Bar Tape

Steve_b77
Steve_b77 Posts: 1,680
edited November 2009 in Road buying advice
I picked up my new road bike on Sunday, it came with Outland Cork bar tape and it's not quite wrapped far enough along the top flat bit of the bars.

There's a gap of a couple of inches before the bar widens for the OS bit @ the stem. Also it's white and I imagine it'll get very grubby very quickly.

The bike itself is white with red & black graphics, so I fancied changing the tape to red stuff.

I've seen the Specialized Phat S-Wrap stuff in Evans for £12 is this a good buy?

I don't big hands (large sized in gloves) so don't need really thick stuff.

Comments

  • Steve_b77
    Steve_b77 Posts: 1,680
    surely someone has an idea?
  • Slow Downcp
    Slow Downcp Posts: 3,041
    Deda bar tape - half the price and just as good IMHO
    Carlsberg don't make cycle clothing, but if they did it would probably still not be as good as Assos
  • Steve_b77
    Steve_b77 Posts: 1,680
    Is it just as padded like the Specialized stuff?
  • Slow Downcp
    Slow Downcp Posts: 3,041
    Not padded, but fairly thick. I've never used any padding on my bars, or felt the need to.
    Carlsberg don't make cycle clothing, but if they did it would probably still not be as good as Assos
  • Smokin Joe
    Smokin Joe Posts: 2,706
    Padded tape feels horrible IMO. I like to wrap it nice and tight so I can feel the shape of the bars underneath.

    In fact if it wasn't for something to grip and the fact that bars look ugly without I'd happily not bother with it.
  • redddraggon
    redddraggon Posts: 10,862
    Deda tape is pretty good, I use on most of my bikes - I normally found it the cheapest too, but that's probably not true anymore.
    I like bikes...

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  • dennisn
    dennisn Posts: 10,601
    I like cork tape. Have used it for years. Have used lots of different brands(cheapest usually applies here). Strangely enough it's all turned out to be CORK TAPE just like the last roll of CORK TAPE. In other words it's nothing worth obsessing about IMHO.
  • Andy140
    Andy140 Posts: 130
    I have the Specialized Phat S-Wrap - highly recomended........
  • hopper1
    hopper1 Posts: 4,389
    Steve_b77 wrote:
    I picked up my new road bike on Sunday, it came with Outland Cork bar tape and it's not quite wrapped far enough along the top flat bit of the bars.

    There's a gap of a couple of inches before the bar widens for the OS bit @ the stem. Also it's white and I imagine it'll get very grubby very quickly.

    The bike itself is white with red & black graphics, so I fancied changing the tape to red stuff.

    I've seen the Specialized Phat S-Wrap stuff in Evans for £12 is this a good buy?

    I don't big hands (large sized in gloves) so don't need really thick stuff.

    That sounds about right to me!
    I have white cork tape, too, and it's been fine in the winter, so far.... :wink:
    Start with a budget, finish with a mortgage!
  • LazyLoki
    LazyLoki Posts: 127
    White tape isn't as bad as you might think. If it gets grubby a bit of citrus degreaser on a rag brings it back up good as new.
  • rake
    rake Posts: 3,204
    phat tape is excellent. good grip and feel plenty long enough. i cut several inches off. if you start from the stem and work outwards you can avoid using any tape to hold it in place,just trap the fist loop tightly under the second. it has a sticky back as well.
  • pianoman
    pianoman Posts: 706
    I have white cork tape, too, and it's been fine in the winter, so far....

    So it's not raining and muddy in Norfolk then? Just on the west side of the country instead I guess :shock:

    Black or titanium-esque grey are all I would ever put on my bike.
  • aarw
    aarw Posts: 448
    rake wrote:
    phat tape is excellent. good grip and feel plenty long enough. i cut several inches off. if you start from the stem and work outwards you can avoid using any tape to hold it in place,just trap the fist loop tightly under the second. it has a sticky back as well.

    ...and your tape will look a mess and not last as long. you naturally push the tape downwards on road bars when cycling. The exposed edges of the tape willl likely end up tatty after a month. There's a reason why you start at the bottom of the bars.
  • ajb72
    ajb72 Posts: 1,178
    i've tried a few brands and gone back to the specialized phat tape - good compramise between comfort and style. I find it's not too sticky on the adhesive either, so easy to re-use if you swap bars or tinker with your levers etc.

    Only potential downside I can see is the colour choice. I looked at red as my frame is a similar colour combo as the OP, but the specialized red looks more pink to me!
  • rake
    rake Posts: 3,204
    aarw wrote:
    rake wrote:
    phat tape is excellent. good grip and feel plenty long enough. i cut several inches off. if you start from the stem and work outwards you can avoid using any tape to hold it in place,just trap the fist loop tightly under the second. it has a sticky back as well.

    ...and your tape will look a mess and not last as long. you naturally push the tape downwards on road bars when cycling. The exposed edges of the tape willl likely end up tatty after a month. There's a reason why you start at the bottom of the bars.

    i noticed that after i did it. got the idea somewhere else. i will see how it holds up. did you try it and have it rip or saying how it looks.
  • Bhima
    Bhima Posts: 2,145
    Smokin Joe wrote:
    In fact if it wasn't for something to grip and the fact that bars look ugly without I'd happily not bother with it.

    Have you tried riding without tape? I don't use handlebar tape and I still get a lot of grip, even in the wet. I've got silver bars though, so far from "ugly". :D
  • pianoman
    pianoman Posts: 706
    Have you tried riding without tape?

    Is that to show off your carbon bars :P

    Maybe it's possible to grip a bare bar well if there's gloves out there on the market to grip them with. Might be an opening for it in an overcrowded market?

    Then again, I've always thought a shifter-hood mounted cap gun holster would be for scaring off dangerous animals - one click does the trick. No more dog attacks on cyclsts :lol: