Lots of choice – any recommendations?

Cheers.

bars – not too fussy – but nothing fancy as it’s gonna get crashed! (I assume you’ll be riding singletrack with it?)

tape – I tend tend the easton tape is great and well padded – I always put the extra 10cm strips up under the hoods for extra padding and double wrap/overlap the section just back from the hoods – I can happily do 4-5 hours without any discomfort in the hands/wrists with this setup – the legs not so much!

The Lizard Skins DSP bar tape is meant to be good, nice and grippy even when it’s wet. I’m just waiting to get a set of bars that I like before I spend £25 on some bar tape that I might have to remove!

Are you looking for anything specific with the bars?
I’ve been trying to get some shallow drop bars but not found any for a decent price yet.

Got some alu bars off my old Kona Jake here if you’re after something economical.

Compact drops are nice for offroad anyway, IMO.

I’m after Compact Drop bars I think…local bike shop has some good looking Deda ones for bout £30…my ride currently has stock Easton EA50 bars on…

I like the Deda stuff. I use Fizik bar tape ( in white!) Good stuff and easy to keep clean

I’m after Compact Drop bars I think…local bike shop has some good looking Deda ones for bout £30…my ride currently has stock Easton EA50 bars on…

The FSA Omega compact drops seem to be pretty popular and according to the reviews, pretty comfortable.
They’re about £30 a set.

salsa cowbell bars are great shallow drop and slight flare really comfy

Deda carbon effect tape – it’s padded enough and more importantly for a CX bike, it cleans up well (even the white tape) when washed.

Bars – any aluminium road bars will be fine. Even the pros tend to steer clear of carbon because you’re so likely to get knocks, large and small, on a CX bike. Pick whatever shape feels comfy for you from the huge number of choices on offer. I like ITM Ergosum – shallow drop so you can get in the drops easily and with a nice smooth bend on the lower section. Tape? I’d say something that washes clean easily! Fizik glossy tape is grippy enough and stayed shiny for the whole season, but you might prefer something with more padding like Cinelli cork or similar.

+1 Salsa Cowbells…

Salsa cowbell s from Charlie TBM

Salsa Cowbells & Lizardskins DSP.

Comfy as…