Lizard Skins DSP 2.5 mm Bar Tape

Even though bar tape is a small and seemingly unimportant accessory of a cyclocross or road bike, it is still important enough to deserve some thought. Bar tape isn’t talked about much and usually isn’t even a second thought, but it can greatly improve the comfort of riding a cyclocross or road bike. The increased comfort is especially prevalent on cyclocross courses and rough cobblestones. During the spring classics on the cobbles riders will double and sometimes triple wrap their bars with the thickest tape that is available to them, and in cyclocross it will give the grip needed to hold onto the bike in ice cold rain.

Most bar tape is made specifically for road bikes and is not always very good to use for the sloppy conditions of cyclocross. For a road bike the only thing to look for in bar tape is comfort, so other qualities like grip in wet conditions and water absorbance is not usually thought about. But Lizard Skins have made a bar tape that is perfect for cyclocross. The DPS bar tape is used by many cyclocross racers for a good reason. It grips great in both dry and wet conditions, but doesn’t make your hands blister. It is also thick enough to absorb the shock of the course without losing a feel for the amount of grip through corners. It also is thin enough to make the transition between the hoods and bar tape smooth and comfortable. It weighs in at only 56 grams with the bar plugs making it have no weight penalty for extra comfort.

With this bar tape there is no need for extra gel padding underneath the tape, and if you feel it is not thick enough there is an even thicker 3.2 mm option. For 38 dollars this bar tape is the cheapest upgrade that will improve comfort, and will last for quite a long time. I have used the same bar tape for about four months with multiple crashes, and it has held up fine. In fact my hoods are wearing out faster than the grip tape. I would say this tape is a necessity for cyclocross, and would recommend it to anyone who wants a smoother more grippy ride.