say?
No language police, of course: if you talk about guidoline in a cycling café, everyone will understand. But if you write, if you advise a client, or if you exchange in a slightly more precise context, it is better to use handlebar tape. It’s more accurate, and it avoids using a registered trademark as a generic term.
In short: you don’t change your guidoline, you change your handlebar tape. But in the hearts of cyclists, this little word will surely continue to stick to the handlebars for a long time to come…
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