Your favourite bar tapes

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Mralexrides

Active Member
I'm looking for a bike tape for my new second hand bike.. I really like the bar tape Cube uses on its bike, my friend has a cube. but I can't find their tape in stores or online. So what would you think would be similar to this? I have used cinelli cork gel tape on other bike but I dislike the feel of cork. What bar tape do you like? I heard a lot of good thing about lizard skins.
 

vickster

Legendary Member
Lizard skins good but wears quickly considering the cost. Supacaz if you want to spend on bling.
Fizik classic or similar is my preference, great range of colours, good prices on offer
https://www.wiggle.co.uk/fizik-tempo-microtex-classic-bar-tape
or https://www.merlincycles.com/fizik-tempo-microtex-bondcush-classic-bar-tape-152665.html
 
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Mralexrides

Mralexrides

Active Member
Thanks hopefully they deliver to Guernsey! They do actually but I will check in my local shops first there is one that sells cube bikes but on website there is nothing about wraps but will ring them tomorrow and see.
 
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si_c

Guru
Location
Wirral
I find Lizard skins excellent, and when I last put some on my bike it lasted about 2 years before needing replacing. Did about 25k km in that time on the tape. Currently using Supercaz as I couldn't get Lizardskins anywhere when I needed to retape the bars in 2020. Happy enough with that so far, although it does seem to need rewrapping periodically as it seems to shift on the bars, although that could just be me fscking it up though.
 
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Mralexrides

Mralexrides

Active Member
I find Lizard skins excellent, and when I last put some on my bike it lasted about 2 years before needing replacing. Did about 25k km in that time on the tape. Currently using Supercaz as I couldn't get Lizardskins anywhere when I needed to retape the bars in 2020. Happy enough with that so far, although it does seem to need rewrapping periodically as it seems to shift on the bars, although that could just be me fscking it up though.

Which thickness lizard did you get and was it the DSP ones? I see a lot of reviewers on Wiggle/Chainreaction and amazon saying it doesn't last long one guy said it only lasted two hours!
 

si_c

Guru
Location
Wirral
Which thickness lizard did you get and was it the DSP ones? I see a lot of reviewers on Wiggle/Chainreaction and amazon saying it doesn't last long one guy said it only lasted two hours!
I prefer the thinner tape, so I got the 1.8mm DSP. It was used for just under two years with a 40km, 5 day a week commute for that entire period in all weathers. There was some peeling of the top surface towards the end, but it didn't lose any of the grippiness which is why I was happy to continue using it. I can't imagine that anyone got two hours of use from it unless they were wearing sandpaper mittens, seems like a BS review to be honest.

Very very good tape in my experience, the Supercaz tape which replaces it does seem to be equally good and after a little over a year on the bike looks like new, although in that time I have done about 4k km on it as a result of the pandemic and working from home.

In my opinion it's definitely worth getting good quality bar tape as I spend my entire ride touching it, so I don't begrudge the £40ish for a premium tape.
 
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Mralexrides

Mralexrides

Active Member
I prefer the thinner tape, so I got the 1.8mm DSP. It was used for just under two years with a 40km, 5 day a week commute for that entire period in all weathers. There was some peeling of the top surface towards the end, but it didn't lose any of the grippiness which is why I was happy to continue using it. I can't imagine that anyone got two hours of use from it unless they were wearing sandpaper mittens, seems like a BS review to be honest.

Very very good tape in my experience, the Supercaz tape which replaces it does seem to be equally good and after a little over a year on the bike looks like new, although in that time I have done about 4k km on it as a result of the pandemic and working from home.

In my opinion it's definitely worth getting good quality bar tape as I spend my entire ride touching it, so I don't begrudge the £40ish for a premium tape.
I just bought some lizardskin on chainreactions 2.5mm DSP duel bar tape. The colour is a bit crazy though florescent yellow and blue. Was £17 though. Yeah I found it hard to believe that review too unless he was some hairless ape with shovels for hands.
 

Milzy

Guru
  • 100% Synthetic Microfibre. It’s not too thin or too thick. Good reviews.
    Lizard Skins is great feeling too.
 

vickster

Legendary Member
I had the 3.2 stuff, nice to hold but certainly wore (the red was better than the white or grey)
 
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Mralexrides

Mralexrides

Active Member
I really like the texture, as well as how grippy it is in the wet, which was my primary consideration for an all weather commuter bike. Unlike a lot of cork tapes it doesn't get slippy.
Yeah I want a grippy nice texture. I hate how the cork feels. Feels kind of cheap and the dirt soaks into it making it look awful. That's on my other bike. It does soak the sweat well but that could also be a negative :laugh:
 
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