Handlebar tape

[aggs]

Handlebar tape.

Any reccommendations for long distance comfortable tape for dropped bars?

[Danneaux]

Hi Graham!

A good question, and one I hope to answer for myself. Cork tape just isn't cutting it for me, and my hands are sore. It's not bad for fast road-riding, but mountainous, rough single-track is beating up my hands something terrible.

In the past, I've had really good luck by first installing a quality, dense closed-cell padding like Grab-On and then compression-wrapping it to half-thickness using a nice, padded vinyl-skinned tape. Unfortunately, such nice tape seems rarely available; cork has taken over the market.

An alternative I have been considering is one of a variety of gel under-tape pads, but from "used" ones I've seen when friends retaped, the gel pads seem to have squashed out flat where the pressure is greatest.

Frankly, I don't look forward to the task of upgrading my handlebar coverings, what with cable housings for the bar-end shifters, the brake levers, and the interrupter levers. Still, it has to be done at some point. When it does, I may well go back to the compression-wrapped Grab-Ons. They might work well again even if all I can find to use as an over-wrap is something "corkish".

Does anyone know if a product called "Gatorskin" 'bar tape is still available? I used some by that name years ago, and it lasted a very long time indeed (decades).

Best,

Dan.

[jags]

 i tried a lot of those gel packs find them to be pretty useless
 i have a good gel bartape and on top of that i use the fizik bartape easly the best  tape i've found in years  tough as old boots.

[il padrone]

Maybe try some lovely leather bar-tape, perhaps over foam or gel ?? Brooks is delectable but expensive. There are other brands that are cheaper, most notably Velo-Orange.

[Danneaux]

Maybe try some lovely leather bar-tape, perhaps over foam or gel ??

Agreed; for sheer beauty, it is almost impossible to beat a nice set of leather covers, whether it be tape or stitched sleeves.

Only thing that worries me here in Rainy Oregon™ (a bit like Rainy Ireland™ from what understand) is how well the leather would hold up if continuously wet. I once toured Washington State's very wet San Juan Islands with a fellow who had wrapped his 'bars with leather tape. I don't recall the brand, but the dye came off on his hands, and by tour's end, there was green mold in the little perforations and between the wrapped edges. He said it got slimy-slick to the touch when it was sodden.

Again, I don't know the brand (and this was back in 1980), so it may have been an isolated case of the "dinnit workwells".

I still think it's pretty (and in black...getting tempted, Pete...).

Best,

Dan.

[Pavel]

I have to say that when I used dropped bars and tried all the gel and other such "thick" padded approaches - I was surprised that somehow I always found that simple cotton turned out the most comfortable.  Strange sounding I know that unpadded should turn out more comfy - does anyone else have the same experience?   

[aggs]

Thanks for the advice.
I will not go for the gel pads option then.

I am not unhappy with the current basic tape, but thought an upgrade may be better.

Leather does sound great but maybe a bit impractical?

[Danneaux]

I will not go for the gel pads option then...Leather does sound great but maybe a bit impractical?

Graham, I'm bumping up against a tour departure date in a week, and know I will not have time to pad and retape the bars before then, so I'm going to cheat and slip some pads of dense closed-cell neoprene foam to the inside of my gloves. It is a far from ideal solution, but expedient and it has worked well in the past for really bad stretches of road.

When I return, I think I will go once again with some dense Grab-On style tubes, compression-wrapped with padded handlebar tape. That has been the ultimate solution for me in the past, but I absolutely dread the install; everything has to come off, and I have to re-route the brake cables from four levers and the bar-end shifters....all of which currently are beneath the present tape. I may try slitting the Grab-Ons lengthwise and holding them on with small strips of electrical tape before compression-wrapping with the padded 'bar tape. That would be so much easier, but my late mother's words keep echoing in my head, "Lazy people take the most pains". I'd rather make a titanic job of it and do it right once than make half the effort and do it over and over.

Leather does look and feel absolutely great, and I truly think results vary by the maker. The stuff my friend used so long ago wasn't Brooks, and I do have confidence Brooks would do a better job of it. The one thing I can note is a spiral wrap with leather does leave a hard series of ribs that can hurt one's hands. I've always been partial to the look of sewn leather tubes (as on the old Italian racing bikes, particularly a Ciocc I once saw)...this: http://store.velo-orange.com/index.php/elkhide-sewn-on-bar-covers.html rather than this: http://store.velo-orange.com/index.php/grand-cru-perf-leather-tape-w-plugs.html The tubes don't allow for much if any padding beneath, but Man! do they ever look nice...until the first fall onto pavement or lean of the bike against a brick wall.

Hope this helps,

Dan.

[jags]

Dan i was cycling with a friend some time ago i noticed he was wearing unusual looking gloves .he was telling me they were for weight lifting and proved fantastic on the bike from road buzz.
so before you go buyng any new bartape visit your local gym and try on some weight lifter mitts .

[triaesthete]

I would recommend this without hesitation   http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/shimano-pro-gel-handlebar-tape-black-prod15974/

 Durable, reusable, fantastic feel. If you want even more comfort buy two and go to double thickness along the position you use most. Or lay a strip along the bar and overlay with a regular application if you don't like fat handholds.  Just don't overtension it as you wind it on.

Really plush and nice and waterproof.
Enjoy
Ian

[Danneaux]

I would recommend this without hesitation...

Oh, I like the sound and looks of this very much, Ian, and was unaware it existed. Does the surface texture feel much like the popular "cork-like" tapes, or is it more like a nice-quality vinyl? It looks very cork-like in the photos.

If it can be layered as well...that would be so much easier than compression-wrapping the Grab-Ons. I'm tempted already!

Very helpful to get these first-hand user reports. Nothing like finding out how things work in the real world over time; thanks!

Best,

Dan.

[jags]

http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/fizik-handlebar-bargel-with-microtex-tape-black-prod11143/
also this .
have to say its the best bartape i have used comes with gel pads  stick them on and then wrap your bars .

[triaesthete]

Dan, the Shimano tape has an almost satin like surface. Smoooth and non tacky. Works for me with mitts, gloves and bare hands. Feels expensive! Unless of course they have changed it since I last bought some...
Ian

[Danneaux]

have to say its the best bartape i have used comes with gel pads

...and...

the Shimano tape has an almost satin like surface

Thanks for the recommendations, fellows! I will look very closely at both upon my return from the Big Tour (by which time I'll have wished a hundred-thousand times I'd taken the time to double-wrap the 'bars before I left). Right now, I'm leaning toward the feel of two thicknesses of the Shimano, but the Fizik "reads" well on the website description. I think the Fizik is available locally, so I should be able to see it in person.

Any other suggestions out there?

Best,

Dan.

[Paul S]

+ 1 for the Shimano & weight lifting mitts combination.

I put a single layer of the Shimano tape over the foam on my Butterfly Bars and in the summer ride in a pair of cheap lifter mitts, supremely comfy

Cheers,

Paul.