Handlebar tape (and gels ?)

[SimonLeach]

Hello,

I need to replace the handlebar tape on my Ridgeback Panorama. Any suggestions for a comfortable solution ?

Thanks

[iandriver]

Specialized Phat has lasted me well.

[freiston]

I like Cannondale Synapse 3.5mm. A good cushioning and a good grip and I think it is wearing well. I found it easier than some tapes to apply too. It has a grippy strip (silicone?) on the back for wrapping (no adhesive).

[keyboardmonkey]

Specialized Phat has lasted me well.

+1

[reohn2]

Bontrager Bargel over FiZiK gel pads suit my Arthritic hands and wrists

[mercalia]

put some standrard tape over a a dense foam base

[mig]

i never really understand the comfort element of bar tape as my hands rest lightly on the 'bars so pretty much anything will do. looking for extra shock absorption makes me think that the bars are in the wrong place, maybe too low.

i look for grip on bar tape. especially on the drops.

[reohn2]

i never really understand the comfort element of bar tape as my hands rest lightly on the 'bars so pretty much anything will do. looking for extra shock absorption makes me think that the bars are in the wrong place, maybe too low.......

Maybe some of use ride on some pretty dire crapmac or gravelly tracks and bridleways,and maybe some of use after a lifetime of hard graft using hand and powertools are riddled with Osteoarthtitis and don't care much for pain anymore.
BTW my compact drops are in the right place with the tops 35mm higher than the saddle top,not too stretched out and with the hoods jussttt where I like them.
I'm pretty sure after 50 odd years of cycling I've got the riding position sorted thanks

[mig]

i appreciate all that chief (and i ride on manchester's finest roads so have encountered the odd imperfection or two) but if the hands are resting more lightly on the bars then they don't get shaken about so much. just a thought.

[reohn2]

i appreciate all that chief (and i ride on manchester's finest roads so have encountered the odd imperfection or two) but if the hands are resting more lightly on the bars then they don't get shaken about so much. just a thought.

Yeah I must be just geting old and crotchety,I can remember when I had great core,shoulder and arm strength,and hands like leather,however age has taken it's toll.

[iandriver]

Option b is leaving the old tape in and going over the top with the new one. Double wraps aren't unheard of, along these lines. https://www.google.com/amp/s/accidental ... -tape/amp/

It can make the bars quite thick, but I like that myself, having big hands.

I've trimmed the old tape from the end of the drops to the brake levers before, so the double wrap was only on the tops.

[RickH]

I've use the gel pads (mostly Fizik) under my bar tape for a while. It gives the comfort of double wrapping without all of the added bulk as the extra thickness is only on the tops of the bars.

I've currently got 123 branded tape (it was one of the options at my LBS rather than "premium" brands). After over 2 years & over 4000 miles it is still in good condition.

[Gattonero]

Hello,

I need to replace the handlebar tape on my Ridgeback Panorama. Any suggestions for a comfortable solution ?

Thanks

Bar tape is like saddles: each one has its own preferences.

You can use a lot of different things, from common cork tape with inner tube underneath, to thick bar tape, gel pads underneath, thin foam; the choices are too many.

One word of advice, coming from someone who had Carpal Tunnel Syndrome on both wrists: do not pretend that handlebar tape will be your silver bullet against discomfort, or getting a riding position that is more and more upright.
For me, it turned out to be lazy/weak core muscles that made all the upper body leaning heavily to the front, so my wrists had to carry all the upper body's weight. This was BAD and got me off the bike for over 6 months!