General Cycling Discussion - Bar tape, cork vs gel

I'm getting trekking/butterfly bars, and will actually need to use bar tape. I've been using stock flat bars with grips. I was curious about the differences between gel and cork. Especially these areas:

1) How do they behave when wet?
2) How easy are they to put on? (do they tear?)
3) How comfortable are they?
4) Durability?

Thanks!

I got some gel/foam tape, the 'gel' was a wipe of some stuff that was just a little bit of traction,
to hold the wrap, not much shock absorption effect.
I wrap my trekking bars twice , first layer old tape. then a wrap of new stuff.

Combined its quite comfortable.
My [ITM] trekking bars came with foam sleeves on them

I like my gel/foam tape Ive tried riding other peoples bikes without it and It's just not as pleasurable on the hands in my opinion.

I use this (http://www.jensonusa.com/store/product/GR401B00-Fizik+Gel+Perforated+Micro+Bar+Tape.aspx) and love it. When wet, it grips really well, and I don't need to wear gloves with it because of the gel layer.

You can replace the bar tape with this (http://www.jensonusa.com/store/product/GR401B01-Fizik+Handlebar+Tape.aspx) when it wears out. It's the same tape as included with the first kit.

neither - try Fizik microtex. good grip when wet, wears well and feels nice.

Anyone have any experience with Planet Bike's gel tape? It's on Amazon = convenient.
Oh, and how long a bar does the fizik microtex cover?

Anyone have any experience with Planet Bike's gel tape? It's on Amazon = convenient.
Oh, and how long a bar does the fizik microtex cover?
I have full drops, and I had more than enough.

Cool thanks, I'll look into it.

The nice thing about tapeing your handlebars is that it's an economical way of giving your bike a make-over.

Wrap your bars with whatever strikes your fancy. If you decide that you hate the way that it looks or feels, you're out about $10.00 but you've gained experience through the process.

I've been using simple foam tape, no cork, no gel, for the past few years and prefer it to any tape I've used over the years. It is comfortable, works well when wet, is easy to clean (if you're into clean bar tape) and can be found very cheap so you can change it whenever you want. I usually buy a couple of rolls of Deda from probikekit when I need it and have also used house brand from Nashbar and Performance and they were great as well.