Thick bar tape recommendations

[cjrich]

Hi all. I'm sure this may have been asked before but I'm after your recommendations for thick bar tape to overcome road vibrations on my arthritic hands. I only have clearance for 23mm front tire so wider tire is not really an option. After some research I have a few options.

Lizard Skin DSP 3.2: Read reviews that this tape wears out quickly for expensive tape, possible too bulky for my med size hands.
Supercaz Kush: Not sure if this will be kushy enough.
Other tape with gel pads underneath: Never used gel pads before.

I always wear padded gloves. Anyone has experience with these I'd appreciate your feedback.
Thanks heaps

[fat and old]

Used L/S 2.5 a few times and I think it’s great, especially in wet conditions. Would be using it now if I hadn’t got some fancy Cinelli two tone stuff as a present which is honestly just as comfy. L/S lasted around 6-8 months commuting use. Ride without gloves mainly so my comfy needs aren’t as high as yours probably. I put some Supercaz on my old bike when I sold it to my mate, and don’t rate it. At all.

FWIW, your sig says 2015 R3? I have a 2014 R5 and run 25mm corsas on Fulcrum 3’s and have had same tires on enve 3.4’s with no clearance issues.

[cjrich]

Thanks for this info. As for tires I did try GP 4 Season and Gators 25s for a while on my Fulcrum Zeros but fork clearance was so tight that any debris (eg small gravel) stuck on wet tires would rub on the fork crown, wearing away the paint. Decided to play it safe and go to 23s on the front.
CJ

[rodneycc]

I love Cinelli Vegan/Eco leather bar tape. Its about $50-55. Im not vegan either. Half the price of leather tape, thicker, good for all weather and good quality stuff. I'm surprised its not more popular. Its only avail in black or brown (I have both and the brown looks awesome on the Ti bike).

On the cheaper side of things BBB cork tape isn't bad and fairly thick.

I've got a couple of bikes with Lizard skin 3.2, good but it doesn't last (its shedding its top layer skin!).

The regular Cinelli is ok too but the Vegan tape is the winner for me.... (there is also Cinelli chunky that I haven't tried).

[Tim]

I like either Cinelli or Easton Cork (impregnated) tape.
Nice and cushy and cheap. Buy two packs.
On a mate's bike I wrapped a double layer just above the shifters.
Wrap the the extra padded section/s first and secure with electrical tape, then wrap the full length over the top.
He loves it.
Both brands last me well over 12 months.

[rodneycc]

There is also that guy who raves about the $3 bar tape on ebay that he reckons is as good as any. If you search for the thread you might find a link.

[eeksll]

so i was a lizard skins user and decided to try supecaz based on a recommendation here, they are in deed thicker than lizard skins. But I am fairly sure I was NOT using the 3.2 lizard skins, just the standard. So can't help you much there.

supercaz also lasts, lizard skins tend to stop feeling new and cushy after a while. I have not expereinced that with supercaz yet, its been 2+ years at least.

another option instead of buying those gel pads is to just cut some bar tape up and use that, it helps to keep the overall bar width a bit smaller over double wrapping. I like those flat aero bars with the bigger surface area on top, so on the bike which had a standard handlebar I cut up quite a few strips of old bar tape to build the width up on a standard bar.

as an aside, I wanted a tacky bar tape, supercaz is not as tacky as lizard skins (which in turn is not as tacky as one of the $10 lifeline bartapes)

[li2099]

I've used Lizard Skins medium thickness 2.5mm, Supacaz, Cinelli Cork Gel, Fizik Microtex Gel, Cinelli gel pads, Fizik blue gel pads and numerous others.
My favourite would be the Supacaz for the following superior reasons (IMO):

1. Excellent medium cushioning. Too soft and it will be like Cinelli cork tape as your weight on the bars will soon be felt right through.
2. Excellent durability. The diamond pattern will wear off but the tape is still good. Will not fade like cork tape.
3. Excellent grip. Not sticky to the point of disgusting in summer (eg. Rapha race tape).
4. Excellent re-wrap ability. For being extra OCD, I usually have to see even spacing between the overlaps.
5. The best end plugs. Metal and expands by tightening a hex.
4. Funky colours.



If you use gel pads, it'll help a bit BUT wrapping the pads underneath too tightly and you'll end up as if no gel pads. Wrapping it too loosely and around the front of the drops will sag overtime and expose the bars underneath.

I've found the shape of the handlebars to make a difference too.
The 3T Ergonova was good as it had a flat top.

[eeksll]

3. Excellent grip. Not sticky to the point of disgusting in summer (eg. Rapha race tape).

maybe i got to try rapha race tape , sounds expensive

The best end plugs. Metal and expands by tightening a hex.

I also like the bar end plug too, I plan to keep using it, if its reusable.

I've found the shape of the handlebars to make a difference too.
The 3T Ergonova was good as it had a flat top.

does the bike in the image have the 3t ergonova bars on it? I did try the 3t ergonova (or thought it was a ergonova) and I found that to have the tops flat/horizontal I needed the point to point down at an angle i.e like this image.

Which then meant the side bits of the bar where not horizontal and I didn't like that as i put my hands there alot.

[mogwaiboi]

I've tried Lizard Skins (wears too quick for me), Supacaz (not as grippy as LS but lasts longer), Fizik Performance (my commuting choice as lasts forever). My pick at the moment though is Fabric Hex as it's grippy and comfortable with nice screw in end plugs.

[10speedsemiracer]

double wrap the tops for extreme padding, or line the bars with an old tube under your favourite tape. I personally like Arundel cork tape, but not sure that it's the most durable option.

[li2099]

3. Excellent grip. Not sticky to the point of disgusting in summer (eg. Rapha race tape).

maybe i got to try rapha race tape , sounds expensive

does the bike in the image have the 3t ergonova bars on it? I did try the 3t ergonova (or thought it was a ergonova) and I found that to have the tops flat/horizontal I needed the point to point down at an angle i.e like this image.

Which then meant the side bits of the bar where not horizontal and I didn't like that as i put my hands there alot.

The Rapha look like these:
Zero padding because it's race oriented.


No this bike has the original Giant handlebars but they are very similar to the Ergonova in shape.
I understand what you mean by tilting the flat section but for me, I was able to find a compromised position after adjusting the shifters as well.

[cjrich]

Thanks for the suggestions everyone. I'm gonna try the Cinelli Gel Cork this time, it's fairly cheap so if I don't like it then no biggie.
Cheers

[lone rider]

I had Lizard Skin for about a month, too sticky for me. Supercaz I thought was excellent but too pricey. The one i keep going back to is Arundel Gecko grip but find it wears a bit, but last time noticed a new version called synthetic gecko, which is very cushy but so far is much better in terms of wear life.

[familyguy]

Double layer where most required. Get some of the bargain bin Wiggle or c r c Clarks tape or whatever is cheap, wrap it with minimal or no overlap, then put good stuff/preferred brand over the top.

Jim