This is a great idea.
Wilson for example. It comes also in white. But it doesn’t clean well.Thanks, but I’m looking for something that has good grip and cleans well.
To be clear: good grip plus easy to clean in white.
**Waste of money for a pricey bar wrap. Big disappointment **
Clearly this is one of those YMMV things. I’ve been using the white Fizik Microfiber “glossy” tape for years. Love it and have never had an issue. It’s the only tape the looks new after a season of hard riding.
Blog of mine on this topic from a few years ago - http://stevefleck.blogspot.ca/2011/04/handlebar-tape-more-important-than-you.html
Yeah the fizik tape is far superior to the lizard skinz
.
I second the Fizik bartape. I’ve used it in the rain and it’s completely clean and dry afterwards. I’ve tried a variety of bartapes and this is by far the best one.
Which model fizik??
Doesn’t exist. I have tried many and you can either have tape that feels great or stays white.
I use Fizik Microtex in white on my road bike because it looks pretty, matches my saddle, and stays clean. It is extremely durable, but is not tacky.
Black Lizzard Skins or Arundel Geko of you want grip.
If you find what you’re looking for, it will cost $50/roll and I’ll buy it.
Shimano PRO PU SL
This is it.
Fizik Performance Bar Tape, Black https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AONXMHQ/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_ISDivb1A4RM45
It’s on Amazon prime with lots of color options
Can someone identify the following?
This first picture I am not sure what tape my mechanic used last year. I really like this rubbery feeling tape. It was tacky in all conditions. It had enough cushion and it was fairly good through the year for being able to keep whiter compared to tapes used previously, but I don’t know what the mechanic used and I never really paid attention to the bar plug if it had a logo. I thought this tape might have been from SRAM. It even held up in a hard crash. You can see a hint of it scuffed up at the end of the drop and on the shifter. I’ve had similar crashes with cork and had to replace the tape immediately.
This year he put Bike Ribbon Eleganza. One trip out on the new tape with gloves used through the winter and they are nasty already. Most of what was shown cleaned off okay, but I have a feeling this tape is going to be harder to keep clean compared to what was used last year. If someone knows what the tape in the picture above is I would appreciate a tip because if the Eleganza doesn’t hold up I will use it. I am using black Fizik Performance on my other and it is nice, but since it black I can speak for cleaning.
Specialized Roubaix tape has been fantastic. I like the feel, grip, and it lasts for years. The real key to cleaning for me is one of these:
http://www.leevalley.com/US/garden/page.aspx?p=10259&cat=2,42551
It’s a very soft bristle that does a great job getting into the texture of the tape without causing any damage. Wet the bar tape, squirt on some dish soap, then scrub it clean.
I really like the Fizik tape. Lasts forever and stays white even without cleaning. I’m not sure how its grip compares to others, but I’ve never found it to be slippery.
Ditto. It isn’t a plush as some other tape, but I have some tape that has stayed put for 4 years on bike and 2 years on the other. I used to use Cinelli and some other cork style tape and rarely made it 6 months before it needed changed. It is nice to set it and forget it.
Your top pic shows Lizard Skins bar tape. Can’t tell the thickness (it comes in several thicknesses), but that pattern is a lizard skins thing.
Also, here’s another n=1 that says the lizard skins is slick when wet and the white won’t clean. I just went back to black and red.
I have no input on white bar tape but I’ve been using these in white http://www.amazon.com/Profile-Design-PRO121-Aero-Grip/dp/B005FEO22I
They clean very easily and the grip is good even when wet. Not sure if they are an aero faux pas though. Any thoughts?
**I’ve tried a variety of bartapes and this is by far the best one. **
The only knock on the Fizik microtex is that it naturally does not offer a lot of padding. Fine with me, as I don’t like a lot of bar padding and I always were gloves (road bike).
I gave up on cleaning white tape, just replace it every year. Having to change a flat could easily dirty up your white tape. I just switched back to black.
Best thing I have found to clean white bar tape is lemon pledge wipes. works awesome
Specialized Roubaix tape has been fantastic. I like the feel, grip, and it lasts for years. The real key to cleaning for me is one of these:
http://www.leevalley.com/...0259&cat=2,42551
It’s a very soft bristle that does a great job getting into the texture of the tape without causing any damage. Wet the bar tape, squirt on some dish soap, then scrub it clean.Thanks. I think I’m going to first try some of the cleaning tips you and others have made with my Lizard Skins tape - I’d just been wiping with dish soap and a rag and that isn’t enough.
Specialized Roubaix tape has been fantastic. I like the feel, grip, and it lasts for years. The real key to cleaning for me is one of these:
http://www.leevalley.com/...0259&cat=2,42551
It’s a very soft bristle that does a great job getting into the texture of the tape without causing any damage. Wet the bar tape, squirt on some dish soap, then scrub it clean.Thanks. I think I’m going to first try some of the cleaning tips you and others have made with my Lizard Skins tape - I’d just been wiping with dish soap and a rag and that isn’t enough.
One more vote for this brush. This is what medical staff use to clean blood and other nastiness off their fingers. Works amazing for removing black grease and chain-oil from your hands after bike-maintenance, too.
One more vote for Fizik Microtex. Another good option is the Specialized S-Wrap Classic. It doesn’t say quite as clean as the Fizik tape (but still vastly superior to most other white tapes), but the bar plugs on the Specialied tape are awesome.