ESI Grips RCT handlebar tape review

ESI Grips RCT handlebar tape cushions wells, but fails when you hit the wet...

Cycling Weekly Verdict

While initial wear was promising, sadly the tape didn’t last too well — less than 1,000 miles and it’s seriously worn on the shoulders of the bars.

Reasons to buy
  • +

    Grip

  • +

    Cushioning

Reasons to avoid
  • -

    Slippery when wet

  • -

    Wears quickly

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By Cycling Weekly, Henry Robertshaw
published

This silicone bar tape from ESI provides excellent grip and cushioning without being overly bulky yet can be voluminous if you desire.

While the grip in dry conditions is good, we found that in deluges the silicone becomes quite slippery, particularly when riding with bare hands; not such a problem in spring but worth noting if you get caught in a summer downpour when you’re more likely to have ditched the gloves.

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