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Bar tape
Hi guys - What should i look for in a bar tape - what makes a good one or are they all pretty much the same - any recomendations?
Thanks
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18 comments
the lizard skinz stuff looks and feels great.
we've got some of that in... test coming soon. it certainly is mighty grippy. F^%$^%iz::'//`%%ik (Fizik) had some bar tape at Core Bike that had a gel strip insert which looked and felt nice. trying to get some of that too...
This topic has arrived with perfect timing: I need to replace the tape on my road bike ready for the spring/summer. I'm also (subject to domestic approval) going to be the owner of a new (well, third hand) track bike, which will need its bar tape to be replaced.
I'll do some digging on the above suggestions (although I'm not really sure about gel padded tape - carbon forks ought to do the trick, no?).
However, never having changed the stuff before, are there any good pictoral guides to doing it properly?
a video guide would be best.
Which suggests there's either one on the site already (which I've therefore fundamentally failed to find), or you're going to make one (which would be ace!).
it'll be in one of the new! bits of the site when we do our next round of changes...
note to self: make bar tape video
Perfect. No longer will I carry with me the shame of not knowing how to complete such a simple task....
There are video guides on you tube if you need that sort of thing
but ours would be more fun
… and informative
Wait till you see our new 'Gadget corner' vid…
As well as bar tape, can anyone reccommend a decent set of bars (but not too expensive....)? I bought a bike in the summer, overall it's great, only I'm not keen on the bars or the saddle that came with it.
What bike and 'bars do you have, and what sort of riding are you doing on it? Oh, and what's the problem with the current 'bars?
Thanks Guys - opted for some Cinelli Cork gel stuff - mainly because was easy & went on order with some other 'essentials' - Don't tell er in doors!!
stella azzurra eleganza - once you have tried it you will never use anything else. It's the best looking, most comfortable tape on the market. it's not the cheapest at £13 but you get what you pay for.
I love the Brooks leather bar tape which I have on 2 bikes, it looks really nice and as it wears in it gets a lovely patina, but is best suited to older bikes.
Fizik micro fibre stuff is really nice, it cleans up much better than traditional cork tape and stays grippy even when wet.
I'm about to try out the Pro micro fibre stuff (should be waiting for me when I get home; don't let me down CRC), it looks like leather and is perforated which looks nice, but is in white to match by saddle. It's had good reviews so we'll see....
I was thinking about getting some, and was probably going to be a bit female about the whole thing and get one that looked nice.... Any reccommendations re: brands?
But they're all much of a muchness these days, unless you want Brooks cork tape or something. The Bike Ribbon tape is good value. One thing that does make a difference is those gel insert things you can get that go on the flats, can't remember what they're called though.
Can't say as I've got any real bar tape preferences in terms of brands. Lots of people swear by Cinelli tape, and Fizik do some nice stuff too, but there's loads of it out there. I like cork tape cos it's nice and grippy.
My main criteria is that it matches the bike and that it's well padded - gel tapes will take care of that, although I think gel pads like Specialized Bar Phat or Fizik Bar Gel pads which go on under the tape give even more cushioning.
A quick hunt around reveals that these days Spesh Bar Phat inserts come as part of a package with tape, unlike the fizik gel pads which can be used with any tape and cut to the shape of your bars - and it's washable and reuseable. So that would probably be my preferred choice matched up with some nice looking cork tape.
I have Fizik on two of my bikes and it looks good and is easy to keep clean despite being white. I just got the plain one with no padding, but they do the gel one and i believe a new slightly padded 2 colour one is just coming out. Have seen it somewhere today online but cant remember where...maybe Total Cycling. Its also easy to remove when you change it...had my cables changed last year and even managed to reuse the same tape.