thebankman

Just looking for feedback from folks who have tried gel bartape or padded material under the tape (like Aztec padded bar tape). Did it help to make the bars more comfortable on your hands and wrists? Currently I have Deda standard tape and I feel it could be more comfy.

Thanks, Alan

johnny99

I think that changing your riding position/technique can have a much bigger affect on comfort than adding padding to your handlebars. With proper posture, you really should not be putting much pressure on your hands, except when you get tired on really long rides (like 200 miles). In that case, gloves with more padding might work just as well.

If you usually ride with a very upright back and very low handlebars, then something is wrong. You need to bend more at the hips or the elbows or raise your handlebar or all three. An upright riding position tends to put too much pressure on your back and your hands.

slowandsteady

Just the stock Fuji cork that came with my bike. It feels fine. If your hands or wrists hurt it could have to do with your set up. Even the best bar tape won't help the wrists much if at all.

A proper set up will have you hands feeling like they are holding barely any weight.

Try flipping the stem, or moving your seat further back, or tilting the seat nose up slightly. Even a 1 degree adjustment in seat tilt can feel dramatically different on your hands. I use a level with my microadjust seat so that I can tell just how much I moved it. You don't need to move it much.

Moving the seat back may seem counterintuitive, but try this.

Stand upright with a mirror to your side....then bend over. What happens to your rear end?

It moves behind your feet to change your center of gravity so that you don't fall over. By moving your seat backwards you accomplish the same thing on a bike, thus removing the weight from your hands.

Of course any adjustment you make should be in small increments and one thing at a time so that if something hurts worse you can figure out what it was.

Knee over pedal spindle is of concern for some people, but this is just a general rule of thumb that doesn't necessisarily apply in all situations. I personally feel best when I am behind the spindle.

jschen

When I first started cycling, I really liked the gel tape on my bike and my padded gloves. Now, I don't really care for it anymore, though it doesn't bug me. My newer bike doesn't use gel tape. I also have moved away from padded gloves. With proper fit for your riding style, you shouldn't be putting all that much weight on your hands anyway, so if everything's set up right, I don't really see a need for padding there. But as they say, your mileage may vary.

Grasschopper

I use the Salsa Goma tape over Specialized 2.5mm barphat. I love it....gives a bit of cushin and the Goma tape has a great feel. I ride without gloves FWIW

Coyote2

I used the Specialized Bar Phat (gel pads under the tape) for 4k miles, then switched back to plain cork tape -- noticed no difference in hand comfort.

uberclkgtr

I use Velo cork tape with a gel backing. The backing is very thin, but it makes quite a difference to my comfort level. It wraps really easily on the bars and is much more forgiving than my old Cinelli cork tape. It makes a big difference to me, as I have an aluminum fork and handlebars, which tend to transmit the road chatter quite well to my hands unless there's some padding there.

woodcycl

Go with the Fizik bar gel! And, don't ... I repeat DO NOT ... go with the Aztec stuff. It took me 30 minutes with a heat gun to get all the gunk off when I decided it was time to remove the crap given it had lost its loft after only a couple of months. The Fizik bar gel has worked great for me on my Trek 5200 and my tandem. (no bar gel on my Six13 ... flat bars! MMMmmmm)

Edited to add: I believe, but no personal experience, the Specialized bar phat is similar to the Fizik bar gel.

caloso

I don't care for the gel tape. Too squishy. Funny that you mention the plain Deda tape because that's my absolute favorite. It's just a touch thicker than Cinelli cork tape, which is my second favorite.

DieselDan

I'm using Specialized Bar Phat. Helped with arthritis in my hands.

webist

I also use the Specialized Barphat (the thinner one) and have convinced myself that I am more comfortable for doing so. It's been so long that I have been using it I don't even remember what it was like without it. I like the feeling of a thicker bar, not necessarily the padding.

cyccommute 

Aztec could certainly use a less sticky tape but overall, I found the stuff to be very comfortable. I tried it last summer when I was touring and it help keep my hands from going numb like they usually do. I'm not looking forward to removing it, however.

I do have Salsa Goma tape on my Salsa Las Cruces (what else could you use?) but I did underlay a layer of cork tape since the Goma doesn't have much padding.

2manybikes

Me too, it works. Something a person without arthritis may not notice. I don't need it on bikes with larger lower pressure tires.

CastIron

I've got small bars and big hands. Switching to the gel version of the venerable Cinelli Cork ribbon made a world of difference.

Biggziff

Fizik Bar Gel is nice stuff. I had it put on with the Cork Plus tape and it resolved my numb hands. YMMV

socalrider

I tried the gel under the tape and it felt a little too thick for my liking.. I am using Cinelli Gel Tape, it is a little pricey but it the thickest gel tape I've used and feel just right..

The Cinelli Gel is just a little thicker than the Cork tape..

simplyred

Same.

ken cummings

I absolutely loved a thin layer of foam pipe insulation on the handlebars when I commuted in Denver in the Winter. The slightest extra pressure on my hands led towards Frostbite.

smoke

i don't care for gel. feels weird. and doesn't help. i have small hands, so it also makes the bars too wide. i've found nothing better than plain ol' cinelli cork tape.

smoke

oilman_15106

Have seen "thicker" Mt bike cork bar tape. Is this a compromise solution? Or double wrapping regular cork tape as another thought. Been thinking about the double wrap idea for some time.

Have used the bar gel and it does help. Fizik is not for you if your into the weightweenie stuff.

gpelpel

I like the Fizik gel and tape. Very comfy without being squishy.

bmike

Like it. For longer distances (200k, 300k, 600k, etc) even with a pro fit, your hands are still subject to vibrations. This is very different from numbness caused by a poor fit.

Short rides I do on my commuter are fine without gel or extra padding. I've done centuries and long brevets with both unpadded and gelled - I'm sticking with gel. Specialized phat is my fav, but I'm currently trying the Aztek, which works well, although I'm dreading taking it off.

When I do I'll go back to the Specialized and wrap it with leather....

jwbnyc

Another vote for Cinelli Gel.

WheresWaldo

Cinelli Gel. Also the gel does not have that horrible double-sided tape that is nearly impossible to remove from your handlebars when you need to replace the tape.

Lucky07

I've got the Specialized gel pads on my Allez Elite. Feels great. My Satellite has Profile Cork which is great as well. I ran strips of old tape under the new tape, and honestly that's just as good as gel pads in my opinion.

If your riding position is dialed in, you should only have to watch for hand numbness. That's just a matter of holding the bars lightly and changing positions every so often.