Review: Velo-Orange Leather Bar Tape
Nothing classes your bike up quite like leather. I have a leather Brooks and sewed some leather toe straps to my water bottle cages. It was only a matter of time, I suppose, that I complete the leather trifecta by getting some leather handlebar tape.
Velo-Orange sent me some leather bar tape to try out. Now, I am not new to using leather handlebar tape. I had a foray with leather tape two years ago with some Brooks honey tape. You can read about it here. The results weren’t so pleasing.
With that in mind, I was excited to try out the VO tape. For the last two years, I’ve been a cotton tape and shellac kind of guy. Relatively inexpensive. Rugged good looks. However, I really would have prefered leather if it didn’t turn into rotting zombie flesh.
I’ve had the VO tape on my bike for about a week and have gone on a few medium length rides with it and am extremely pleased with it. It applies easily and has an adhesive backing on it. It comes with two chrome plastic bar ends (didn’t use them).
I have to say, after two years of swearing off leather tape, I really miss it. The feel of the tape is soft and supple with the slightest bit of cushion - somewhere between cotton tape and cork tape. While not quite as vibration dampening as a thick roll of cork tape, it was noticeably more pleasant than plain cotton/shellac tape. The surface isn’t abrasive and it’s a joy to ride without gloves. It adds one of those nice nuances that makes riding a bicycle blissful.
I’m using the “brown” tape which is a good match to the dark brown Brooks saddles. While out of the bag they aren’t a perfect color match, I have found that with some riding, the tape develops a darker deeper patina that matches the saddle.
Perhaps the most noticeable advantage of the VO tape compared to the Brooks honey I tried a few years ago, is that so far it hasn’t disintegrated into rotting zombie flesh. Whatever dyes or treatment that the leather has seems to be holding up a lot better. Granted, I’ve only had the tape for a short time but the way it’s patina is developing is very promising.
If you’re considering leather handlebar tape and are torn between the Brooks tape and the VO tape, I’d highly recommend the VO tape. It looks just as classy as the Brooks tape, it feels great and it wears in a lot better than the Brooks.
Highly Recommend.
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I have about 12,000+ commuter miles on my Brooks Leather tape in North Carolina, summer sweat and winter rain. It is holding up fine.
As far as cycle touring goes; I’ve tried Brooks perforated tape twice and have since decided against it. Though it looks gorgeous, the first time I tried it the adhesive dissolved and due to the non stretchiness of the tape, it just wouldn’t stay on the bars any longer and so I took it off.
The second I tried it I rode with it on the GAP and C&O trails but the lack of padding the tape had KILLED my hands. The C&O was the worse where in one day of riding I could barely tie my shoes or able to unzip my rain jacket at the end. The vibration and lack of padding was just too much. The nail in the “Brooks tape for touring coffin” was that at the end of the trip, I had a local Georgetown shop pack up and ship my bike for me. By the time it got to the west coast (1 1/2 weeks) the bar tape was completely taken over by mold.
HOWEVER, as far as my go fast/commuter bike goes, I’ve been using it since building up the bike and love it! Maybe when the Brooks falls off (or turns into zombie flesh) I will try the VO version.
Russ,
Have you ridden in the rain much since you got this tape? When you had the brooks tape, was rain a factor in the tape going bad?
You can’t go wrong with the elkhide either.
Don’t forget to treat regularly w/ neatsfoot oil.
Jansen,
Haven’t ridden in the rain yet. When I had the Brooks it didn’t get rained on. It was rather weird. Had the honey and it really just got nasty after a week. Light use. Maybe the dark brown and black fared better.
R
I have a spritzy bicycle but it did come with foam grips. On the net everywhere people will say foam is tacky and maybe it looks so but I’ve used plenty of other items and for a long or short ride, they are easy on the hands. I also learned that the hard way, because I took some off another bicycle since they are not “vogue” but now can’t bring myself to do it on another bike. They are the cat’s pajamas.
i’ve never been tempted to wrap my bars in leather…..until now.
although your photography has a way of making everything look really, really good.
nathan