The 9 Best cotton Handlebar Tapes (2023 reviews)

The latest cinelli cotton handlebar tape is an absolute beast in terms of its features, and rightfully takes the top spot with ease. This is pretty good, stylish bar tape. It has a moderate amount of tacky ness to it. As far as bar tape it is subtle but still adds a little something to stand out from the all black. It does have a nice velvet feel to it, and is covered in a wide variety of Mike Giant icons. The finish is a nice matte, and they offer a decent amount of cushion. The colors are nice in that it is subtle but still adds a little something to stand out from the all black. The adhesive is perfect and you can get good tension on this inside version.

Why We Like This:

Very comfortable, grippy, like the built in reflective specs, and durable
Offers enough padding, but doesn't leave you feeling disconnected from the handlebars
Great bar tape, comfortable and lasts a good long while
Comfortable and retains a lot of grip even under sweat and rain

Best For an entry door support Handle: BV cotton Handlebar Tape

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It provides a comfortable handlebar grip for road bikes and more, including bar tape and bike frame protection tape. The handle bar tape is long enough to wrap around drop down handlebars, with enough tape left over. They are a good thickness and even more comfortable once wrapped around the bars. Installation is easy and the tape is easy to handle, with the right amount of stretchiness.

These have generous padding and are perfect. They are a good grip and a nice cushion for a comfortable ride. It sticks so well on it’s own and it gives more adhesive tape for a more secure fit. It gets really hot in the Arizona sun and this tape works great to keep you from burning your hand.

Why We Like This:

Easy to use, adheres well to existing foam
Easy to diy and looks great
Nicely padded and the glue strip keeps the grips in place
Nice and thick, provides good padding

Best For Long ride: Alien Pros cotton Handlebar Tape

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The alien pros bicycle handle bar tape provides a soft touch and the just-right amount of padding to your road bicycle handles with strong anti-slip functions in all weathers. It features a durable frosted bike tape skin that absorbs sweat and provides a long-lasting "grippy" feel. It has lots of cushion, looks awesome, and feels good quality. The finishing tape for the end is keeping things nice and tight.

This tape is good quality, grippy and spongy and is also easy to apply and forgiving if you need to back up and redo a section. The bar tape is soft and comfortable. It stretches for a tight fit without breaking. The finishing tape is also meh, electrical tape is preferred.

Why We Like This:

Easy to install and added finishing tape
Bar tape has lots of cushion, looks awesome, feels quality
Has great grip soft and durable
Easy to install and feels great for a long ride

Best For vintage Bike handlebars: Lssh Gmbh cotton Handlebar Tape

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The lssh gmbh cotton handlebar tape has killer features for the price point. This bike handlebar tape made of absorbent and soft material can effectively mitigate the shock from the road and minimize hand fatigue on long rides. It includes 2 abs plastic bar plugs and 2 handlebar tape. It will increase the size of your handle bars. It's no problem if you strength enough to get a tight wrap with no gap.

This handlebar tape is as easy as any other to install. It doesn't need any adhesion whatsoever if you wrap it correctly. It is easy to apply to the bicycle handlebars and is holding well so far. This is a good bar tape for the money, but the cork gives it a retro style.

Why We Like This:

Good grip, good padding/ vibration reduction and porous for perspiration absorption
Nice cork tape, nice road dampening, plenty long
Nice tape and long enough for small road bike handlebars

Best For gravel Riding: VIARON cotton Handlebar Tape

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We know from years of feedback from readers, customers and amazon sellers, what most people want in a convenient and appropriate tape. The viaron cotton handlebar tape is exactly that - it's a simple tape that hits all the right notes. A newly wrapped handlebar is one surefire way to make your bike look and feel refreshed. This handlebar tape combines pu surface with eva foam on, the pu brings you an amazing touch feeling, comfortable grip experience, and the thick eva material can absorb even fierce shock. It has a thin adhesive strip to stick to the handlebars and hold in place when wrapping. The adhesive strip is best at staying put all season, so you’re not wasting extra buck to change tapes frequently.

The high-quality tape is essential for comfort and control, especially in high-speed and tricky corners. The Handlebar tape covers two of the five contact points on the bike, meaning the typical cyclist spends at least 10 hours a week holding onto it. It offers more direct connection and input response to the bike. It comes with just enough stretch, it goes on with ease and stays on.

Why We Like This:

New and hot release
Delivers what they promise

Best For golf pull cart Handle: Boenoea cotton Handlebar Tape

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It is the best at wrapping bar tape but despar tape so it's pretty simple to wrap. It comes with double-sided tape, which is very convenient to wrap and re-wrap to handlebars. It is made of pu poly urethene, backing with eva foam. The bar tape is very comfortable on long rides. It is great handlebar tape for any extended handlebar of road bike, bmx, touring bike etc. It is easy to install and looks great.

Why We Like This:

Possess superior aging resistance and abrasion resistance, as well as air permeability
Love the variety of colors and grip
Good looking tape, easy to put on and feel great

Best For Luggage Handle repair: Velox cotton Handlebar Tape

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Velox offers a variety of tape for personal choice and yet maintaining quality in all the variants. This tape works for MANY other uses than Bike Handle Tape. It is perfect for bicycle touring. It's original color is a light black, and has only faded slightly after much sun and a bit of rain. The tape has better adhesion than newbaums but it’s thinner. It is easy to wrap with good adhesive backing.

The tape has proven to be durable to the frictional wear of the clamps and the car's paint is out of danger. It can be used for many things other than handlebars.

Why We Like This:

Foam tape cracks and falls apart under all adverse weather conditions
Does not stretch like cork or synthetics
Lot of satisfied buyers

Best For cyclocross: Vxm cotton Handlebar Tape

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The vxm cotton handlebar tape might be a relatively new release, but it's still nothing short of impressive this year. It has a nice amount of cushion, but not too much cushion so you still feel like you get a solid grip.

The tape gets a bit slippery when exposed to rain or sleet. It has a wide finishing tape that can be cut in half to have a spare in case you ever need to reapply this grip. These would be great for recreational use to add some color to your bike scheme, but glove usage is highly recommended.

Why We Like This:

Good feel under one's hands without cycling gloves
Looks great and easy to use
Great comfort, excellent grip, very nice

Best For gravel Bike: Silca cotton Handlebar Tape

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The handlebar tape is your direct connection to the bike. It has a softer, more comfortable feel, higher wet and dry grip, better vibration isolation, and 3-5x the durability of existing tape materials. The tape has stretch and wraps tight. It is soft, grippy, and just feels great.

Why We Like This: