Handlebar tape is an underappreciated but critical piece of gear—it covers two of the five contact points you have with your bike, and the typical cyclist spends at least 10 hours a week holding onto it. That’s a lot. So it’s worth investing in quality tape, which is essential for comfort and control, especially at high speeds and in tricky corners. Plus, a newly wrapped handlebar is one surefire way to make your bike look and feel refreshed. We tested and evaluated a range of tapes to find the best for all kinds of riding.
Check out quick info below on five of the best bar tapes, then keep reading for more in-depth reviews and buying advice.
Grippy, absorbent, and durable.
Keep it on for a few seasons.
No glue = all the redos you need.
Super-thick padding to dull the jarring.
Tons of cool colors and patterns.
How to Wrap Your Handlebar
Aspects of Bar Tape to Consider
Material
Bar tape comes in a variety of materials, the most popular of which are synthetic, leather, and cork. Synthetics generally consist of polyurethane, nylon, or silicone, with a foam or gel core. These are usually very durable options, and specifically designed to feel a bit tackier under your hands, even when slicked with rain or sweat. Leather tape can be tricky to wrap, as it’s relatively stiff and lacking in cushioning (what you’d expect from leather). But once you break it in, it’s soft to the touch and very sharp looking. Finally, cork is soft and cushioned, and on the thick side, but tends to absorb sweat and dirt.
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Thickness
Traditionally, road racers prefer thin tape (1 to 2mm), which offers more direct connection and input response to the bike. You can find most leather and cork bar tapes, as well as plenty of synthetic options, in this thickness. With gravel rides and other off-road drop-bar adventures becoming more popular, the number of thicker, more shock-absorbent bar tapes has increased. Companies such as Specialized, Silca, and Blackburn are designing multilayered tapes that offer better grip and sweat absorption. These are also great for absorbing the bumps and bounces that go with road and gravel riding. A comfort-oriented bar tape will usually be somewhere in the range of 2.5 to 3.2mm thick. One option in this list, the Lizard Skins DSP 4.6, offers a whopping 4.6mm of extra cushioning.
Backing
Most tapes have either an adhesive or sticky gel strip on the back to keep them from shifting as you ride. The gel option generally offers a little bit more damping than the adhesive, but the adhesive kind is best at staying put all season.
How We Evaluated
I’ve spent more than 20 years riding every type of bike across every type of terrain imaginable—from gliding down smooth, desolate highways on a touring bike to racing fixed-gear bikes and singlespeeds on potholed city streets and bouncing over rocky, dried-up riverbeds on a trusty gravel frame. As a summertime eschewer of gloves, I’ve never denied the importance of bar tape in making those rides a lot cushier and easier on my forearms. This list of top bar tapes was compiled with the help of Bicycling’s test editors, who have experience using them in a variety of dry and wet weather conditions. The rest we’ve evaluated based on user reviews, research, and how their specs compare to similar products we’ve tested in the past. Here are the best bar-tape options in a range of thicknesses for adding a little comfort—and in some cases, style—to your bike
Supacaz Super Sticky Kush Classic
Material: Polyurethane | Thickness: 3mm | Colors: Black, brown, oil slick, grey, neon, celeste
Supacaz Super Sticky Kush Handlebar Tape
Pros
- Forgiving
Cons
- Can be tricky to wrap
You might hear the term “Super Sticky Kush” and think of something entirely unrelated to cycling and bike parts. Regardless, we can assure you the 3mm wrap feels right at home on any road bike. It’s one of the longer-lasting tapes we’ve tested, and it stays grippy even when your hands are sweating mid-race. That “kushy” underlayer absorbs road buzz adequately. It’s available in an assortment of colors from simple to flashy, so you’ll find something to match your style. Added bonus: It comes with screw-in aluminum bar plugs.
Lizard Skins DSP 3.2
Material: Durasoft polymer | Thickness: 3.2mm | Colors: Blue, grey, red
Pros
- Smooths out jarring from rough terrain
Cons
- Overkill for riders who want more contact with the bar
If your long rides take you to the roughest, most jarring terrain, the DSP 3.2 is just what you need to keep your hands from losing sensation over time. The thickest version of Lizard Skins’ DSP line, the 3.2 is indeed 3.2mm thick—with more padding than regular tape. All that cushion might feel like overkill on smooth stretches of pavement, but over the course of a long gravel race or bikepacking trip, it’ll save you a few numb digits and shoulder aches. You can even leave your gloves at home. DSP makes its tape from a long-lasting, durasoft polymer that feels grippy and secure on even the choppiest, sketchiest gravel.
Pro Gravel Comfort Tape
Material: EVA | Thickness: 3mm | Color: Black, multicolor
Pros
- Cushy on all surfaces
- Easy to wrap and rewrap
Cons
Let’s say you want some support on bouncy trails but don’t quite need a 4.6mm pillow between your hands and the bar. With 3mm of padding, this shock-absorbing EVA bar tape provides a nice middle ground between a feeling of soft cushiness and connection to the bike, no matter what kind of terrain you plan to ride. The tape has a silicone backing, so it’s easy to install—and reinstall, if you screw it up the first time—plus plenty of extra length so you can customize the level of overlap. The textured surface holds your sweaty grip and doesn’t wear down or tear easily. As a bonus, the monochrome geometric patterning adds some subtle style.
Fizik Tempo Microtex Bondcush Classic
Material: Microtex synthetic | Thickness: 2mm | Colors: Green, grey, orange, pink, white, yellow
Pros
- Easy to keep clean
Cons
- Thicker version can be hard to install
At 2mm thick, the Tempo Bondcush is a fairly thin tape that’s easy to wrap around your bar—and comes with extra length in case you make a mistake. It’s comfortable and durable and made of a microtex material bonded to polymer foam that doesn’t tear easily, even over a couple of seasons of heavy riding. It also has a soft matte finish that soaks up moisture. If you want to lessen the discomfort from road buzz, Fizik also offers a 3mm “soft” option, which boasts similar longevity on an even cushier, more forgiving tape.
Silca Nastro Fiore
Material: Foam, aluminum, silicone | Thickness: 2.5mm | Colors: White
Pros
- Subtle geometric design
- The stickiest tape we tested
- High quality
Cons
- Tricky to wrap
- Limited color options
- Pricey
This tape is made from a proprietary material that Silca created by blending a few of its in-house synthetics. The result is a soft, comfortable feel, better grip in wet and dry conditions, and improved vibration isolation and durability. The Fiore is 2.5mm thick, and the company claims it’s as comfortable as 3.2mm-thick tape made of other materials. Testers said it was a bit difficult to wrap because of the lack of stretchiness, but it’s worth the struggle to get it on. Like everything Silca does, this tape is made with ridiculous attention to detail and classy execution.
Cinelli Cork
Material: Polyurethane, cork | Thickness: About 2.75mm | Colors: Black, brown, grey, white, pink, yellow, blue, orange, green
Pros
- Made of soft, natural cork
- Available in tons of colors
Cons
- Hard to clean
- Can be less durable
Lovely and classic, Cinelli Cork gets the job done. It’s a longtime favorite of many riders due to its simplicity. The cork absorbs sweat on hot days and offers a padded feel under the hands. It’ll also dampen road vibrations, though maybe not enough for full-on gravel jaunts. One downside: The natural material is more difficult to clean than some of the synthetic alternatives, and it can tear and fray under heavy use. You may also find that you have to wrap your bar regularly. But we like the low price and many options. Is your favorite color light blue? Cinelli has a cork wrap for that. Bar plugs and finishing strips are included.
Arundel Rubber Gecko
Material: EVA foam, polyurethane | Thickness: About 2.75mm | Colors: Black, blue, yellow, red
Pros
- Thick
- Easy to clean
- Easy to maintain good grip
Cons
Easy to clean and easy on the hands, Arundel’s Rubber Gecko combines EVA foam and ventilated polyurethane for a comfortable grip. The textured surface helps keep your mitts on the bar, even in hot or wet weather. It’s also durable and works well for on- and off-road adventures. And it cleans up well with soap and water. Arundel provides traditional bar plugs to keep things tidy, and the Rubber Gecko tape wraps smoothly. Basic black works with every frame color, but you can find more colors on Arundel’s site if you want something flashier.
ESI Grips RCT Wrap
Material: Silicone | Thickness: 3.5mm | Colors: Green, black, blue, yellow, grey, white
Pros
- Customizable thickness
- Easy to clean
- Easy to rewrap
Cons
RCT stands for “Road, Cyclocross, Triathlon”—all the disciplines this tape is designed to perform best for. It’s stretchy, so depending on how tight you wrap it, you can customize the thickness of the handlebar cushioning. It’s 100 percent silicone, which is nonporous (meaning it won’t collect dirt or absorb sweat) and washable. Our staff mechanic has had this tape on every road bike he’s ever owned because he loves the tacky feel of this long-lasting wrap. It’s also a great one if you’re wrapping your bar yourself for the first time—since there’s no glue backing, you can redo it as often as you need to get it just right.
BTP Woven
Material: Silicone, ethylene vinyl acetate | Thickness: 1.5 to 2mm | Colors: Too many to list
Pros
- Tons of colors and patterns
- Silicone dots make it extra grippy
Cons
- Not very absorbent
This multicolored tape is made of bright, silky threads that are sure to turn some heads and get you compliments on the group ride. With over 120 color and pattern options, there’s definitely a style that will suit your setup. The fabric is lined with sticky silicone dots on the outside that enhance grip, and beneath the woven fabric is high-density EVA foam for a bit more cushioning. The tape is relatively thin—it varies from 1.5mm to 2mm, based on the pattern. All BTP woven tape comes with two end caps and black finishing tape. If you’re really into the woven stuff, also check out Portland Design Works’ Yo Wraps (we like the taco print).
Zipp Service Course CX
Material: Polyurethane | Thickness: <2mm | Colors: Black, red, white
Pros
- Light padding dampens road vibration
Cons
Designed and intended for cyclocross riders, this tape has the kind of extra stickiness and grip you’d want in a muddy, wet ’cross race. The exterior is etched with a tight cross-hatching pattern that makes an excellent nonslip surface for any ride, whether you’re wearing gloves or not. It’s a streamlined tape that gives you good control over (and connection to) the bar without being so thin that your wrists and hands feel beaten up by more technical terrain. As a style bonus, the tape comes with carbon-fiber bar ends.
Riley is a writer and outdoor adventure guide currently based in Tucson, Arizona where she leads mountain bike rides, rock climbing, and hiking trips. In her spare time, she writes stories and reviews outdoor and fitness gear. Find her writing in publications including Outside, Lonely Planet, SHAPE, Bicycling, Runner’s World, and others. When she’s not playing in the mountains, she’s probably laying down somewhere or eating (or both).
