This is the most comfy drop bar I've used in 30 years of riding. Yes, it looks funky without tape, but with tape it's fine. The way it dips down between the stem and brifter is so cozy for your palm. Nice slight flare on the drops. I feel like the end of the drops angle up slightly in a way that annoys me, so I deducted a star for that, but this is probably my fav drop bar of all time, now. I also love that the hose routing underneath is entirely exposed, so it's easy to swap bars even with an integrated stem. I meant this to be a temporary bar until I go one piece, but now I'm just spoiled.
With the integration being normal for bikes these days, bearings suffer because you can't get to them easily, so you get lazy. I'm a heavy sweater, so my headset bearings see some grime. I also don't shy away from rain.
The ceramic bearings seem like a farse, and they are expensive, but honestly, they do last longer and don't get all chunky like regular old steel ones do. I grease them all the same when I install, and other than my "hmm I should check these" checks, where I pull the stem up and wipe/regrease, I just leave them alone. These do last longer, so I wait for a sale or points, and get them around the time I'm building a new bike.
If you have regular old steel, you're fine, don't worry about it, but if you have the bike apart anyway, and want to save some down the road work, these do help. No performance gain otherwise, you won't be more aero, and you won't sprint faster, and your FTP will be the same.
This is currently my favorite bar tape for all of my bikes. Including my gravel bike. Not only does it look great, but it never loses that great look. I've had it on my road bike that I use the most often for several years, and it still looks just as good as it did when I first put it on. One thing that I don't like is that the directions say not to stretch it. Well, you have to stretch it some on certain areas of the bar. Because if you don't it just won't work right. You just don't want or need to stretch it very much. Another thing is that it has a sort of narrow stick strip that isn't completely centered on the whole length. So it could stand to be a little wider and more centered on the whole length. It does cost a little more than many other bar tapes. But it's because of it's good quality.
High quality tape that's pricey, but you know the old saying. It is very tough, but flexible enough to navigate tight spots so you end up with a smooth job. The diagonal texturing adds a cool effect making even the black version unique compared to most of the other boring black tapes. Your hands will not slip on this surface as it's grippy, comfy and firm. Not mushy. I measured it at 2.5mm thick X 240cm long. It covered my 44cm bars with a little to spare. All in all, a great product.
