Supacaz Bar Tape
The team at Supacaz Australia has sent us some of their bar tape. La Velocita takes a look at the tape used by heavy hitters like Nibali and Cavendish.
Photography - Andrew Clifforth
About
Founded in 2010, Supacaz in California by Anthony Synyard, the son of Specialized boss Mike Synyard, Supercaz has seen a quick rise to the top. In just a few years they have taken their product, the ‘Super Sticky Kush’ to the top of the road cycling world with it sitting proudly on the bars of Vincenzo Nibali’s Specialized S-Works as he entered Paris to claim the 2014 Tour de France.
We think that Supercaz had got just about the widest range of colours available, blues, yellow, pink red, black, green, purple… just to name a few. If that’s not enough there’s a dual colour option available.
Ride
We’ve had some Supercaz tape on our bikes here at La Velocita since early January and so far it’s ticking all the boxes, it has a nice grippy feel, with or without gloves, stays grippy when wet, has stayed in place and provides some cushioning without being spongy.
Bar tape feel can be a personal thing, and some people love the soft and squishy feel, that’s not what Supacaz offers. Supercaz has a firm feel and only adds a few millimetres to the circumference of your bars.
The bar end plugs look nice with their laser etching and finish the overall look nicely.
Wear wise, our tape still looks really great after around 3 months of solid use. Supacaz claim that their tape last five times longer then ‘traditional’ tape but we’ll have to wait and see on that one… early signs are positive though.
Price
A pack of Supacaz bar tape with bar plugs is going to set you back around $45 to $55. This is up there for bar tape. You are getting a quality product though and if you are about the ‘look’ and finding a colour option or combination that will match your bike perfectly Supacaz will certain ally deliver.
Where to buy
Distributed in Australia by www.fairwaytrade.com.au
Specifications
- Anti-slip for super grip
- Shockproof silicone gel
- No more gloves
- Last 5 times longer than traditional bar tape
- Bar plugs are powercoated and laser etched
- Easy installation
- Includes 2 x Star Plugz
As we are well into winter everyone is asking me about lights, however, I think you should be riding with front and rear lights all year round, no matter what time of day or night, terrain, country or city, bike paths or roads.