Tester David writes: “Prologo is best known for its large range of saddles but also produces a range of bar tape, so if you're using a Prologo seat you can match the bar tape on your bike. There's nothing better than matched saddle and bar tape if you care about the appearance of your bicycle, and the grip and cushioning this tape provides makes it a good choice even if you’re not going for looks. Whether you're battling storms all year round or do your best to avoid the rain, grip is an important consideration when choosing the best bar tape for you. Keep up the tension: Once you've started your wrap you'll need to keep an even tension on the tape to ensure a clean and secure wrap. This is when tape choice can help, with some tapes offering more stretch than others.

Finance is subject to application, financial circumstances and borrowing history. Performance Cycling Limited FRN: 720557 trading as Tredz are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. We are a credit broker not a lender – credit is subject to status and affordability and is provided by Mitsubishi HC Capital UK PLC. Terms & Conditions Apply. If you prioritise style over everything, then the best bar tape for you might be cotton or leather, since it offers a retro aesthetic. The length of bar tape can also impact wrapping. If you are wrapping particularly wide bars, say on a gravel bike, then you will have less material to play with. 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.The thread that pulls all those situations together is rough roads and long days. Having the best bar tape can be a surprisingly big upgrade in those situations. The right gravel specific bar tape will last a long time, provide tons of cushion, and feel good on your hands. It doesn't hurt that there's tonnes of options for style to match the best gravel handlebars and the best gravel bikes. Also, this is an upgrade that won't break the bank. To do its job well, handlebar tape has to be comfortable, hard-wearing and grippy, and it doesn't hurt if it looks good. We've wrapped scores of handlebars and ridden thousands of miles or Tarmac and gravel to bring you the best bar tapes you can buy.

Brooks Leather bar tape caters perfectly for those seeking a retro feel or a bar tape that matches their faithful Brooks saddle. 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. This is an easy to apply tape that won't break the bank and well worth considering for longer rides. If you’re inordinately fond of cleaning your bike, you can get Power Touch tape in white for just 12 quid from Chain Reaction.I love adding some silicone padding to my bars. If you have a Campagnolo Ekar bike, or any Campy bike for that matter, it’s perfect for smoothing the transition between the hoods and the actual bars. It’s also great to just add wherever you tend to rest your hands the most. Bike Ribbon uses pretty much all the materials and finishes mentioned above and makes bar tape for a lot of other brands. It's a good bet that many of the tapes above started life in Carate Brianza. Like many other tape makers they've also recently introduced silicone tapes. 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. 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.” No bar tape guide is complete without a traditional cork offering. If you’re of a certain age there’s a good chance that cork tape is all you knew for many years, after it superseded cotton and vinyl in both performance and comfort after its invention in 1983. In this instance we’ve gone for SRAM’s Supercork.

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. New handlebar tape is a sure-fire way to give your bike a new lease of life. Dave Caudery/Immediate Media

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. La Spirale still makes Bike Ribbon in their small factory in Carate Brianza, north of Milan where Ermanno and Rosita's son Stefano is now at the helm. The guys at CyclingTips did a nice interview with him a few years ago. It’s not madly expensive either. There are cheaper tapes, but for the performance, the high grip factor and nice cushioning, this is a very good choice.”

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. 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. If you want to bling up your bike with a colour-matched style, look for synthetic tape available in various colours. When it comes to wrapping, some synthetic bar tapes are high-stretch, making it easier to wrap the tape around brake levers and hoods.

MicroTex Tacky Bar Tape

High quality fabric bar tape can add cushioning and improve your grip as you cycle. Padded handlebar tape and gel padding is also a great option as it guarantees cushioning and provides the protection your hands need. Cyclists who ride long distance in particular will be all too familiar with callouses and blisters forming, and the pain they can cause. If you're commuting all-year-round, and want a basic bar tape that will stand the test of time, you might want to look to leather tape for its durability.