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Brand-X Diamond Pattern Bar Tape

8
£7.00

VERDICT:

8
10
Expensive looking and feeling bar tape, just take care when fitting it
Weight: 
63g

At road.cc every product is thoroughly tested for as long as it takes to get a proper insight into how well it works. Our reviewers are experienced cyclists that we trust to be objective. While we strive to ensure that opinions expressed are backed up by facts, reviews are by their nature an informed opinion, not a definitive verdict. We don't intentionally try to break anything (except locks) but we do try to look for weak points in any design. The overall score is not just an average of the other scores: it reflects both a product's function and value – with value determined by how a product compares with items of similar spec, quality, and price.

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The Diamond Pattern Bar Tape from Brand-X may well be one of the cheapest I've used, but it also happens to be one of the best. As far as the look, feel and comfort goes it's up there with the expensive brands, though there are a couple of little niggles that tend to tally up with that £7 price tag.

A lot of tapes at this price use a cork mixture, which offers decent amounts of shock absorption and grip, but Brand-X has gone for a 'soft touch foam' material which gives it a sort of rubberised feel. In fact it's very similar to Lizard Skin's tape and the Kush from Supercaz, both of which are around five times the price.

What padding the Brand-X does have offers plenty of comfort by deforming without flattening itself against the bar, so you always have something there to take road buzz out. Impressive considering it's only 2.5mm thick.

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I tend not to wear gloves in the summer, and on stiff alloy bikes like my two Kinesis, an Aithien and T2, I often get pins and needles in some fingers, but this hasn't happened once with the Brand-X.

The rubbery feel to the tape also means riding bare-handed in the rain doesn't see you struggling for grip at all.

I do have a couple of little gripes, though. For one thing, it's a little bit on the short side. I usually ride 42cm bars, outer to outer, and with a decent overlap the tape will only just reach the centre bulge of the handlebar. The omission of the small lengths of tape you usually get for wrapping around the levers doesn't help either. On its own, this isn't a major issue - you can keep tweaking the wrapping until it's spot on. Only you can't here, because the adhesive backing separates from the back of the tape as soon as you start to unwrap it, so your first attempt at wrapping the bar has to be spot on.

That aside, the Brand-X scores highly due to the brilliant comfort and expensive look for a mere seven quid. The fitting issues can be got round, and hopefully if you've read this review before fitting it you'll know what to expect and to take extra care.

Verdict

Expensive looking and feeling bar tape, just take care when fitting it

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road.cc test report

Make and model: Brand-X Diamond Pattern Bar Tape

Size tested: Black

Tell us what the product is for, and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?

Brand-X describes the bar tape thus: "High quality Bar Tape with a Diamond Pattern texture. Soft touch foam material offers excellent grip in all conditions, comfort and helps to absorb shocks/vibration through the bars."

It certainly is some decent tape for the money, offering plenty of comfort and grip.

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?

*Diamond pattern/texture

*Excellent grip even when wet

*Can cover any type of bar extension

*2.5mm Tape Thickness

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
7/10
Rate the product for performance:
 
8/10
Rate the product for durability:
 
7/10
Rate the product for weight, if applicable:
 
8/10
Rate the product for comfort, if applicable:
 
8/10
Rate the product for value:
 
9/10

Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose

Lovely tape that really does take the sting out of a harsh frame on rough road surfaces. Plenty of grip too.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

The overall quality for the money.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

On the short side in terms of length, and you only have one attempt at getting it right.

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes

Would you consider buying the product? Yes

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes

Use this box to explain your score

The Brand-X offers an overall feel and comfort level similar to that of much more expensive tapes such as Lizard Skins and Supacaz's Kush. A few niggles like the adhesive backing separating and the short overall length stop it getting a 9, but for the money it really is a very good bar tape.

Overall rating: 8/10

About the tester

Age: 36  Height: 180cm  Weight: 76kg

I usually ride: Kinesis T2  My best bike is: Mason Definition

I've been riding for: 10-20 years  I ride: Every day  I would class myself as: Expert

I regularly do the following types of riding: time trialling, commuting, club rides, sportives, fixed/singlespeed

 

As part of the tech team here at F-At Digital, senior product reviewer Stu spends the majority of his time writing in-depth reviews for road.cc, off-road.cc and ebiketips using the knowledge gained from testing over 1,500 pieces of kit (plus 100's of bikes) since starting out as a freelancer back in 2009. After first throwing his leg over a race bike back in 2000, Stu's ridden more than 170,000 miles on road, time-trial, track, and gravel bikes, and while he's put his racing days behind him, he still likes to smash the pedals rather than take things easy. With a background in design and engineering, he has an obsession with how things are developed and manufactured, has a borderline fetish for handbuilt metal frames and finds a rim braked road bike very aesthetically pleasing!

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3 comments

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bendip | 8 years ago
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viagro2 | 8 years ago
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Fing is for the price why not get TWO packs to accommodate the shortness, its cheap enuff!

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lunge | 8 years ago
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Sounds very similar to the Planet-X textured stuff which is currently £5 and also very, very good.

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