Customer Reviews

Brooks Leather Bar Tape

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have these on two of my bikes in the "honey" color. They've worn well and, as all good leather products should, have only gotten better with age. Much like leather wrapped steering wheels they are very comfortable and easy to grip - not at all slippery like I had feared.

The set on my daily rider was put on in 2007 and shows no signs of wearing out any time soon. After thousands upon thousands of miles they have more than paid for themselves while taking on a nice patina.

Together with my matching honey Brooks Professional saddles and D-Shaped Bag it makes a very striking combo and I commonly get compliments. It looks very retro in a classy/classic way.

To care for these I put on a little proofide two or three times a year, otherwise the parts of the leather I never touch starts to show visible cracking/drying. I feared this would cause them to become slippery but if I leave them for a day after wiping the excess off they are good as new.

They are very forgiving during installation and I was even able to remove and re-wrap them multiple times. I've done this three times, twice during the initial install then once about six months after initially putting them on because they started to slip out of place - after that I figured out the trick of wrapping them very tight with plenty of overlap and they haven't moved since.

The only real problem I've had, and it's an annoying one, is that on both sets the cork plugs broke. Specifically the wood cap separated from the cork on three of the four plugs. Where I live it is very dry (New Mexico) so it could be that the cork simply dried out, that's my theory at least. Luckily they didn't fall off mid-ride but instead while being stored so I didn't lose the caps. To fix this I used a bit of wood glue and they've all stayed in place since.

If you're looking to bling out your bike with something that will also add comfort while not breaking the bank I highly recommend this tape.

Feels great. Lasts long. Unless you crash it is indestructible. Pretty spendy but if you consider it will out last 3 wraps of corks is worth it.
RAIN WARNING If you let it get wet and ride it before it dries the leather softens and it can get messed up.

I have a 2011 Allez double. It is black and had white grips - I wanted to black it out, and have the luxury/class of leather grips. These things are awesome. The only thing is that they are a little slick - which I'm sure oiling or treatment would remedy. They're gonna last forever and age with grace! They are NOT as padded as foam grips - but I kinda like the feel of the road a little more. My chromo bike absorbs shock well enough - doesn't bother me that much. Love them.

Brooks handlebar tape is high quality and look really nice on my bike. However, I had a little trouble putting them on exactly right. At first it seemed like there was more tape than I needed so I cut some off, only to find that toward the end of wrapping it around my handlebars, that I almost came up short, which would really suck. These things aren't cheap. I think some instructions or visual diagrams would be a nice to have.

I purchased the bar tape in "Honey" and here are a few issues:

1. It doesn't match the "Honey" saddle
2. The leather is really thin
3. Develops a lasting odor from sweat

If you sweat a lot this tape isn't for you. After a few rides my tape developed an odor from my consistent sweating. The odor was so bad that my wife complained that it was starting to take over the room that I kept my bike in, and she was right. This tape takes a long time to dry if it gets wet from rain/sweat. Go with something cheaper.

Decided to spring for this with high hopes due to many good reviews, but will be sending it back. Right out of the package I was not impressed with the feel of the leather. It is very thin leather, with a texture that says to me it will probably break down quicker than I'd like it too. The color is awful funky too (I got antique brown)...just a dead matte brown color...does not look like the saddle's finishing at all. Also, Brooks makes a big deal about their stuff still being made in England, so I was pretty disappointed to find that this was made in China. Overpriced for all these flaws, in my opinion. I hear good things about the Velo Orange leather tape, but I think I'll be doing cloth/shellac on this bike.