Brooks Bar Tape!

Is this the best Touring Bar Tape one can buy?

One thing that I never skimp on besides tyres is bar tape. A good tape is paramount to a good ride. A good tape is more than just looks, it acts as a mini shock absorber, and a good grippy tape helps keep your hands on the bars, especially in wet weather. A good thick tape helps with hand spasms and soreness in the palms. Let's not forget the last thing, a good tape is durable and last long on the bars in all kinds of weather.

I have always been a big Lizard Skin fan and for my road bikes I would never have anything else on. My Domane had Lizard Skin on the bars for the last twelve months pf me owning it. It didn't matter how wet it got from rain, or sweat you were able to keep a good hold of the bars no matter what.

But Lizard Skin leaves a little to be desired for the Kona Sutra Touring Bike. Whilst on the road it excelled, it fell short on long days in the saddle over a mixed terrain, mostly gravel roads and rough dirt tracks.

Ever since then I have been on the search for a tape that will serve my purpose. I have tried a few on the Kona, like I said Lizard Skin, and a LS knock off, Velotape. It is very similar in feel but like a lot of cheaper tapes, stretches much more when applied to the bike. This, depending on the tape isn't always a good thing. The Velotape held up for a while but in the end it began to split, crack and peel.

Then along came Brooks Microfibre Waterproof Tape. I always knew it was there, but had never purchased it. But my time has come and I have to say how happy I am with this tape in the beginning of my new found love affair.

The Brooks Microfibre Waterproof Bar tape is, like I would say all bar tapes are, made in China, not England like their saddles. But don't let that sway you. Once out of the box I knew it would was a good quality tape, it just had that feel.

It is 30 mm wide, 3 mm thick, a synthetic material that is treated with a waterproof treatment. It is quite a stiff tape that does net stretch a great deal. It goes on with minimal stretching involved, much like Lizard Skin. It almost has a new leather feel.

Being a thick tape I thought it might have been a bit of a pain to apply, but I was wrong. This tape went on easily and considering that I have bar end shifters with a cable sticking out of the front of my drops, it was very easy to manipulate around the bar's curvature and hoods. Even around the hoods it did not feel overly thick and tucked in under the covers extremely well .

Being 3 mm thick it offers a good cushioning between your hands and the bars, soaking up the bumps, and this is what I am after. I don't mind paying a little extra if it works. In the long run good tape works out cheaper as it lasts longer.

The 30 mm wide tape covers the bars easily and there were no issues trying to get it to mould onto itself as it was wrapped around.

I wasn't able to take it for much of a ride as I am still in recovery mode, so I look forward to checking this out more very soon.

You can check it out i more detail here on my You Tube Channel.

Cheers guys, and as always, ride safe.