Bar Tape

[ShawnoftheDread]

I’m getting ready to put a shorter reach quill stem on my bike, which means it’s a good time for new tape, hoods, and cable housing. Does anyone have a favorite bar tape to recommend? Any brand that you would avoid?

Topic

[TwoWheelsDC]

I like the Microtex Soft Touch from F:z-#’k, or F%zz:)$k, or Fizzick, or Fezzini, or however it’s pronounced.

[DismalScientist]

Cotton cloth.:cool:

[jabberwocky]

I use Cinelli gel cork tape. No complaints.

[hozn]

Deda Elementi is great; it’s very durable, comes in every color imaginable (though I’ve only tried black) and is inexpensive. I’ve used Cinelli cork tape before too and also can’t complain. Aesthetically I like the Deda stuff a little better, but cork does feel nice.

[Dirt]

SRAM Supercork. It is easier than most to install. It is a little more stretchy than most and holds up well.

Lizard Skins makes this amazing new tape that is quite sticky. It is a pain to install correctly and very expensive… $40 for a package. It is wonderful!

[jrenaut]

My team lead, the guy most responsible for getting me to bike to work, swears by Lizard Skins. If you’ve seen the orange tape on my bike, that’s what it is. It’s nice and comfy and grippy and, as Dirt says, expensive. It picks up dirt FAST. Like, in a few weeks of normal riding, it turned black just from my winter gloves.

I had Fizik on my old bike, and I liked that a lot. Not as smushy, but it looked new a lot longer, and the grip was good, and it’s available at my LBS (but not in orange) and it’s reasonably priced.

I’ve been told to stay away from cork. YMMV.

[KLizotte]

Please forgive the newbie question but when should one replace bar tape? Obviously when it is falling apart but is bar tape like running shoes in that you should replace every xx miles even though you don’t feel anything different (running shoes tend to compress over time and not provide adequate support)?

Thanks.

[jrenaut]

Replace it when it looks bad or feels bad or your hands slip. There’s no non-aesthetic reason to replace it unless it’s harming your ability to control your bike.

[DaveK]

@jrenaut 51905 wrote:

Replace it when it looks bad or feels bad or your hands slip. There’s no non-aesthetic reason to replace it unless it’s harming your ability to control your bike.

I’d add “when you feel like it”. Nothing makes a bike feel newer as easily and cheaply as fresh bar tape.

[KLizotte]

@DaveK 51918 wrote:

I’d add “when you feel like it”. Nothing makes a bike feel newer as easily and cheaply as fresh bar tape.

Fortunately my bar tape is black so the dirt and grime are pretty well disguised though it is the stock tape that came with the bike when purchased and I suspect that they put on cheapy tape.

[jrenaut]

@KLizotte 51921 wrote:

Fortunately my bar tape is black so the dirt and grime are pretty well disguised though it is the stock tape that came with the bike when purchased and I suspect that they put on cheapy tape.

Replacing the tape is a pretty cheap way to give your bike a makeover. And taping isn’t that hard – instructions are easy to find online, and you can do as many practice runs as you want before you remove the covering to the adhesive. I’ve done it twice now, and been pretty happy with the results.

[consularrider]

@Dirt 51891 wrote:

… Lizard Skins makes this amazing new tape that is quite sticky. It is a pain to install correctly and very expensive… $40 for a package. It is wonderful!

Yeah, Jan suggested that when I was getting a bunch of work done on the Pistola that forced me to replace my six month old Fizik. I like both of them.

[ShawnoftheDread]

Project complete. Went with the SRAM supercork. I wanted to use the cheapest and easiest to install for my first attempt. New hoods, brake cables, and housing, too. Thanks for the suggestions.
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[hozn]

Nice work. Looks like a clean taping job there at the end. I know my first tape wrapping did not look so nice. Not sure my most recent one did either

[grandallj]

Can anyone recommend a good tape for riding without gloves? I’m mostly commuting but sometimes doing longer road-type rides. I have the original tape on my Specialized Tricross; I like that it’s cushy, but it gets slick pretty easily.

Thanks —

[Author]

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