Gear

Six of the best… handlebar tape upgrades

It's a little luxury that can make a big difference to your ride, and it's important in the style stakes, too. Here are six of the best bar tapes around

Lizard Skins DSP handlebar tape (£29.99)

Like everything, there’s good handlebar tape and there’s bad handlebar tape.
A fresh wrap of handlebar tape can make a big difference to the feel of your ride
Zipp may be best known for their wheels, but their Service Course bar tape is lovely, too
You get plenty of tape in a roll of Super Sticky Kush, so there won't be a problem even if you like to wrap your bars almost all the way to the stem
You may have seen Prologo's tape on the handlebars of the Orica-GreenEDGE team in recent years
Widget's Grip Wrap tape does the job well and won't break the bank at £14.99
Tortec are better known for making bike racks but their tape is also top notch

Lizard Skins DSP handlebar tape (£29.99)

The quality of Lizard Skins’ tape is no secret. The American company make durable, high quality bar tape that’s reassuringly expensive.

They also produce three different thicknesses – 1.8mm, 2.5mm and 3.2mm – which is a great little bonus if you’re off to ride some cobbles, or just after a bit more comfort up front. We reviewed the 3.2mm tape a few months back and the verdict was extremely positive.

Plus, if you’re worried about these things, Lizard Skins claim that at 50g per set their 1.8mm tape is the lightest on the market. It’s a bit of a relief, to be honest, as I can’t count the number of times I’ve been really worried that the weight of my bar tape might be holding me back.

In all seriousness, though, the tacky finish on Lizard Skins’ tape makes it both very grippy and highly durable. So you won’t be dropping thirty quid on a set of tape that you’ll have to replace after a month of bad weather riding.

Website: Lizard Skins
UK distributor: 2Pure