Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - Bar tape

Anyone have a good bar tape recommendation? I just can't justify spending $90 on the Brooks tape as nice as it looks.

Hey,

I like Bike Ribbon's Professional Series. You can find the other series from Bike-Ribbon here (This isn't store I think)

https://www.thefind.com/brand/browse-bike-ribbon

But I really like Professional Series because it is immune to rain. Variety of surface texture is available but cushiness ain't one of em. I think there are slippery ones, but I buy hard abrasive type because they never slip in rain. (Well if my skin slips off of my body, that's another thing.)

My latest bar has Fizik bar tape with stiches in the middle. LBS guys swear by it. Kinda nice; more money you pay I guess. I would recommended it, but I have suspect even if it is washable it will get very soggy and yucky in rain. :(

T

stella azzurra eleganza

Arundel Gecko grip, got mine for $14 and its quite honestly the best tape I have ever used.

http://www.arundelbike.com/gecko.html?p=1.1.3.1

cinelli cork.

http://www.glorycycles.com/cinelli.html

the natural color looks slick with a brooks saddle and it's super comfortable.

Cinelli cork, then give it a coating of clear or amber shellac (dirt cheap at your local hardware store). Sure, it sounds a little BOBish, but it looks incredible and actually feels really good. It has just the right amount of tack. The shellac flexes so you still benefit from the padding of the cork, but now it's also waterproof and lasts forever.

Any number of Rivendell fan sites can instruct you on how to properly shellac tape, plus you can see countless examples of nicely broken-in Brooks saddles with shellac'd tape.

Cloth tape with a brooks saddle would look quite classic. Put some padding under it is you are wussy about it being too hard- some old pieces of cork tape, or innertube, taped on where your hands rest is enough.

make sure you pay extra for 'cinelli' cork because it has so much more racing heritage than every other tape it leaves the same factory with.

I like Planet Bike tape, just enough stretch to make it easy to do a good looking tape job, decent cushion (but not too much) and pretty durable. Plus . . . relatively cheap.

Rick / OCRR

if you're looking for leather tape you could look into baseball bat grip tape.
-durty

Natural cork tape.

If you're stuck on leather, you can buy less expensive leather wrap from www.velo-orange.com

I like the Fizik bar tape

http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr213/illmitch/cockpit.jpg?t=1233160157

I like the Fizik bar tape

http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr213/illmitch/cockpit.jpg?t=1233160157

Me too. That's the Microtex to be specific.

I like cheap black tape. Especially because it is cheap, and also because it is black.

another vote for fizik microtex, especially in 'soft-touch'. although cloth tape is a little nicer/more classic looking, it seems to have even less padding than the fizik.

make sure you pay extra for 'cinelli' cork because it has so much more racing heritage than every other tape it leaves the same factory with.

the cinelli is a good deal thicker and more comfortable than the cork tape i was using before, but if you want to be an ass i guess that's alright too. the guy asked for recommendations so i offered one. you, however, just showed up to show how much more 'cork grip' knowledge you have then everyone else, so hey congrats... you're the man!

specialized roubaix tape plus bar phat is unstoppable comfort, but you have to like a thicker grip.

if you're looking for leather tape you could look into baseball bat grip tape.
-durty

Durty, I believe you are the genius of the day. That is a super good idea man, super good. I bow down to you with respect!

Durty, I believe you are the genius of the day. That is a super good idea man, super good. I bow down to you with respect!

It seems like that tape would be really thick and tough to finish off at the end.





(that's what she said)

stella azzurra eleganza

This is also my vote. I have it in blue and it's really nice. It comes in a ton of colors, even a lot of mixed ones like this:
http://www.bikesomewhere.com/images/large/Stella_Eleganza_Tape.jpg

or solid ones:
http://content.backcountry.com/images/items/medium/SAZ/SAZ0002/CEL.jpg

Hockey tape

I recently finished off a build with a harlequin wrap using Tressostar cotton tape (ordered from Velo-Orange) and shellac to weatherproof and keep it clean.

The advantages:
- It looks awesome. Really awesome.
- The shellac makes it semi-permanent.

The disadvantages:
- No padding, so good gloves are essential for long rides.
- Semi-permanent, so I'm really in a bind if I want to change my brake levers.