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.
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.
