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About to replace the white bar tape on my CAAD 10 with a more practical black. Is there "much in it" between premium brands or am I about to commit terrible sins?
lots in it, cork discolours and looks cheap quickly if you get a colour, the Fizik stuff i am using is white and still looks ok after 2 years, but it isn't as comfy as new cork.
The Fizik tape is great. The white cleans pretty well and the black soft touch is very comfortable
The cheap Deda stuff looks fantastic but is p!ss thin.
The Lizard Skins DSP stuff is weird - it sort of feels sticky all the time. That means you get good grip without having to grip the bars tightly. However, it's a bit thin so best over some gel (fizik or similar).
For only a few quid difference between brands and type (where else would 10 quid be the difference between top and bottom of the range), it would make sense to me to choose what you fancy. I have lizard skins DSP at the moment and it does seem to dampen out road buzz and is grippy and comfy.
I like the Easton stuff.
Got some Lizard skins stuff to try in the great Evans debacle recently.
lizard skins dsp is only thin if you buy the thin stuff!
they do 1.8mm thick, 2.5 and 3.2mm versions.
Spesh Bar Phat* works for me.
*Bloody stupid name but nice product IMO.
Lizard skins dsp or Bontrager bar tape
Another vote for Lizard Skins DSP.. Awesome kit IMHO.
Lovely and soft, grippy, and, well, just 'right'
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Pro gel.
Lizard Skins DSP 2.5mm is awesome, particularly in the wet.
+1 for DSP.
Costs 5x more than cheep tape (£25 Vs £5) but it's great. Not 5x better, but certainly £20 better if that's making any sense?
Yes, there's a difference. Cinelli Cork for me.
Giant SLR bar tape,comfy, non branded, easy to apply and under a tenner.
Spesh bar fat at the moment. But alway drawn by the fancy patterns of bike ribbon
So some of that next
Used specialised bar phat was nice. Grippy but not hard wearing. Bontrager stuff was also good - ran it over the spesh gel pads. Comes in bright colours Was not that grippy in the wet tho.
Got some charge ubend waiting to go on, can't remember where but read a thread where everyone was hard for it.
There's often a bar tape bargain to be had in sales and reduced to clear etc.