Handlebar tape
£10.99 – £45 Which one best suits your needs and budget?
01 Deda Elementi Deda Tape £10.99
Colours 20 to choose from
● Deda’s budget 180cm-long tape is a simple EVA foam that’s 30mm wide and tapers from 3mm at its thickest. It looks classy, though, thanks to the slate-grey colour, pressed logos and carbon-like looks on the simple bar-end bungs. The tape has quite a lot of stretch and the 8mm-wide sticky strip still works when repositioned when you’re fitting it (which does take a bit of care as it’s so stretchy, though the tapered edges make it easy to get an even surface). At just 40.18g for two rolls and the bar-end bungs, this tape is amongst the lightest you’ll find, though it can’t match the comfort and grip of more expensive PU and EVA dual-material tapes. The smooth surface has enough grip in the dry, but the tape does suffer in the rain, with the foam eventually wetting out and taking on water in prolonged downpours. It can become slippery too. It’s a good tape in dry weather on the road but lacks the grip and vibration damping for rougher stuff.
02 Cinelli Camouflage Ribbon £19.99
Colours Camo
● Cinelli’s Camo Ribbon is based on the Italian brand’s revolutionary material recipe from 1982 that blends EVA foam and natural cork. This 30mm by tapered 3mm-thick tape has plenty of stretch, making it easy to get an even, smooth wrap (don’t overstretch it though). At 58g, a set of the Camo Ribbon is light and, unlike most foam-based tapes, it has a little texture on its surface to make it grippier. The soft foam tape is excellent at cushioning vibrations though it lacks the elasticity of thick, silicone-based, polyurethane or multi-material tapes. That means on prolonged bumpy sections the tape compresses and stays that way. This tape is best in dry conditions as it lacks grip when things get wet. It’s better than most pure EVA foam tapes but can’t hold a candle to polyurethane tapes for wet-weather grip. The camouflage pattern penetrates the material, wearing well while the fluoroorange bar-end bungs contrast nicely.
03 Kinesis Bikes UK Anti-Slip £28
Colours Jo Burt edition, Black patterned
● Kinesis’ Anti-Slip tape has an EVA foam core and a polyurethane surface. The 30mm wide, tapered 2.5mm-thick tape is adorned with the writings of Jo Burt, the creator of our sister magazine Mountain Biking UK’s mascot: the mountain-bike-riding sheep Mint Sauce. The eye-catching fluoro pink and white script is matched with Burt’s flower graphic on one of the bar-end plugs, while the other has a Kinesis logo. The tape fits well and the tacky 6mm adhesive strip allows for repositioning; but with a nice, tapered shape and just enough stretch, it’s easy to get the fit right. At 67g for the set, the tape is plenty light enough and on the bike it reduces road buzz a little better than cheaper pure-foam tapes. This tape gives better grip than pure foam in the damp too. The printed script does wear, however. The Anti-Slip tape’s well priced, light, comfortable and grippy, but the loud print may not be to everyone’s taste.