Adarga Leather Handlebar Tape

This leather is the best, but not long enough to completely wrap a thicker road drop bar with brake levers and covered cables. Only a few wrap kits are long enough cover a padded 7/8 inch drop bar or the thicker 15/16 inch style, if you continue the wrap around the brake levers, and this is one that comes short--by about 14 inches. You might have just enough to do an unpadded bar that doesn't include covered control cables. My wrap kit came with two long strips and only one small strip, which I cut in two for each clamp. After wrapping a padded Nitto Noodle (7/8") and including the control cables, I made it just to the flats of the bar. I re-wrapped several times to try to get more coverage, but without success. The older Adarga leather did not have the adhesive strips, which allowed unwrapping and repositioning. These newer kits have adhesive, which makes it more difficult to re-wrap. This tape would be five stars if it wasn't so stingy.

I decided to buy this leather tape because it was a more affordable alternative to the Velo Orange leather tape I've used in the past. The Adarga tape is a fine substitute so far. It's not perforated (don't know if that's good or bad?) and it comes in one long seamless piece so there's no awkward looking stitches to hide. It feels tacky and durable and is a good choice for people who prefer retro aesthetics or tape that doesn't need to be replaced every year. My VO leather tape has lasted for more than 4,000 miles and it still looks new. Installing the Adarga tape is much easier than with other tapes--you can pull it taut and stretch it over the bars without much fear of ripping it There's just something about leather that makes it want to conform more to the shape of the bars. I find that I can use it to wrap my bars in a way that looks professionally done, something I can't achieve with cork. In terms of comfort, the Adaga type is somewhere between cork and fizik tape. It feels amazing in your hands, but for serious riding you will definitely want some gloves. The length they provide is prety substantial as well. I was able to completely wrap 48cm Rando bars without some leftover from each roll.

It's hard to find a really good quality leather wrap these days. I really like these.I have Brooks installed on another bike an like that product as well. I think the Brooks look nicer while these are just a little thicker and not as supple lending to what seems like would be a more durable option. It all depends on if it is looks or function you are looking for.

Attractive, feels nice even without gloves, and matches my old Brooks saddle (helped by an added coat of mink oil, same as saddle). The leather was of high quality without any visible blemishes. Length was enough to wrap my bars with enough left over to put a strip behind the brake bracket - however, I added a set of brakes on the horizontal part of the handlebars, as well as some gel bar padding, so others' needs may differ. The edges are tapered slightly thinner and do not have any adhesive, so these tend to catch a little and roll up. Leather is less stretchy than other kinds of bar tape, so more care is needed in wrapping the bars. I finished the ends with waxed cotton thread instead of electrical tape.Overall, I like the look and feel. We'll see how it holds up with time. Ultimately, for $60 I could do the bars 4 times with padded "cork" tape, so I'm hoping it gets better with time and that I'll get many years of good use out of it.

The best leather handlebar tape I have used/bought, even compared to my Brooks leather handlebar tape. It is so long, it can wrap a 44 handlebar all the way to the stem, even with generous overlap. I have not bought another brand since 1st time I used this.

I bought these because I wanted a full leather wrap to place over my cork.I do a lot of commuting and touring with my bike and I wanted to have leather wraps. I got these and watered them down like told. Then I stretched them over my cork wraps on my Salsa woodchipper bars.It worked great! I have soft padding underneath and the tough leather on top. I then treated them with Montana pitch blend dressing (as I do all my leather goods... it's my favorite!)The color darkened and now match's my Brooks saddle better than my brooks wraps on my other bike.Love these!

I purchased the leather tape to match my Honey Brooks saddle for my Surly Long Haul Trucker. It was easy to wrap--but you need to be aware that the leather doesn't stretch when putting on like many other tapes. Also I had Cinelli cork tape on previously which had ripped from just a lot of use. I liked the cork tape with bare hands--I tend to use gloves with the leather as it's a harder surface.I wrapped the ends at the top with rawhide rather than using tape--looks awesome!

These may not be the cheapest and they may not be the easiest to wrap but they feel amazing in the hand and break in to perfection. One gripe, they could be a little longer. I ride 48cm wide bars and these tapes really aren't long enough. Lucky for me I was using some varnished twine as my finisher and I just made it a little wider than usual. Adarga, make them a little longer!