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review
Bar tape & grips
FSA Power Touch Bar Tape FSA Power Touch Bar Tape

FSA Power Touch Bar Tape

9
by Steph Mann
UPDATED Thu, Oct 15, 2015 04:24

First Published Oct 2, 2015

3
£24.95

VERDICT:

9
10
An easy to apply tape that won't break the bank and well worth considering for longer rides
Weight: 
39g
Contact: 
www.windwave.co.uk
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FSA Power Touch Bar Tape is comfortable to the touch and easy to apply. The tape is a decent thickness, which really adds to the overall feel, and the price is fairly reasonable considering you can pay anything from around a tenner up to £40.

Having only ever used the bar tape that comes with the bike, this was a learning curve. If you've never changed bar tape before, this video can really help. If you have done it, you'll probably have your own method, but I found the guide practical and useful when doing this for the first time.

Find your nearest dealer here 

Buy this online here 

The package comes with two rolls of tape, one for each side of the bar, adhesive tape for securing it, and two caps. Basically, everything you need to make the swap.

The first thing you notice about the tape is the texture. It is very grippy, fairly stretchy and non slippy, which helps with the installation.

Once it is on your bar, comfort and grip are the things to think about, and how it performs. Made from a synthetic and natural cork mix with 2.8mm of padding and gel on the inner side, it is very comfortable and easy on the hands. I noticed the grip immediately without gloves on, and felt that even in wet conditions it would work extremely well.

In practice over the last couple of weeks, I have quickly become a fan of this tape. It comes in a variety of colours (green clashed with my bike): black, blue, red, yellow and white too, so it will match most bikes well.

I usually ride with gloves, but went without just to give it a fair chance to shine. The grip was beyond excellent, even in damper weather – and now that we are into autumn, this is an important feature. The gel underlay seemed to absorb any bumps I may have felt otherwise, and if coupled with gloves your hands would barely suffer.

The diamond effect design helps with the grip. It isn't dissimilar looking to the Brand X bar tape we tested recently, though there is a difference in the price.

Speaking of which... £24.95 might seem a little steep, but I have seen it online as cheap as £14.95, meaning you can get a higher end bar tape at a very reasonable price.

Verdict

An easy to apply tape that won't break the bank and well worth considering for longer rides

road.cc test report

Make and model: FSA Power Touch Bar Tape

Size tested: Green

Tell us what the product is for, and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?

FSA says: "Cork tape for comfort and feel, in mutiple colour options to coordinate with all bikes."

It is very comfortable, and the colour options mean it will go with any bike.

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?

Synthetic /natural cork hybrid

With gel on the inner side

Colours - black, yellow, red, blue, green

One size fits all

74 grams

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
9/10
Rate the product for performance:
 
9/10
Rate the product for durability:
 
8/10
Rate the product for weight, if applicable:
 
9/10
Rate the product for comfort, if applicable:
 
9/10
Rate the product for value:
 
8/10

Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose

The tape went on easily enough and I had no problems with it. It felt grippy under my hands and non-slip in the wet.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

I liked the comfort and the ability to mute the buzz from the road.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

Nothing.

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes

Would you consider buying the product? Yes

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes

Use this box to explain your score

The tape was easy to install and very comfortable. If you shop around, the price can be really reasonable, making it a very good buy.

Overall rating: 9/10

About the tester

Age: 35  Height: 158cm  Weight: 61kg

I usually ride: Scott Contessa  My best bike is:

I've been riding for: Under 5 years  I ride: A few times a week  I would class myself as: Experienced

I regularly do the following types of riding: road racing, commuting, sportives, general fitness riding, mountain biking

 

FSA Power Touch Bar Tape
FSA 2015
FSA
Bar tape

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3 comments

Avatar
1961BikiE | 9 years ago
0 likes

I was going to make a similar comment. But having read the whole article, the fact that the reviewer has found it online for £15 meant there was no point.

Avatar
Iamnot Wiggins replied to 1961BikiE | 9 years ago
0 likes
1961BikiE wrote:

I was going to make a similar comment. But having read the whole article, the fact that the reviewer has found it online for £15 meant there was no point.

That's the thing though, people look at the price, don't read the review and just bang on about how much they bought this & that for!

Avatar
hawkinspeter | 9 years ago
0 likes

Won't break the bank? I usually pay around £10 for bar tape.

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