[Closed] ZOMG! Bar tape! Too much choice!

Cinelli cork tape!

The DSP stuff seems to be popular. Never used it though as I'm not a fan of 'squishy tape'. I use fizik tape usually or Stella Azzurra Eleganza

Ive been round the houses with bar tape and always come back to [url= http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/cinelli-gel-cork-bar-tape/rp-prod25854 ]Cinelli gel cork[/url]. Its comfy, wraps well, wears well, looks nice.

Other tape always seems to fall down on one of those, specialized tape especially seems to wear poorly.

Convert to Lizard Skins DSP here, really like it. Use the 2.5mm one but you can get thinner and fatter to suit. Only complaint is that I don't much like the look of the end caps.

I really like [url= https://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/BTPXNS/planet-x-non-slip-textured-bar-tape ]this stuff[/url] from PX, the textured version. Lots of grip and enough squish too.

I've always used Cinelli gel tape but recently bought a roll of Boardman tape from Halfords for 99p it's squishy and so far wearing well

Specialized Phat. (this thread isn't going to narrow your choices much!)

Specialized Roubaix BG, it's just the right amount of squishy without feeling overly bulky, very good at damping the buzz, it also soaks up sweat quite well without becoming slippery 🙂

I've got Salsa cork/gel tape (black) which is a bit nicer than the Spesh Bar Phat I had before, but the Phat gel pads are still doing good work underneath the Salsa tape.

Gel pads under Deda 'carbon effect' tape. The tape itself isn't particularly squishy (hence the gel pads for CX) but the finish means it wipes clean even when using the white version in lots of mud and it lasts ages.

Just fitted some Boardman bar tape from Halfords. Best tape I've used. Why?

a) it just has a tacky strip instead of adhesive, which means you can reposition it indefinitely but it still stays put

b) it comes with bar end plugs with allen key clamps so they shouldn't fall out

c) it's cheap

I dabbled in the Lizard Skins stuff for a while. But I'm back to Fizik. 3mm Performance on the daily bike, and superlight glossy on the [s]pimpmobile[/s] race bike 😉

Had 2.5mm Lizardskinz DSP on y road bike and promptly wore it out in under a year, gone for 3mm Fizik Competition soft touch now.

It looks nice, feels nicer, is easier to wrap and is much cheaper, plus it also matches my Arione saddle 8)

I really like Zipp Service Course CX Bar Tape, lovely stuff through the winter. If I were fitting new stuff now though it'd be Cinelli gel cork tape.

Another vote for Cinelli cork tape. First time fitting bar tape since I was about 10 and it was a piece of cake. Nice finish, fairly squishy and hasn't shifted in 6 months.

I used DSP for a while, it is brilliant, especially if you like t ride without gloves. But it also costs a fortune and didn't wear any better than cheap tape.

As for anything else, I've not noticed much more than you can tell at first glance. Foam tapes are good all round, fizik tapes look cool with the contrasting stitches, cinelli and Deda tapes are Italian and therefore roadie-cool, leather look tapes are nice on the right bikes. All much of a muchness in use though, sometimes I pick something nice, other times I fit £2.99 tape and replace it when I fancy a change of colour or it gets grubby. For comfort just add an extra strip where needed (along the tops of the bars and bends and in the drops).

and promptly wore it out in under a year

Is that not a reasonable amount of time? especially if it gets a lot of use, I normally need to change tape after about 6-8 months or so regardless of brand.

EDIT - just checked, current commuter is 11 months old and I was just thinking last week that it needs new tape as the current wrap is worn, torn, and baggy so maybe my estimates were a little out, but a year still seems reasonable.

Is that not a reasonable amount of time? especially if it gets a lot of use, I normally need to change tape after about 6-8 months or so regardless of brand.

Dunno if it's marketed as long lasting, but the fact it costs 10x more than cheap stuff probably gives an inference that it should be. So when mine started looking tatty after a summer (the edges seemed to lift and curl) I was a bit miffed.

A year is ok though I'll point out that the deda carbon tape lasts longer than that IME as it's less corky and doesn't rip so easily.

A year for me would be good but it depends on mileage. If it's a year and you've ridden 1000's miles it's not much use.

EDIT - just checked, current commuter is 11 months old and I was just thinking last week that it needs new tape as the current wrap is worn, torn, and baggy

How many miles do you do? That doesn't seem like great wear to me. I've done over 5000k in the last year on my commuter and the tape looks new.

Dunno if it's marketed as long lasting, but the fact it costs 10x more than cheap stuff probably gives an inference that it should be

Off topic a bit but that's an interesting psychological/perception point there, to you 10x more expensive implies increased longevity, to others it might imply increased performance and the same (or reduced!) longevity ie: high performance tyres. Obviously depends on the product but just made me go 'hmmmm' 🙂

anyway, back on topic...

How many miles do you do? That doesn't seem like great wear to me. I've done over 5000k in the last year on my commuter and the tape looks new.

Between 7500k-9000k a year normally, but not all of it on that bike, I think that one's only done about ~4000k in those 11 months, but it gets used for hauling heavy loads and the trailer too so probably gets a fair amount of 'gipping and twisting' friction wrestling that around than a light weight road bike wouldn't so maybe that accounts for it? Either that or I have sandpaper-hands...

amedias - Member
and promptly wore it out in under a year
Is that not a reasonable amount of time? especially if it gets a lot of use, I normally need to change tape after about 6-8 months or so regardless of brand.

Not really, about 2500km and it was knackered, considering the price of the stuff it's not exactly very good.

Off topic a bit but that's an interesting psychological/perception point there, to you 10x more expensive implies increased longevity, to others it might imply increased performance and the same (or reduced!) longevity ie: high performance tyres. Obviously depends on the product but just made me go 'hmmmm'

Agree. The DSP stuff is clearly a premium bar tape. Though it does claim to have "excellent durability" on the packaging. I guess it's longevity depends a lot on how heavy you are on the bars too.

I've not experienced any durability issues, but then I am quite light on the bars, and they only do about six months before they are changed (once a year on the two road bikes when I strip them down.)

I like it though and happy to spend 20 quid on it. Ride a lot in bare hands and it's got a really nice feel to it.

I use cinelli gel stuff that my LBS stocks, presumably the same gel cork others have suggested. Nicely squashy, which my delicate mits need on the CX. As for longevity it's on my cx commuter so normally does >3500 offroad miles pa and lots of getting leaned up against things, occasional crash and scuff and with all that I reckon mines lasted "long enough" I'm seriously struggling to remember when I last changed it, probably 14months ago, recently rewrapped it (v.inexpertly) after trashing my bars in a crash, it's done a few hundred since then and will manage til I get chance to drop it into the LBS.

Brilliant. Loads to go on there, even if t still means loads of choice, at least I've got some understanding of the differences now, and that any of the above will do the job. Thanks all!

I use Deda, but only because it comes in celeste so it looks good on my Bianchi. It does go on in and seems comfy enough but I tend to change it when it gets grubby rather than anything else.

Zipp service course is good stuff

I used DSP for a while, it is brilliant, especially if you like t ride without gloves. But it also costs a fortune

its 20 quid 😆

But he could be spending the £17.01 he's saved on coke and hookers.