The ideal bar tape (which, when and why)?

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dim
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robertbb
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by robertbb

BdaGhisallo wrote:
Thu Feb 21, 2019 9:40 pm
I have used a lot of different handlebar tapes over my thirty one years of cycling and, hands down, the best tape for comfort and feel has been the Zevlin Big 40 tape. Zevlin went out of business and Red Monkey Sports is now selling the tape. The stuff is fantastic.
Does this have an adhesive backing? If so, does it leave residue everywhere when removing?

Also, is it the same thickness throughout or is it thicker in the middle (I hate that!).

Cheers!

benzebub
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by benzebub

BdaGhisallo wrote:
Thu Feb 21, 2019 6:24 pm
benzebub wrote:
Thu Feb 21, 2019 5:59 pm
The now discontinued Pro digital Carbon was perfect for me. I really wish this was still available so if anyone sees some old stock in a shop, please buy it and ship it to me.
Isn't the PRO Sport Control tape pretty close to this?
For me it doesn’t come close.. the sport control has more of a rubbery texture and is more tacky and ‘hard’, I don’t like it very much
But I could be wrong

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guyc
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I also used to love the Pro Carbon - the closest I've found is Fabric Hex and I'm now running that on my bikes.

BdaGhisallo
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by BdaGhisallo

robertbb wrote:
Thu Feb 21, 2019 10:33 pm
BdaGhisallo wrote:
Thu Feb 21, 2019 9:40 pm
I have used a lot of different handlebar tapes over my thirty one years of cycling and, hands down, the best tape for comfort and feel has been the Zevlin Big 40 tape. Zevlin went out of business and Red Monkey Sports is now selling the tape. The stuff is fantastic.
Does this have an adhesive backing? If so, does it leave residue everywhere when removing?

Also, is it the same thickness throughout or is it thicker in the middle (I hate that!).

Cheers!
The Zevlin/RedMonkey tape is bevelled. The bevel starts about 8mm from the edge on each side, leaving a 24mm center section that is uniform in thickness.

The tape is backed with adhesive tape (it predates the current trend of silicone backing) and that is the one bad aspect. Depending on the finish of the bar you use (glossy is better) the tape can leave some residue behind when you remove it. This bothered me for a while but after I spent about six months trying other tapes and finding nothing that compared even slightly to the feel and comfort of the Zevlin, I see it as the price of near perfection. On one bar I wrapped the drops in 3M Super55 electrical tape (which itself leaves much less glue residue than other cheaper electrical tapes) and that made removing the Zevlin much, much easier.

Another aspect of the Zevlin worth mentioning is the superior hold in the wet. Your hands simply don't slide around when the tape gets wet from sweat or rain. When I use the Pro Sport Control it's great in the dry but my gloved hands will slip around sometimes when it gets wet.
Last edited by BdaGhisallo on Fri Feb 22, 2019 12:37 pm, edited 1 time in total.

jlok
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by jlok

nickf wrote:
Thu Feb 21, 2019 6:07 pm
I like the Pro Race Comfort. Great grip without gloves, wet and dry. Says its 2.5mm but sure does seem thinner than that. Not at all what I would call squishy.
2nd that.

It seems that the tape won't absorb water and sweat unlike Fizik microfiber. Less smelly you know... the sweat...
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by bigfloor

Bikeribbon Grip Evo

https://www.bikeribbon.com/product/grip-evo/

Have tried Fizik (multiple variants) and Lizard Skins (1.8 & 2.5mm) but this BikeRibbon is the best so far, grippy, flexible for wrapping, easy to clean/wipe off and not too expensive

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wheelsONfire
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by wheelsONfire

Looked at Deda Traforato, but i heard it tears easily?
Anyone know of a thin bar tape without glue strip?
Bikes:

Ax Lightness Vial EVO Race (2019.01.03)
Open *UP* (2016.04.14)
Paduano Racing Fidia (kind of shelved)


Ex bike; Vial EVO D, Vial EVO Ultra, Scott Foil, Paduano ti bike.

ancker
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by ancker

While we're on the subject of bartape...

Anyone know of anything other than Fouriers that does a dual-color that isn't super loud?
Lizard Skins has dual color black/pink, but the pink is neon...way too crazy for my liking.
Fouriers is great, but it takes forever from China/eBay and I can't seem to find a local supplier.

Fouriers: http://www.fouriers-bike.com/en/pro.php ... cid=13&f=2
Lizard Skins: https://lizardskins.com/road/bar-tape/d ... bar-tape-6

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themidge
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by themidge

wheelsONfire wrote:
Fri Feb 22, 2019 2:46 pm
Anyone know of a thin bar tape without glue strip?
How thin are you thinking? I like my Tesa 51608 tape which is about 1mm thick, maybe less. It has a sticky back but doesn't leave any residue to speak of, certainly not anything approaching glue.

jih
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by jih

Deda standard tape. It's light, cheap, reasonably padded, and comes in a lot of colours. Also handles rainwater well and easy to clean with a dab of white spirit.

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wheelsONfire
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by wheelsONfire

themidge wrote:
Fri Feb 22, 2019 5:52 pm
wheelsONfire wrote:
Fri Feb 22, 2019 2:46 pm
Anyone know of a thin bar tape without glue strip?
How thin are you thinking? I like my Tesa 51608 tape which is about 1mm thick, maybe less. It has a sticky back but doesn't leave any residue to speak of, certainly not anything approaching glue.
Great question!
I don't know. Riding my bars without tape vs with tape, i actually need to reposition shifters.
Same if i wear gloves (as the often are padded under thumb).
Perhaps i should try that Tesa tape.
At the moment i just taped Sram red tape.
It's hard to say how thick this is, as it's thicker at the middle.
However, hate how it sticks like crazy to the bars (when removing)
Bikes:

Ax Lightness Vial EVO Race (2019.01.03)
Open *UP* (2016.04.14)
Paduano Racing Fidia (kind of shelved)


Ex bike; Vial EVO D, Vial EVO Ultra, Scott Foil, Paduano ti bike.

kode54
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by kode54

interesting...never thought of using TESA tape. Do you have a pic of your handlebars with it wrapped in TESA?
themidge wrote:
Fri Feb 22, 2019 5:52 pm
wheelsONfire wrote:
Fri Feb 22, 2019 2:46 pm
Anyone know of a thin bar tape without glue strip?
How thin are you thinking? I like my Tesa 51608 tape which is about 1mm thick, maybe less. It has a sticky back but doesn't leave any residue to speak of, certainly not anything approaching glue.
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mrlobber
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by mrlobber

The lightest "tape" which actually isn't cycling bar tape, but general purpose "soft isolation tape", is Tesa - full wrap is almost 2x lighter than Deda Traforato - 15g or so.

Benefits:
1) totally cheap
2) lightest :twisted:
3) doesn't leave any residues whatsoever

It doesn't offer any real cushion, but at least ensures your hands don't slip on your expensive uberlight carbon handlebars ;)

If you're riding with gloves, there's no point of having additional cushioning in bar tape, but, but stating this opinion, please note I'm relatively insensitive to handlebar comfort (given that I'm comfortably (enough for me) riding 22-23mm tubs and full carbon naked Berk saddles). On my light bike, I'm ridingTesa even without gloves.
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DCcyclist
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by DCcyclist

Lizardskins 2.5mm because it's the best. :)
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