I had my eye on these bars for a while, and bought them when they went on sale. I was looking for a good 'bunch bar' at 36.5 width and so far I'm very happy with these. They've made an improvement in my comfort and confidence on the track, both during training and racing.
This is my favorite bar tape. Although I haven't used any of the thicker thicknesses of Lizard Skins bar tape. Which I think would be more better for gravel bike applications. It dampens better than any other bar tape that I have tried. And it surprisingly wears very well, considering how soft it feels. The instructions tell you not to stretch it when applying it. But I have found that around sharp bends it's necessary to stretch it some.
Having seen this used by some other riders here and there I thought I'd give it a shot. Firstly, it's one of the more difficult tapes to wrap that I've used. Comfort and grip-wise, I'd say a solid, tacky tape is probably a better option than this and much preferred for me personally, especially as a rider who prefers to not use gloves. Priced higher than pretty much all the other options as well - as a competitive gravel racer I'd say my favorite tape that I've consistently used is Lizard Skins DSP, which is grippier, more comfortable, and holds up well.
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.
