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

You can trust Cycling Weekly. Our team of experts put in hard miles testing cycling tech and will always share honest, unbiased advice to help you choose. Find out more about how we test.

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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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Henry Robertshaw

Henry Robertshaw began his time at Cycling Weekly working with the tech team, writing reviews, buying guides and appearing in videos advising on how to dress for the seasons. He later moved over to the news team, where his work focused on the professional peloton as well as legislation and provision for cycling. He's since moved his career in a new direction, with a role at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

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