Extralum makes a bar tape called Tacky Hybrid 2.0mm.
↑This one
The base color is black only, and the text color comes in
Dark gray and
White and red—three colors total.
I prefer thinner bar tape, but
even if two pieces are both nominally 2mm thick, the actual diameter when wrapped varies considerably
(independently of whether you wrap with about 1/2 overlap for thickness
or 1/3 overlap for thinness—
just wrapping the same way).
The manufacturer's spec refers to thickness at the centerline, but
tape that tapers toward the edges—or to put it dramatically, kamaboko-shaped—
versus tape that maintains thickness all the way to the edges
will result in the former actually wrapping thinner.
True to its name, this hybrid bar tape
has half that's velvet-textured and plush-feeling
and half that's sticky-grip material.
Extralum is a bar tape "manufacturer" that does OEM production
for various different "brands," including major ones.
It wasn't always this way, but Spa○z was once manufactured here too.
Fizi○ as well, I hear.
The old Microtex bar tape I used to love—the SoftTouch version (→here)—and the 2mm Tacky
have either been discontinued or replaced by different products with the same name in the new lineup, so
I'd assumed the manufacturer changed,
but I heard from someone in the know that both old and new lineups are made by the same company.
Since the old Microtex SoftTouch became unavailable,
I've been forced to try various bar tapes over the past couple years.
And I've long noticed that the velvet side of this Tacky Hybrid
bears a striking resemblance to the old Microtex SoftTouch 2mm.
When wrapping customer handlebars, based on distributor recommendations or
advice from riders using the product, I wrap with the velvet side on top.
I haven't yet wrapped it with velvet on the bottom.
But for my own use,
since my main position on flats is the drop,
I decided to try wrapping with velvet on the bottom.
Apparently, riders and teams being supplied the product are requesting
"all sticky"—a version made entirely from the sticky side—
but I'm hoping for "all velvet."
According to a Japanese distributor, if you push the manufacturer hard enough
they'll make it,
and apparently they recently ordered both all-velvet and all-sticky versions.
But they say there's no material on hand, so it'll take about
a year before it actually hits the market.
Since I only hold the drop bar, there's no practical difference between
bottom-velvet and all-velvet, but
I want all-velvet ASAP (title recovered).
This is what the material transition looks like.
Each pair comes with two of the same orientation for left and right,
and the diagonal transition line isn't mirror-symmetric.
So when wrapping in left-right mirror symmetry
One side has the transition looking natural, but
The other side has the transition looking off-kilter.
To avoid this, some bar tapes are made with mirror-symmetric transitions
and come with left and right designations.
Wrapped with sticky on top.
What I look for in bar tape is adequate thinness (※) and
grip that doesn't slip from hand sweat even without gloves.
It's not something I'm proud of, but aside from racing,
I don't wear gloves.
I haven't worn gloves for any reason other than cold in over a decade,
and the only gloves I buy anymore are long-fingered winter ones.
So I'm pretty particular about barehand grip on bar tape,
and the sticky side of this tape doesn't slip much barehanded either.
I wasn't expecting much from that side, so it's a pleasant surprise.
※I have CatEye Shiny on my ultralight bike, but
that tape's thinness crosses the line.
As for the velvet side, while it resembles the old Microtex SoftTouch,
it's still clearly different.
But if I set the old Microtex SoftTouch as the reference point (zero),
this is clearly not zero, yet
I don't know of anything else that comes closer to zero than this.
What I actually like more about the Tacky Hybrid's velvet side is that
when you grip it firmly, it gives a slight springy compression that feels good.
Man, I want all-velvet already (second time).
Just buy two sets of tape and wrap from bracket going both up and down—rejected.
One thing to note when wrapping: Extralum bar tape is
notably long per roll.
Drop bars with airfoil-section uprights are common these days, but
some are meant to wrap short, ending just past the bracket,
while others are designed for traditional full wrapping to the stem.
The tape is probably specced for that diversity.
With hybrid models other than this, you'd just have surplus,
but with the hybrid tape,
you should wrap so the material transition happens between the upper and lower bracket areas
(or at least, that's what I do).
So I tested the fit with the backing tape still on,
And the first end I cut at the bar end is shown upper in the image (velvet),
and the end I cut later at the stem is shown lower (sticky).
My handlebar is narrow, and I barely use bars with airfoil uprights anyway,
so long tape tends to leave me with plenty of extra.
I'm careful cutting the bar end because mistakes are scary,
adjusting it gradually over 2-3 rounds, but
For the other side, I just cut a length equal to the combined
scrap from the first side.
It's good to have the transition land around here.
One more wrap around, and the side you want on bottom
in this case shows two wraps visible above the bracket,
but you could trim the bar end a bit more to get
"one wrap above the bracket."
Once the bracket cover goes on, the bottom side is hidden anyway.
The image above shows the "natural-looking transition side," but
even on the "off-kilter transition side,"
by positioning the transition within the bracket cover area,
you get a clean material split above and below the bracket.
This is a different example, wrapped on a customer's bike.
Gray text with velvet on top.
I had 6-7 photos of clean above-and-below-bracket splits for the article,
but I can't find them right now.
Another example.
White text with velvet on top.
Jumping back in the timeline, this is mid-wrap.
In this case I'm doing "one wrap of the bottom-side material above the bracket."
Drop bar bracket mounting sections are standardized at 24mm diameter.
When you see 23.8–24.2mm marked on the lever clamp band,
that's 24mm plus-or-minus 0.2mm.
On SILVA bar tape, when there's the SILVA logo,
the lettering is positioned so it lines up at the 24.0mm section
when wrapping.
With classic 24mm diameter pipe bars, if there's
an outer-cable flattening dimple on the uprights or not,
with careful wrapping you can get the lettering to line up generally throughout.
But nowadays upright sections are often thicker than a true 24mm circle,
so the SILVA lettering often lines up below the bracket but
looks scattered above.
With this Tacky Hybrid's lettering, I'd thought there was no way
to get alignment, but
as shown in the image above, with a properly thick upright
the alignment condition does work out.
Whether this is the manufacturer's intention, I couldn't say.
In this case though,
At the 24mm diameter section, the lettering is misaligned.
If it lined up here, then on my bar it would line up throughout,
and there's no way I wouldn't have noticed.
Incidentally, whether you wrap thick or thin
doesn't change the alignment situation.
Whether you overlap at 1/2 or 1/3,
bar tape stretch allows micro-adjustment, so
if lettering aligns, it aligns either way.
Unless a bar tape is unusually short,
I frequently fine-tune things like making the first few wraps above the bracket
slightly thicker for people whose main position is bracketed,
and the lettering still lines up if it's going to.
I stuck Extralum bar tape to a table.
↑This is how I do the fold-back.
Next, I stuck some other company's bar tape the same way.
I won't say which, but the image gives it away.
It's short.
Extralum's fold-back is fluffier, so
in actual use the difference probably is a bit more.
Does the difference look small to you?
Not at all.
That bar tape down there—if the bars are even slightly wider, or the drop deeper,
and most decisively if the uprights are elliptical rather than true airfoil,
the length is very often dangerously tight.
There's no room for fine-tuning like slightly thicker wrapping near the bracket.
That brand's tape, especially in the thinner models,
is generally short across the whole lineup.
Usually you have to actively conserve length when wrapping.
The gap in that image matches about the length of my Tacky Hybrid's
stem-side (sticky) scrap, so
even accounting for my conditions with tape to spare,
there probably wouldn't be much extra.
It's been more than eight years now, but
when I told someone at that manufacturer's that "your bar tape is too short,"
they said machine limitations made length changes impossible.
Bar tape isn't cut from infinite stock;
it's die-cut from large sheets, and during that process
printing, hole-punching, and embossing happen all at once.
So basically all bar tapes
have blank areas at the edges without logos or lettering.
Also, when I brought up bar tape length to this manufacturer, I asked
"Why did the original bar end plastic cap with chrome plating
and a custom logo modeled after a helmet decoration
turn into just plain chrome at some point?"
and they said it was a cost issue.
Even OEM-manufactured private-label bar tapes from major bike makers
come with decent caps, and yet...
I thought they were cutting costs in all the wrong places. But
given that they're already stingy with tape length itself
and show no interest in modernizing the specs,
there's not much to be done.
↑This one
The base color is black only, and the text color comes in
Dark gray and
White and red—three colors total.
I prefer thinner bar tape, but
even if two pieces are both nominally 2mm thick, the actual diameter when wrapped varies considerably
(independently of whether you wrap with about 1/2 overlap for thickness
or 1/3 overlap for thinness—
just wrapping the same way).
The manufacturer's spec refers to thickness at the centerline, but
tape that tapers toward the edges—or to put it dramatically, kamaboko-shaped—
versus tape that maintains thickness all the way to the edges
will result in the former actually wrapping thinner.
True to its name, this hybrid bar tape
has half that's velvet-textured and plush-feeling
and half that's sticky-grip material.
Extralum is a bar tape "manufacturer" that does OEM production
for various different "brands," including major ones.
It wasn't always this way, but Spa○z was once manufactured here too.
Fizi○ as well, I hear.
The old Microtex bar tape I used to love—the SoftTouch version (→here)—and the 2mm Tacky
have either been discontinued or replaced by different products with the same name in the new lineup, so
I'd assumed the manufacturer changed,
but I heard from someone in the know that both old and new lineups are made by the same company.
Since the old Microtex SoftTouch became unavailable,
I've been forced to try various bar tapes over the past couple years.
And I've long noticed that the velvet side of this Tacky Hybrid
bears a striking resemblance to the old Microtex SoftTouch 2mm.
When wrapping customer handlebars, based on distributor recommendations or
advice from riders using the product, I wrap with the velvet side on top.
I haven't yet wrapped it with velvet on the bottom.
But for my own use,
since my main position on flats is the drop,
I decided to try wrapping with velvet on the bottom.
Apparently, riders and teams being supplied the product are requesting
"all sticky"—a version made entirely from the sticky side—
but I'm hoping for "all velvet."
According to a Japanese distributor, if you push the manufacturer hard enough
they'll make it,
and apparently they recently ordered both all-velvet and all-sticky versions.
But they say there's no material on hand, so it'll take about
a year before it actually hits the market.
Since I only hold the drop bar, there's no practical difference between
bottom-velvet and all-velvet, but
I want all-velvet ASAP (title recovered).
This is what the material transition looks like.
Each pair comes with two of the same orientation for left and right,
and the diagonal transition line isn't mirror-symmetric.
So when wrapping in left-right mirror symmetry
One side has the transition looking natural, but
The other side has the transition looking off-kilter.
To avoid this, some bar tapes are made with mirror-symmetric transitions
and come with left and right designations.
Wrapped with sticky on top.
What I look for in bar tape is adequate thinness (※) and
grip that doesn't slip from hand sweat even without gloves.
It's not something I'm proud of, but aside from racing,
I don't wear gloves.
I haven't worn gloves for any reason other than cold in over a decade,
and the only gloves I buy anymore are long-fingered winter ones.
So I'm pretty particular about barehand grip on bar tape,
and the sticky side of this tape doesn't slip much barehanded either.
I wasn't expecting much from that side, so it's a pleasant surprise.
※I have CatEye Shiny on my ultralight bike, but
that tape's thinness crosses the line.
As for the velvet side, while it resembles the old Microtex SoftTouch,
it's still clearly different.
But if I set the old Microtex SoftTouch as the reference point (zero),
this is clearly not zero, yet
I don't know of anything else that comes closer to zero than this.
What I actually like more about the Tacky Hybrid's velvet side is that
when you grip it firmly, it gives a slight springy compression that feels good.
Man, I want all-velvet already (second time).
One thing to note when wrapping: Extralum bar tape is
notably long per roll.
Drop bars with airfoil-section uprights are common these days, but
some are meant to wrap short, ending just past the bracket,
while others are designed for traditional full wrapping to the stem.
The tape is probably specced for that diversity.
With hybrid models other than this, you'd just have surplus,
but with the hybrid tape,
you should wrap so the material transition happens between the upper and lower bracket areas
(or at least, that's what I do).
So I tested the fit with the backing tape still on,
And the first end I cut at the bar end is shown upper in the image (velvet),
and the end I cut later at the stem is shown lower (sticky).
My handlebar is narrow, and I barely use bars with airfoil uprights anyway,
so long tape tends to leave me with plenty of extra.
I'm careful cutting the bar end because mistakes are scary,
adjusting it gradually over 2-3 rounds, but
For the other side, I just cut a length equal to the combined
scrap from the first side.
It's good to have the transition land around here.
One more wrap around, and the side you want on bottom
in this case shows two wraps visible above the bracket,
but you could trim the bar end a bit more to get
"one wrap above the bracket."
Once the bracket cover goes on, the bottom side is hidden anyway.
The image above shows the "natural-looking transition side," but
even on the "off-kilter transition side,"
by positioning the transition within the bracket cover area,
you get a clean material split above and below the bracket.
This is a different example, wrapped on a customer's bike.
Gray text with velvet on top.
I had 6-7 photos of clean above-and-below-bracket splits for the article,
but I can't find them right now.
Another example.
White text with velvet on top.
Jumping back in the timeline, this is mid-wrap.
In this case I'm doing "one wrap of the bottom-side material above the bracket."
Drop bar bracket mounting sections are standardized at 24mm diameter.
When you see 23.8–24.2mm marked on the lever clamp band,
that's 24mm plus-or-minus 0.2mm.
On SILVA bar tape, when there's the SILVA logo,
the lettering is positioned so it lines up at the 24.0mm section
when wrapping.
With classic 24mm diameter pipe bars, if there's
an outer-cable flattening dimple on the uprights or not,
with careful wrapping you can get the lettering to line up generally throughout.
But nowadays upright sections are often thicker than a true 24mm circle,
so the SILVA lettering often lines up below the bracket but
looks scattered above.
With this Tacky Hybrid's lettering, I'd thought there was no way
to get alignment, but
as shown in the image above, with a properly thick upright
the alignment condition does work out.
Whether this is the manufacturer's intention, I couldn't say.
In this case though,
At the 24mm diameter section, the lettering is misaligned.
If it lined up here, then on my bar it would line up throughout,
and there's no way I wouldn't have noticed.
Incidentally, whether you wrap thick or thin
doesn't change the alignment situation.
Whether you overlap at 1/2 or 1/3,
bar tape stretch allows micro-adjustment, so
if lettering aligns, it aligns either way.
Unless a bar tape is unusually short,
I frequently fine-tune things like making the first few wraps above the bracket
slightly thicker for people whose main position is bracketed,
and the lettering still lines up if it's going to.
I stuck Extralum bar tape to a table.
↑This is how I do the fold-back.
Next, I stuck some other company's bar tape the same way.
I won't say which, but the image gives it away.
It's short.
Extralum's fold-back is fluffier, so
in actual use the difference probably is a bit more.
Does the difference look small to you?
Not at all.
That bar tape down there—if the bars are even slightly wider, or the drop deeper,
and most decisively if the uprights are elliptical rather than true airfoil,
the length is very often dangerously tight.
There's no room for fine-tuning like slightly thicker wrapping near the bracket.
That brand's tape, especially in the thinner models,
is generally short across the whole lineup.
Usually you have to actively conserve length when wrapping.
The gap in that image matches about the length of my Tacky Hybrid's
stem-side (sticky) scrap, so
even accounting for my conditions with tape to spare,
there probably wouldn't be much extra.
It's been more than eight years now, but
when I told someone at that manufacturer's that "your bar tape is too short,"
they said machine limitations made length changes impossible.
Bar tape isn't cut from infinite stock;
it's die-cut from large sheets, and during that process
printing, hole-punching, and embossing happen all at once.
So basically all bar tapes
have blank areas at the edges without logos or lettering.
Also, when I brought up bar tape length to this manufacturer, I asked
"Why did the original bar end plastic cap with chrome plating
and a custom logo modeled after a helmet decoration
turn into just plain chrome at some point?"
and they said it was a cost issue.
Even OEM-manufactured private-label bar tapes from major bike makers
come with decent caps, and yet...
I thought they were cutting costs in all the wrong places. But
given that they're already stingy with tape length itself
and show no interest in modernizing the specs,
there's not much to be done.