Singletrack/MTB
Gravel/All-road
Dirt-road Touring
Fat-bike
Wolf Tooth Components just released their Supple Bar Tape, which is 10mm wider, 3mm thicker, and tackier than standard bar tape, all to keep your hands comfortable during long rides on rough dirt roads and trails. Here are a few first-look photos, actual weights, and all the specs…
Bar tape made specifically for gravel, dirt, and long days on rough terrain? Yes, please. Wolf Tooth Supple Bar Tape was designed with drop-bar mountain bikes and gravel rigs in mind. The tape is 5mm thick, which is twice as thick as most traditional bar tape, and provides extra comfort while riding the rough stuff, according to Wolf Tooth. It’s made with the same 100% silicone foam as Wolf Tooth Fat Paw Grips to dampen vibrations that come from bumps and pitted surfaces.
At 40mm wide, Wolf Tooth Supple Bar Tape is also wider than traditional bar tape. As shown below next to Brooks Cambium tape, it’s exactly 10mm wider. Like most bar tapes, it has tapered edges to even out the overlapping transitions when wrapping. Conversely, it doesn’t have a peel-and-stick adhesive backing like most modern bar tapes. Instead, it has a tacky texture, both to help it stick to the bars and to provide grip. Wolf Tooth adds that it works whether you’re wearing gloves or not, and doesn’t wash off over time.
The added width and thickness doesn’t come without a cost, however. Our sample tipped the scales at 223 grams (includes two rolls and two bar plugs), which is a little heavier than most cork and rubber bar tapes. Each package comes with two bar plugs and two rolls, each measuring 61″ (155cm) in length.
While we’ve yet to test it, Wolf Tooth states that Supple Bar Tape was developed and tested “on rides in the Minnesota cold, Texas heat, and climates and conditions in between. After multiple product iterations, the final result is a bar tape that is resistant to wear and maintains its soft, tacky, and vibration-damping qualities no matter the weather.”
- Actual W x L per roll 40mm x 155cm (1.6 x 61″)
- Actual Weight (2 rolls) 223
- Price $39.95
- Place of Manufacture USA
- Manufacturer’s Details wolftoothcomponents.com
For now, Wolf Tooth Supple Bar Tape is only available in black, with more colors to come. It retails for $39.95 and you can find it on wolftoothcomponents.com and wherever Wolf Tooth products are sold.
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