Won't shift on first try

[HillSlugger]

For the rear cable, it doesn't run under the tape with my shifters, so there was no problem there. I didn't change the housing this time anyway. It's in good shape. The cable was shredding up inside the shifter and not at a ferrule or something. I'll save that for when I do a complete cable replacement.

In general, it depends on the tape you have (and how gross it is). My tape has a gel backing that helps it stick to itself enough to wrap easily, but it's not adhesive. Adhesive-backed tapes are easy to rip when you take it off and harder to rewrap even if they don't rip. Then there's the dirt factor.

I ask because I realize now that I should have replaced the cables on my used tri bike when I bought it but since I just replaced the bar tape I'm reluctant to want to do anything.