Upgrading to the best bar tape may not seem like an obvious way to improve the feel of your bike, but alongside your saddle and pedals, the handlebar is your main contact point. If you want to make a big difference in feel, one of the easiest things you can do is switch out for a bar tape that offers an increase in comfort, added grip, and improved durability. Or, let's be honest, you might simply want to add a spl⭕ash of colour to your bike!
Considering that your hands will be in contact with your handlebar tape for the duration of every ride, this often overlooked detail can make a big difference to your riding experience, and for a relatively cheap outlay too. You could invest in the 澳洲幸运5开奖官网在线查询开奖结果:best road handlebars for your bike, but you will quickly undo their performance if your bar tape is unsuitable for you𓃲r needs.
The good news is that there are hundreds of manufacturers out there creating handlebar tape catering to all requirements, but separating the best bar tape from the rest can be a difficult task. Luckily, that's where we come in. Whether you are looking to improve road feel, add comfort or give your bike a refresh, scroll down for a pick of the best bar tape available today, or head to the bottom for our 澳洲幸运5开奖官网在线查询开奖结果:guide on how to choose.
All the featured products were checked to confirm they are still relevant and current. Guide formatting was also refreshed to meet current best practices and ensure the best reader experience.
Best bar tape available today
Best bar tape
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Perforations keep t🙈he bars grippy when hands get sweaty or it starts raining(Image credit: Guy Kesteven)
Packaging reflects the luxurious feel of it(Image credit: Guy Kesteven)
CNC-machined and anodised Dolce bar e⛎nd plugs are well-made and do the🌌 job well(Image credit: Guy Kesteven)
The Genus bar tape from Ere Research is super comfortable, fat and wide, and user-frie🔴ndly. The leather-effect outer layer is perforated to reveal the red layer beneath, which not only looks good but makes it really easy to match and align the pattern whilst wrapping. Moreover, the perforated fabric offers a superior grip even in the rain.
The tape is 35mm in width, which helps it flatten out the padding to avoid lumps on the bar. At a gener༒ous 200cm long, there's plenty of tape to wrap wider bars, and thanks to its ample stretch and grippy texture, it's easy to wrap and secures in place really well.
Accompanying the bar tape is a set of gorgeous CNC-machined, anodised alloy Dolce bar end plugs. It's fair to say that Ere Research offers up some serious luxury in the form of its Genus bar tape. Even the way it's packaged is impressive, which explains why you might expect to pay a little over the avꦓerage cost.
Fizik Vento is a thin 2mm lightweight bar tape that is aimed at riders who want an uncompromised bar feel for ultimate control and was designed in collaboration wit♍h Fizik’s sponsore𓃲d pro riders.
The Vento MicroTex has a tacky feel and textured finish to offer a non-slip performanཧce in all conditions. Thanks to its 2mm thickness, the Vento MicroTex won't be a problem for riders with small hands as well as being very light at a feathery 38.7g. Simple push-in Fizik branded bar ends are supplied with the bar tape as well as finishing tape, to help you get a neat finish.
Fizik offers their Vento Microtex tape in a range o🦋f plain and fluro colours as well as some contemporary two-colour designs.
Best for colour options
(Image credit: Supacaz)
3. Supacaz Super Sticky Kush
Head-turning style to suit any personality with performance to boot
☆☆☆☆☆
Specifications
Material: Polyurethane
Colours: 30+
Thickness: 3mm
Length: 216cm
Reasons to buy
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Loads of colours
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Aluminium expander bar plugs included
Reasons to avoid
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Comparatively high price
The Super Sticky Kush tape is offered in an outrageous selection of colours and designs from classic black to shinꦚy oil slick, so it's safe to say there is something to suit all styles and personalities, but it's not just about the colours here.
The Supacaz Super Sticky Kush uses a layer of foam to dampen💧 vibrations with a top layer of polyurethane materiꦗal that creates a really tacky texture in wet conditions, making it ideal for riders who don't shy away when the rain comes out to play.
While the 3mm thi👍ckness helps with comfort, the grip level means the Supacaz still offers goodꦿ feedback and control.
Included with the bar tape is a pair of aluminium expander bar end plugs that are anodised or powder-coated to colour-ꦿmatch your tape, offering a premium upgrade over the standard push-in plastic bar ends.
Best for gloveless riding
(Image credit: Lizard Skins)
4. Lizard Skins DSP V2
Superb grip for gloveless riding and a choice of thicknesses
Reasons to buy
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Sticky finishing texture
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Secure screw-in bar end plug
Reasons to avoid
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Comparatively high price
Lizard Skins offers a choice of thicknesses between 2.5 and 3.2mm. Comfort is achieved using an upgraded Durasoft Polymer to strike a balance between feel and control, and it's topped off by a rubbery textured surface that aids g♐rip with or without gloves.
The DSP 2.5mm tape is available in a wide selection of plain colours, some bold swirly camo designs, and bright dual-colour versions that transition at 84cm, which should be just below the ho꧑ods.
Best budget bar tape
(Image credit: Pro)
5. Pro Sport Comfort
The best bar tape for comfort-enhancement on a budget
Reasons to buy
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Comfort
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Good price
Reasons to avoid
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Limited colours
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Shorter than average length
Pro - a subsidiary brand of Shimano - sells its thick 3.5mm as an ide💖al bar tape for day-long riders. The Sport Comfort offers an extra gel layer to assist the EVA foam’s dampening properties ideal for r✅ough roads or gravel riding.
Rather than an adhesive strip, the silicone gripper makes ♔fitting easy and leaves no residue on the handlebar when removed. Colour choice is limited, Pro only offers black, white, red or blue options. S♍ubtly branded plastic bar end plugs are also included.
Best cork bar tape
(Image credit: Cinelli)
6. Cinelli Cork Gel
Cinelli’s Cork Gel bar tape takes a classic design and adds a gel insert for more comfort without the bulk
Reasons to buy
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Superb dampening qualities for its thickness
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Great value
Reasons to avoid
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Difficult to clean
Cinelli revolutionised bar tape in 1985 and ever since, it has stuck with its winning EVA/cork formula which is a f🌳av⛄ourite amongst many riders.
By combining EVA (Ethylene-Vinyl Acetate) and cork, Cinelli was able to create a thin wrap that is soft, tear-resistant and comfortable when♋ riding with or without gloves. The addition of a thin layer of Vibrasorb gel adds further vibration absorption and improved comfort to Cinelli’s classic.
Available in six colours which have a pleasant speckled loo𒊎k. Two Cinelli branded plastic push-in bar ends are supplied.
Best for long distance
(Image credit: Selle Italia)
7. Selle Italia Smootape Gran Fondo
Selle Italia Smootape Gran Fondo uses its unique smooth finish to enhance comfort for long-distance riders
Reasons to buy
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Comfortable without being bulky
Reasons to avoid
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Tricky to wrap correctly for desired smooth finish
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Short in length
Selle Italia Smootape Gran Fondo is unsurprisingly aimed at gran fondo♎ riders who cover longer distances and demand h♔igh comfort levels.
The Smootape features an asymmetric tapered e🅰dge which is designed to giv𒉰e a smooth overlapping finish to your bars and improve comfort. A zig-zag design adds extra purchase to the bars when grip is needed the most. A silicone strip holds the tape in place and allows easier corrections or re-wrapping.
The Selle Italia Smootape Gran Fondo is available in a range of 10 bright colours a🍌nd supplied with plastic bar ends.
Best for racing
(Image credit: Deda)
8. Deda Presa
Deda Presa offers a race-inspired handlebar tape with an understated aesthetic
Reasons to buy
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Good levels of grip
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Good length
Reasons to avoid
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Won't appeal to those looking for bold colours
The Deda Presa is a double dens♏ity bar tape combining a bottom layer of EVA to reduce vibrations with Polyurethane for grip. This dual-density construction gives a balance in performance to offer a firm but forgiving feel.&nbs𝔉p;
Grip and breathability are enhanced using perforated details along the centre of the wr🐻ap. These perforations also provide a subtle addition of colour along with understated black on black Deda logos. Deda includes two black branded push-in bar ends and finishing tape.
Best leather bar tape
(Image credit: Brooks England)
9. Brooks Leather
Undoubtedly the best bar tape for the retro style conscious
Reasons to buy
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Hard-wearing
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Looks great
Reasons to avoid
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High price
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Inflexible leather is harder to fit
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Not the most comfortable
Brooks Leather bar tape c🌄aters perfectly for those seeking a retro feel or a bar tape that matches their faithful Brooks saddle.
The tape is perforated to provide some texture and ventilation and offers a firm bar feel. If you pr✨efer more padding it would be worth pairing with some gel pads or a softer bar tape underneath. As with all leather products, this bar tape is very hard-wearing and s💟hould last a lot longer than synthetic counterparts, plus as it ages the bar tape will develop a patina giving your bike a pleasant weathered look. Two colour matched rubber bar ends plugs and adhesive cloth strips are included with the tape to finish it off.
Of course, this tape will not appeal to all, however, Brooks does offer microfibre and rubber tape alternatives th𒁃at match its animal-free saddles.
How to choose the best bar tape
What kind of bar tape do I need?
As with any purchase, you need to have a grasp of what you want to get out of the product you're buying, and the samꦰe goes for bar tape. Bar tape, while a seemingly basic purchase at first glance, will throw up many different options, each of which serving a subtly different purpose, such as comfort, road feel and feedback, style, colour, wet-weather grip, dry-weather grip, durability, and more.
So to get it right the first time, you'll need to have a think about what yo🔥u prioritise. To help you decide, here are a few common scenarios.
If you're riding full gas, tearing through tight corners in a short criterium, you might prefer a thin, grippy tape that offers increased road feedback and a more responsive feel.
If you're riding long distances or riding over rougher ground, you might prefer a thicker tape that offers increased vibration absorption.
If you're commuting all-year-round, and want a basic bar tape that will stand the test of time, you might want to look to leather tape for its durability.
If you prioritise style over everything, then the best bar tape for you might be cotton or leather, since it offers a retro aesthetic.
If you want to bling up your bike with a colour-matched style, look for synthetic tape available in various colours.
What is the best bar tape material?
Bar tape material has come a long way since the early days, but none of the early materials have been made entirely redundant. Over the years, we've seen cotton, cork, leather, vinyl, foam, and more. Cork and leather have been popular for decades 🅺for their levels of grip, comfort and for a classic look, but they do have limitations. The most commonly found bar tapes nowadays are made using synthetic materials which can be combined with foam or gel for padding.&nb🍰sp;
These modern bar tapes offer improved co💙mfort, all-weather grip and are available iಞn a wider range of colours or designs.
What is tacky bar tape?
W🍃hether you're battling storms all year round or do your best to avoid the rain, grip is an important consideration when choosing the best bar tape for you.&nඣbsp;
Synthetic materials such as polyurethane can be made to have a tacky finish to provide grip in both wet or dry conditions for gloved or bare hands. Textured surfaces or perforations can also be used to give some extra pu꧙rchase to the handlebar.
An element of breathability is also important to allow sweat and m🦩oisture to be drawn away from the hand꧅ and help maintain good levels of grip.
How thick should bar tape be?
Bar tape comes in a variety of thicknesses to suit feel and comfort. The most common range is around 1.5mm to 4mm, although there are options outs🌟ide of this, and the general rule is the greater the thickness, the greater the comfort.
Traditionally, the best bar tape for racers is at the thinner end of this spectrum, because it🎉 offers a closer road feel and a direct response on the bike. Conversely, gravel riders or endurance riders usually prefer thicker bar tape, which will lessen road buzz for more comfort and reduce potential numbness in the h༒ands over a long distance.
For rides such as the Paris-Roubaix or gravel riding, an eveꦉn thicker bar tape can be used to reduce fatigue and help with control on rough surfaces. To add additional comfort to a favourite bar tape, gel inserts can be addeꦫd under the tape, and some will even opt to wrap their bars with two rolls, doubling the thickness, although this will add an element of bulk to the handlebar.
What length bar tape do I need?
Along with thickness, the length of the tape is also an important consideration, especially if you're using wide bars with more real estate to cover. If you pair a long tap♉e with a narrow bar, you can be gener༒ous with your overlapping, increasing the thickness, or you can wrap it to the ideal thickness and cut off any excess. The same cannot be said the other way round; if you pair a short tape with a wide bar, you'll have to spread your tape more thinly, meaning smaller overlaps when wrapping, and thus, less overall thickness.
Which colour bar tape will last the longest?
Most bar tape is available in a wide range of colours and styles to suit alꦦl tasꦗtes and fashions. Whether you want to play it safe with a simple black, colour match with details on your bike, or stand out with an eye-catching fluro hue, there will be a bar tape that suits.
Rememb😼er lighter colours will quickly show dirt and grime and require a little extra care to keep lookin🅺g at its best. If you're looking to simply fit and forget, then a classic black will stay looking good for the longest time.
Can I reuse bar tape?
On the underside of most bar tapes (with the exception of cotton)🦋 is a tacky strip that he🔥lps it grip to the bars and remain in place, and the way in which this tackiness is applied can be important.
If you're a serial tinkerer𓃲 when it comes to your bike setup, you might find that you need to unwrap your bar tape to move your shifters or replace brake and gear cables.
Some tapes use a sticky strip which means that they can only ever be wrapped once, and the tape wil🎃l rip aꦏnd tear when it comes time to remove it so that cheap job of replacing your brake cables quickly means you need a new roll of bar tape too.
The best bar tapes use alter🌸nate solutions such as a silicone strip, offering enough t🔯ackiness to hold, while also being re-wrappable and leaving no residue behind when removed.
How we test?
Between reviewing bikes, testing handlebars, swapping be🥂tween groupsets and experimenting with setups on our personal bikes, the Cyclingnews tech team gets through a lot of bar tape.
All bar tape is scored on ease of application, comfort and bar feel when riding, grip in various conditions and durability. The🌱 bes🦩t way to do this is to log as many miles as possible across a range of different surfaces and conditions.
Testing is the backbone of the tech department at Cyclingnews and 澳洲幸运5开奖官网在线查询开奖结果:how we test is taken seriously, so read on to find out more.
Graham has been part of the Cyclingnews team since January 2020. Hꦬe has mountain biking at his core and can mostly be found bikᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚepacking around Scotland or exploring the steep trails around the Tweed Valley. Not afraid of a challenge, Graham has gained a reputation for riding fixed gear bikes both too far and often in inappropriate places.
