lineinthewater

I previously had some Cannondale bar tape and the stuff lasted 7 years. Ewww. It probably had an inch of sweat and road grime on it, but since it was black it looked just fine. (Nahhh, I did clean it occasionally). The stuff really held up, despite repeated re-wrapping. I didn't know how good I had it.

Recently I've been experimenting with other colors, specifically with the SRAM supercork bar tape. The tape at first seemed to work well. But ...

1. Durability. I've re-wrapped this tape maybe 2 or 3 times, and the tape is already starting to rip on the edges. This is primarily coming from the adhesive pulling at it (when unwrapping). I'm careful, but it still tends to rip.

2. Seals. In my area, one sweats like 5 gallons of water when riding in the summer. I've noticed that when re-wrapping the bar, the covered portion of the tape seems to have been exposed to my sweat. Also, when I've been riding in a few downpours, I've discovered moisture underneath.

3. Cleans. I read several posts on BF how white bar tape can be "cleaned" with Simple Green. Normally, I wouldn't use white tape, but one of my bikes needs some pop, so I decided to test it. The tape does get somewhat cleaner using standard simple green, but I can tell it's going to degrade into a grey; almost any color would no doubt turn a tinted grey as well.

So, what bar tape will last, seal, and clean up well?

dalava

Lizard Skin.

Pantani98

I'm a huge fan of Lizard Skins. I have the 2.5mm on my road and track bikes and love it. Using black so I can't help with the cleaning but this stuff lasts and feels great!

clausen

Bar tape is inexpensive so why waste your time unwrapping it and cleaning it. I use various cork tapes and replace them after a season or two, depending on how big of a off season maintenance the bike needs.

bt

I unwrap my bars after every 3rd ride and put bar tape in washing machine and re-wrap.

lineinthewater

Just to be clear, I wasn't unwrapping to clean it (nor would I) - I had cabling issues.

dalava

This should go into the OCD thread.

Elduderino2412

i like fizik, but i hear good things about lizard skins. I will probably try that next.

lineinthewater

I think (I hope) he was joking. LOL

rpenmanparker 

Sometimes you will read that you can have two out of three benefits. In this case I am sorry to tell you it is zero. No tape seals out sweat. No tape is truly durable. Sure you can maybe avoid the tearing, but that is hit or miss. No tape can be successfully cleaned. Once you get black grease or dark hand marks on a white tape, they will not come off. I am in the it's cheap, so replace it often camp. But the things you are after don't matter all that much to me anyway. Maybe I feel that way just because they have never been available in the tapes I have experience with. What matters to me is how the tape feels, how good it looks new, what it costs, and how easy is it to wrap well.

lineinthewater

Actually, the old Cannondale tape was both durable and sealed out my sweat. No idea if it cleaned well since it was black. And, I don't expect all my wishes to be met. I would re-purchase the Cannondale tape, if I knew the newer stuff was the same as the old.

cqcumber

lizard skin's quite difficult to clean but very grippy and comfortable. on the other hand, fizik performance bar tape's imo the most balanced bar tape. it's got good grip, very comfortable, easy to clean and cheaper than lizard skin.

Samfujiabq

Lizard skins!

RollCNY

I used Lizard skins for a while, and liked it. But then I saw a video on how they raise the lizards, dye their skin vibrant colors, and then flay them. It was very disturbing, so I now use tapes that are certified reptile free. But that's a lifestyle choice really.

KypD

get some shimano bar tape and slap bottle caps on the bar ends. preferably from your favored brew.

SSRI

benottos. i still have a set in yellow that is from the 1990's. offers no cushioning but can be wipe clean completely.
otherwise i go with Fiziks microtex.

datlas 

I have Benito on my steel road bike. It's got to be 20 years old and still looks great.

seymour1910

lizard skins 2.5

jeepseahawk

I saw that video and gave up on Lizard Skins, went to immitation baby Seal pelt.

RollCNY

I use that when I'm going clubbing. Good stuff.

StanSeven

Don't worry. The Lizards barely feel it. They chop off the heads first and it only takes a few seconds of convulsing before its over.

stilltooslow

I like Specialized Roubaix. Feels great, wraps really well, perfect amount of cushioning, and quite durable. Like it way better than the Fizik stuff I tried.

jeepseahawk

I have a special faux fur coat made out of organic rabbit dung to wear clubbing, the chicks dig it.

StanSeven

Tape is cheap. Shop around and buy it when it's inexpensive. Then change it whenever its dirty or worn. That works out at $5/yr.

I've got black Lizard Skin that's one year old and looks/feel like new.

bonz50

riding buddy just put lizard skins on his, when I rewrap I'll have the same. stuff is awesome