Choosing the right bar tape

One of the cheapest and performance effective upgrades for your bike. Changing tape regularly is smart not only for aesthetics but it gives you a chance to inspect your carbon or aluminium bars for cracks, add some new cable housing and make sure that your sweat has not eaten through the aluminium.

 

Silicone Tape

• Easy to wrap. Can be wrapped thick or thin. Excellent durability and vibration reduction. Resists stinky odours. Suits gloves or bare hands.
• Most expensive, supreme bar feel and tactility. Adhesive free and can be re-wrapped a few times.

 

Rubber

• Knurled rubber for extra grip. Can be harsh on bare hands but offers the best durability in all conditions. Good amounts of grip, good choice if you like a thicker grip feel.
• Slighter harder to clean with the rough texture, but wears well especially if you spend a lot of time leaning your bike against the wall at the coffee shop.

 

Synthetic Suede

• Better durability over cork, nice bar feel. Can be wrapped thin with slightly better grip than cork tape.
• Harder to clean but relatively cheap

 

Synthetic Cork

• Basic durability, can get really stinky as the porous material absorbs a lot of sweat and dirt. Easy to wrap (than traditional cork)
• Hard to clean but relatively cheap - so can be replaced often.

Leather

• Low amounts of grip, expensive and hard to tape. Swells and gets manky once it gets wet. Hard to clean. 
• It's Weird and Psychotic having dead body parts draped over your bicycle.