Radial Cycles Grippy bar tape

Radial Cycles' Grippy bar tape gives you pretty much everything you might expect from a £20 bar tape for a tenner. It's great.

The tape itself is polyurethane, with a diamond-textured finish that gives excellent levels of grip in the wet and the dry. It's pretty stretchy, which makes it easy to apply, and the edges are tapered to give a smooth finish. Running along the back of the tape there's a generous gel strip, which also acts as the adhesive to keep the tape in place.

Once the tape is on it stays firmly put and the level of cushioning you get is excellent. I swapped some standard Deda cork tape out for the Radial tape and the difference is immediately noticeable. It's much plusher and grippier too. A 185cm roll was just enough for my 44cm wide bars; I was close wrapping around the shoulder to give a bit of extra comfort when you're on the hoods so if you were more sparing there you'd have plenty for even wider. You'll need to cut off a bit to cover the shifter band as the tape doesn't come with a strip for that. It does come with finishing tape to seal the wrap, but it's not as effective as normal insulating tape.

Overall, it's excellent. Standard cork tape will cost you eight quid and this stuff is miles better for hardly any more. It's as good as many tapes that cost twice as much. Providing you don't want a snazzy colour (black, white and grey are your options) it's definitely one to recommend.

Verdict

Great bar tape that's easy to fit, comfortable and cheap