If you want to bling up your bike with a colour-matched style, look for synthetic tape available in various colours. If you're old school, you can still buy Velox cloth rim tape for just two quid per side and there's still some uncushioned Benotto tape out there too. While its price is comparable to some of the most expensive tapes, so it the performance and for those of you who are happy to pay for it then it is a good investment.” John has been writing about bikes and cycling for over 30 years since discovering that people were mug enough to pay him for it rather than expecting him to do an honest day's work. Bar tape material has come a long way since the early days, but none of the early materials have been made entirely redundant. Over the years, we've seen cotton, cork, leather, vinyl, foam, and more. Cork and leather have been popular for decades for their levels of grip, comfort and for a classic look, but they do have limitations. The most commonly found bar tapes nowadays are made using synthetic materials which can be combined with foam or gel for padding.

Watch the gap: As you wrap, always stay alert for any gaps in the tape. Not only is this unsightly and unprofessional it could also lead to a less than secure finish. Tester Steph writes: “Made from a synthetic and natural cork mix with 2.8mm of padding and gel on the inner side, it is very comfortable and easy on the hands. I noticed the grip immediately without gloves on, and felt that even in wet conditions it would work extremely well. I usually ride with gloves, but went without just to give it a fair chance to shine. The grip was beyond excellent, even in damper weather. The gel underlay seemed to absorb any bumps I may have felt otherwise, and if coupled with gloves your hands would barely suffer.If you're new to wrapping drop bars we'd suggest watching this how to wrap handlebar tape video , which gives plenty of visual help and advice.

Most of the options I've included in this list are smooth. The option from PNW does have a texture but it's not uniform. There's also the Brooks Cambium, my favourite on the list, but not everyone is going to love the price of that one. That leaves a bit of a hole in the lineup for something that has texture for those that prefer it but also comes with a more reasonable price. The best aspect of the tape is the diamond texture serves to increase grip. This makes it an ideal choice for any readers who happily ride without gloves, as even when you've got a bit sweaty there is still good grip on the handlebars. Your hands feel very secure with gloves too. It's also really good in the rain, as it simply serves up more grip than most regular bar tape. Be prepared: Don't start wrapping the tape until you're properly set-up for the task ahead. You'll need some sharp scissors at hand, along with some electrical tape. The latter is to replace the finishing strips that came in the box with the tape. Discard these because they aren't very good at securing the bar tape in place. Kinesis’s 4 Seasons tape may look pretty ordinary but there’s plenty of detail here that make it worthy of this best handlebar tape guide.It’s grippy regardless of whether you have gloves or not, or whether it’s raining or not. That embossed ENVE logo on the tape really does provide superb grip and a very secure connection between you and the bars, which gives plenty of confidence when moving around the bars descending nasty trails, even in the wet. The vibration-damping silicone strip works like a charm and helps to reduce trail buzz better than any other tape I’ve used.” The Brooks Cambium saddle wasn't something the brand expected to take over in the early days of gravel cycling the way it did. They discuss it as taking them by surprise but they recognized it and ran with the idea. The Cambium rubber bar tape is one piece of that. The feel of the top is very similar to the Rapha Brevet, since they are both synthetic rubber, however the Brooks option does a bit better in the wet and there are colour choices. The bar end plugs are also different and are a push-in style made from rubber instead of aluminium. I have run into some bars that they won't fit in though make sure you verify before tossing whatever you are using now. Always start from the bottom: It might seem obvious but you always wrap tape from the bottom of the drops, finishing on the tops.