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Ergon BT Allroad handlebar tape

7
£34.99

VERDICT:

7
10
Not the best out there for the money, but impressively comfortable for such a thin tape, and grippy too
Comfortable without muting feedback
Grippy in all conditions
Easy to fit
At the pricier end of the scale
Weight: 
80g

At road.cc every product is thoroughly tested for as long as it takes to get a proper insight into how well it works. Our reviewers are experienced cyclists that we trust to be objective. While we strive to ensure that opinions expressed are backed up by facts, reviews are by their nature an informed opinion, not a definitive verdict. We don't intentionally try to break anything (except locks) but we do try to look for weak points in any design. The overall score is not just an average of the other scores: it reflects both a product's function and value – with value determined by how a product compares with items of similar spec, quality, and price.

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Ergon's BT Allroad bar tape is grippy, even in the wet, and it's relatively easy to fit to even the most compact of handlebar drops. At 2.5mm it's not the thickest of bar tapes for venturing away from the road, but it is certainly comfortable

For a bar tape that is designed to be used on mixed terrain, 2.5mm isn't that thick, but the foam material that Ergon has used is surprisingly squishy and comfortable.

I rarely ride with gloves, and found that the Allroad tape takes out a lot of the vibration you get on hardpacked surfaces, and it does it without reducing the amount of feedback coming from the rest of the bike. For me that's a definite plus point.

Alongside the comfort there is also plenty of grip. The tape has a slightly embossed pattern which works well in the wet or dry.

2022 Ergon Bartape Allroad.jpg

There isn't much stretch in the tape, which can hinder wrapping the tight sections of the handlebar, but the Allroad is very flexible and shapes well in tight corners, even around the shift levers.

On a 44cm (outer-to-outer) gravel bar with 12 degrees of flare there was plenty of tape to go around.

The finishing tape is tacky enough to stay put, and the bar end bungs also fit the majority of handlebars, although for this kind of money I'd prefer to see alloy end caps with expanding wedges for a perfect fit.

It's only been four weeks so far, but the tape is holding up well to wear and tear in the usual places.

2022 Ergon Bartape Allroad - boxed.jpg

It's available in five colours – Black, Space Blue, Merlot Red, Wilderness Green and White Speed – and costs £34.99, which puts it up there with some of the priciest tapes we've reviewed.

Enve's tape, for example, which Pat said was the comfiest he had ever used, is £35.

There are many other very good tapes available for less, though.

Brooks' Cambium Rubber tape, for example, is £29.99, and at 3mm thick it's ideal for all kinds of surfaces. George tested it in January and found it easy to wrap, comfortable and grippy.

PRO's Gravel Comfort, which impressed Mike Stead, is also £29.99, but you can get away with spending even less – Prime's Comfort, which scored 9/10 in Liam's review, costs just £23.99. It's 3mm thick, but if you want to go thicker there's a 3.5mm Gravel version for £21.99. I use it on my own gravel bike, and it's excellent.

Conclusion

Overall, for the tape's thickness it's comfortable and I really do like how grippy it is. It is on the pricey side, though, and there is some very tough competition out there.

Verdict

Not the best out there for the money, but impressively comfortable for such a thin tape, and grippy too

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road.cc test report

Make and model: Ergon BT Allroad

Size tested: 2.5 mm

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?

Ergon says, "Allroad riders want more. Their ideal handlebar tape should reduce discomfort on various road surfaces, feel good to the touch, provide a secure grip and deliver total direct control. The Ergon BT Allroad with its 2.5 mm thickness and a medium coarse, counter-angled surface texture, offers the ideal all-in-one solution. Pressure on the hands is reduced, vibration and shock is damped and riding pleasure and performance are greatly improved. The bar tape can be wrapped to individual preferences – thinner/thicker or increased/decreased grip texture – as wrap positioning guide marks are incorporated into the bar tape surface pattern."

For such a thin bar tape it copes well with all kinds of conditions.

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

Ergon lists:

Length: 2100 mm

Use: Allroad/Gravel/Cyclocross, Road

Thickness: 2.5 mm

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
8/10
Rate the product for performance:
 
8/10
Rate the product for durability:
 
8/10
Rate the product for weight (if applicable)
 
6/10
Rate the product for comfort (if applicable)
 
8/10
Rate the product for value:
 
4/10

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

Relatively easy to fit and it's grippy in all weathers.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

Great levels of grip.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

No alloy end plugs for a quality finish.

How does the price compare to that of similar products in the market, including ones recently tested on road.cc?

There are others on the market such as Enve's for the same money, but there are also some very good tapes for a fiver or so less, and some real bargains to be had around the £20 price point, as mentioned in the review.

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes

Would you consider buying the product? Possibly

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes

Use this box to explain your overall score

Overall, this a good all-round bar tape that gives plenty of comfort and grip. It's missing things like alloy end caps, though, to justify the price.

Overall rating: 7/10

About the tester

Age: 42  Height: 180cm  Weight: 76kg

I usually ride: This month's test bike  My best bike is: B'Twin Ultra CF draped in the latest bling test components

I've been riding for: Over 20 years  I ride: Every day  I would class myself as: Expert

I regularly do the following types of riding: time trialling, commuting, club rides, sportives, fixed/singlespeed,

As part of the Tech Hub here at F-At Digital, our senior product reviewer Stu uses the knowledge gained from putting well over a 1,000 products through their paces (including hundreds of bikes) to write in-depth reviews of a huge range of kit. After first throwing his leg over a race bike back in 2000, Stu's ridden more than 160,000 miles on road, time-trial, track, and gravel bikes, and while he's put his racing days behind him he still likes to smash the pedals rather than take things easy. Although, as he spends a fair bit of his time reviewing ebikes these days he's becoming an expert in letting the motor take the strain. He's also waiting for 23mm race tyres to make a comeback!

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