Fizik bar tape question

Triathlon Forum
1

I want to try some fizik bar tape, as some people say it is pretty good in the durability and washability departments.

However, they seem to have 3 different tape surface finishes: ‘classic’, ‘soft touch’, and ‘tacky touch’. Can anyone explain the major differences and steer me toward the better ones?

thanks!

2

The “soft” provides a little more cushion. The “tacky” provides a little more grip when wet. The “classic” is the stuff you’re most likely used to seeing. I used the classic white. It’s durable and cleans easily with Simple Green and a Scotch Brite. @nd year old white tape will pass the “10 foot” test.

hth

3

i got whichever one comes in neon yellow, think its classic, man holds up amazing, easy to clean, slippery when wet though.

4

To make it even more confusing, they also offer all 3 finishes in 2mm and 3mm thicknesses.

Regarding the finishes, the classic is kind of like what you might find in a nice car interior - smooth, doesn’t stick to your hand, yet doesn’t have a “fuzzy” feeling to it like the soft touch. The soft touch is more of a suede feel. The tacky touch feels a bit more sticky, although not in a way that you would think you’re going to have blackened hands from it. To me it feels more like a rubber tire compound than the others do. The tacky touch is more like a golf club grip, if my memory about golf serves me well enough. I guess I would think it would be a good choice for the person who has sweaty hands and doesn’t wear cycling gloves.

If I were to take a wild guess at which was the most aerodynamic, I’d say the classic. But I have no idea. But, if I wanted safety first, I’d go with the tacky touch.

I don’t know if that helps at all - it’s hard to try to describe these different tapes objectively and without just using the same words they use to label the products!

5

Thanks for all of the replies. I am I pretty sure that I am going to go with the thicker tape, as it is for an off road/gravel bike. My problem was trying to figure out the best surface finish. Sometimes I ride with long-fingered MTB gloves, and their palms have been shredding my existing bar tape. So it seems that classic might be the way to go if I try the fizik tape …