I wanted to start a repository of handlebar tape likes/dislikes/impressions. As this is a Wiki-style post, feel free to edit this post and add your own bullet points and thoughts as you see fit, or add tapes not listed on here! Let’s try to keep it alphabetical for easy referencing.
I’ll kick it off with a few that I carry and like. It might be clear that I’m a bit biased towards silicone gel bar tape!
If you see something under the “Likes” that you don’t agree with, feel free to also insert it into the “Dislikes” to express that, and vice versa! They’re opinions after all, and they don’t have to be universal.
Formatting note: Use “—” to create for a simple, clean divider between bar tapes.
BBB UltraRibbon / Zipp Service course (not CX)
MSRP: £20
Thickness: 2.8mm
Length / Roll: 200-215cm
Backing Type: adhesive tape
Likes
- Durable
- Affordable
- Good amount of stretch making it easy to install
- BBB tape has pattern that makes it easy to gauge equal overlap easily.
- Bar end plugs are good and hold tape securely.
- Easy to remove
Dislikes
- Tape can be a little slippery with sweaty hands.
- Some don’t like the BBB embossed pattern (I then use the Zipp tape instead.
Anecdotal Comments
- Don’t over Stretch the cut end prior to applying the finishing tape. Pulling this narrower section of tape can (very rarely) cause it to snap or delaminate.
Burgh Classic Bar Tape with Silicone
MSRP: $39.07 USD / AUD 59.95
Thickness: 2.5mm, 3.0mm
Length / Roll: 200cm
Backing Type: Silicone Gel
Likes
- Uses silicone gel backing
- Stretchy and easy to install
- Tacky and cushy feel
- Comes in 2.5 and 3.0mm options
- Offered with subtle black on black or white on black designs
- Nice black finishing tape
- Screw-in end plugs
Dislikes
- A bit pricier
Anecdotal Comments
- None yet
Cinelli Cork Ribbon Bar Tape
MSRP: US$20 (approx)
Thickness:
Length / Roll:
Backing Type: adhesive
Likes
- Reasonable cushioning
- Reasonable grip
- Inexpensive and widely available
- Available in many solid colors
Dislikes
- Can’t really be reused
Anecdotal Comments
- Has a traditional look.
Cinelli Gel Cork Bar Tape
MSRP: £12-15
Thickness: 3mm
Length / Roll: ?
Backing Type: Silicone
Likes
- Reasonable cushioning
- Reasonable grip
- Inexpensive and widely available
- Can be removed and re-wrapped easily
- Surface wears quite well
Dislikes
- Porous, soaks up sweat
- Silcone backer layer loses adhesion when it gets wet, allowing tape to slide up the bar.
Anecdotal Comments
- Looks and feels pretty much identical to the normal adhesive Cinelli cork tape once installed, but does not stay put, an absolute showstopper for me. I have not had this issue with other silicone backed tapes that are rubberized, not porous.
ENVE Handlebar Tape
MSRP: $40 USD
Thickness: 3.0mm
Length / Roll: 250cm
Backing Type: Silicone Gel
Likes
- Uses silicone gel backing
- Stretchy and easy to install
- Tacky
- Very long rolls of tape that should handle even the widest gravel bars
Dislikes
- Does not remove well despite gel backing. Gel tends to stick to the layer it’s wrapped on top of and rip itself a bit, but does not necessarily leave much/any when the gel is adhered to aluminum, carbon, or electrical tape.
- A bit pricier
Anecdotal Comments
- Pretty tacky at first but quickly looses that tackiness
- Removal issues may be dependent on install technique because I’ve used the same roll in 3 handlebars without much issue.
Ergon BT Gravel
MSRP: €39.95
Thickness: 3.5mm
Length / Roll: 230mm
Backing Type: adhesive
Likes
- Looks great in blue.
- Has some markings designed to aid getting a consistent wrap thickness.
- Grippy, and lets you modify how grippy by wrapping from the other end (directional).
Dislikes
- Stiff, thus hard to wrap
- Adhesive seems weak, comes off easily. e.g. a section cut to cover the brake clamp will not adhere itself and stay on.
- Too short, by quite a long way, even on normal 40cm road handlebars. Partly due to it’s thickness, partly due to wrapping over ergon foam pads.
- So thick and stiff that it’s a real challenge to get bar ends to stay in , really needs mechanically fixed ones with a bolt.
- Terrible finishing tape: peels off itself within a day, before even riding.
Anecdotal Comments
- They need to revise their lengths at the very least before I’d buy it again.
MSW Anti-Slip Gel Bar Tape HB-210
MSRP: $22.99
Thickness:
Length / Roll:
Backing Type:
Likes
- Fairly affordable pricing
- Uses silicone gel backing
- Stretchy and easy to install
- Easy to remove
- Silkier smooth (but not slippery) texture
Dislikes
- None yet
Anecdotal Comments
- A customer favorite, even before I tell them it’s the cheapest one I carry
Silca Nastro Cuscino 3.75 Black with neon orange
MSRP: US$50 (occasionally discounted at 50% off)
Thickness: 3.75mm
Length / Roll: 230cm
Backing Type: Silca proprietary
Likes
- Durable
- Slightly tacky
Dislikes
- Too short for gravel bars
- Extremely difficult to remove. The backing layer separated when the tape was being removed from the bar. The bits and pieces of backing material left on the bar had to be painfully scraped off and the sticky adhesive residue removed using Goo Gone.
Anecdotal Comments
- Will not buy again or recommend this tape because of the difficulty in removing it.
Zipp Service Course CX Tape
MSRP: $35 USD
Thickness:
Length / Roll:
Backing Type: Silicone Gel
Likes
- Uses silicone gel backing
- Stretchy and easy to install
- Extremely durable. Doesn’t seem to have a thin outer laminate layer that peels/rubs off
- Easy to remove (although some batches’ silicone gel have been a bit melty and overly sticky)
- Very grippy
Dislikes
- Design is a bit boring
- Half of the tape has “SERVICE COURSE” engraved in it
- Tacky looking finishing tape with big logos
Anecdotal Comments
- If you ride without gloves in summer, the bobbly finish will pick up bits of skin and can look quite disgusting by the end of a ride.
None
MSRP: Free like Outside
Thickness: 0mm
Length / Roll: Divide by Zero Error
Backing Type: Epidermis under Metacarpophalangeal Joints & [Life, Sun, Fate] Lines
Likes
- Very light
- Very cheap
- Very little maintenance
Dislikes
- Can be slippery
Anecdotal Comments
- Sometimes the only recourse when testing multiple Front End configurations in a time-limited scenario (ex: tunnel, field test, position tuning, bike fit appointment)
- Externally routed cable housings & hoses can run naked Bar x Electrical Tape for signaling that raw fashion counterculture look.
REDSHIFT Really Long Handlebar Tape
MSRP: $50 USD
Thickness: 3mm
Length / Roll: 315cm
Backing Type: adhesive
Likes
- long enough cover the longest bars
- long enough to add more thickness if your bars are not extremely long
- the outer layer is a rubbery polyurethane file tread & has great tactile feedback
- under the outer layer is a closed cell foam that provides cushion that does not break down
- black or grey
Dislikes
- black or grey
Anecdotal Comments
- Took about 2.5 years for a roll of tape to wear out or about 600 rides and 21,000 miles. When it does wear it starts by peeling the rubber layer off the closed cell foam. You can still use the tape when the closed cell foam is exposed and it still provides cushion.
TEMPLATE! Copy the section below and fill it in for tapes not listed. Keep the ## and ### in the formatting as it creates linkable headers
Insert bar tape here
MSRP:
Thickness:
Length / Roll:
Backing Type:
Likes
- what you like
Dislikes
- what you dislike
Anecdotal Comments
- other thoughts or experiences