Super Sticky Kush bar tape

Super Sticky Kush bar tape, if it’s good enough for 3x World Champion Peter Sagan, it’s good enough for us!

Bar tape is one of those items that roadies obsess over and with good reason. It’s one of the three contact points we have on the bike. And excluding naked cyclists, it’s the only one where your skin is in direct contact with the bike: assuming you’re not wearing gloves. Hours of riding will make you intimately aware of the feel and texture of your tape. A badly wrapped example on a hard ride, can be beyond irritating. You’ll keep coming back to it, as it rubs and chafes, like a loose tooth. But good tape, you don’t even notice, it just feels right. So will Super Sticky Kush bar tape from Supacaz be just right, or annoying molar?

Details

First off some bar tape details. Super Sticky Kush bar tape is made from 2.5mm thick polyurethane and comes in 2160mm lengths. That last is a big plus straight away, there’s nothing worse than short bar tape. Included in the box are two laser-etched aluminium bar plugs. And the finishing tape actually feels like it might stay in place!

Application

I applied the Super Sticky Kush to some 44cm Deda Zero2 handlebars, with Di2 hydraulic levers. The tape is soft and has a slight stretch, which makes application easy. The extra length allowed me to cut two cover strips to go behind the levers and still have enough to finish the job. You can do a figure-of-eight wrap around the levers, negating the need for the cover strips. But it was very late and I was working with one finger bandaged, so I went for the simplest wrap.

Getting the tape to cover where the hydraulic line enters the lever, took a couple of tries to get just right. This was my first attempt on Di2 levers, but the Super Sticky Kush has plenty of give and I was happy with the finish. The end plugs have expander plugs, tighten up the allen-key head in the centre and they won’t move. That’s a nice detail, as it’s easy to dislodge the ordinary end-caps, which can be dangerous in a crash.

And finally to the finishing tape. This often feels like an after thought with some brands, where you have to use electrical tape to hold it in place. With these you apply the finishing tape as a decorative flourish. But Supacaz’s finishing tape actually stuck, however I couldn’t stop myself applying electrical tape: it’s a forty year habit I can’t break! As well as actually being sticky it’s also very stretchy, much more than standard electrical tape. If you do need to re-position it, it comes off clean with no residue.

What do they feel like?

How do they feel? Well they’ve got the whole sticky thing going on. With gloves on, your hands stay planted, no slipping, no sliding: these feel like they’re going to to be great in the wet. The padding feels supportive without being too soft or thick. I’ve got them on my ‘cross bike, so will mostly be using them with gloves. One of the things that can only be tested after a long period is how easy the tape comes off. Leave it on too long and you’ll be scraping it or soaking it in solvent, anything to shift it. I’ll let you know how they fare long-term after this season.

Who are Supacaz?

Supacaz was the brainchild Anthony Sinyard, son of a famous cycling brand and an ex-pro racer. Growing up in California and being a big fan of 80s surf brands like Quiksilver and Santa Cruz, he’s brought that love of colours to Supacaz products. And what does Supacaz come from? Super casual, which was Sinyard’s nickname. Check out Super Sticky Kush bar tape on their website.