Avoid Lizard Skin

[Dead Man]

Yup. I think it sucks.

I bought some... it delaminated. I contacted LS after the fact, and they immediately sent me a new roll and said maybe I put it on too tight, causing the delam on the first set. So I put on the new stuff, being careful not to put it on too tight, and it slips off the bars. I contact them again, he says "maybe you didn't put it on tight enough, try re-wrapping it tighter." So I do..... and it's still slipping, I discovered looking at it yesterday.

Taking it off and going back to $10 cork.

[scpknees]

I started the season with lizard skin bar tape, this is my first time trying this brand and so far it's the best tape I've owned. hopefully i'll feel this way at seasons end.

[bcroslin]

Arundel tape is the best IMO

[gavingould]

LS is difficult to wrap; doesn't like to be stretched, but also hard to wrap tightly enough.
once it's on there though, it's been great for me. my first LS tape spent a few thousand miles on the road bike then was re-wrapped onto the cross bike for a season of racing.
i just put a new roll on my do-it-all bike and rode ~70mi on it yesterday.
for what it's worth, i don't find it slippery in the rain at all. i don't wear gloves unless it's full-finger weather, 40F and below.

[Fishbike]

My yellow LS delaminated as well after just a few hundred miles. And then I had the white on 2 bikes that discolored quite a bit -- not so much dirty just yellowish. I love the feel but the polymer does funky things.

[JAllen]

I can't speak to their tape (I buy whatever is on sale or clearance. Latest being Specialized), but I can speak to their grips. A buddy of mine bought a bunch on a great deal online and we put them on bikes fixed up and resold. A little hair spray and they fit right on. I like them quite a bit and they are nice and comfy on the test rides.

[CheshireCat]

funny...I've had mine on the bike for over a year and they've been great.

ive done black, white and pink and all were great.

you really cant stretch the tape when you install otherwise it will delam. There's a trick to keeping it taut without stretch and sometimes it takes a couple tries to get the perfect wrap, but i love the stuff.

[efaust_o]

I watched the video on Youtube. What is your tip (trick) in keeping it taunt?

[illuminaught]

Here's a pic of mine after 2 days... I'm really disappointed.
Total waste of money. It's gotten significantly worse in the last week...

[Dromen]

WOW. I have LS on all bikes except a couple with Handlebra. Cant wear it out. One bike has some that has been re-wrapped 4 times(off other bikes) and it has gotten a bit thin and less chushy but no issues with condition.

All black for me.

Never understood the slippery when wet either....

[CheshireCat]

Originally Posted by efaust_o

I watched the video on Youtube. What is your tip (trick) in keeping it taunt?

for me:instead of pulling on it with a lot of distance between my hand in the tape, I pull it tight but not stretched by keeping my hand and fingers extremely close to the bar. I try to keep the tape as flat as possible while wrapping around the handlebar with very little wrinkling. The tricky part is when going over the hoods/cables exiting the levers as this is a prime spot to overstretch the tape. I've messed up the tape a couple times, but it usually is fixed if I re-wrap the bars again but switch sides that the tape sits on.

After getting whacked by a car, I was able to just flip the tape around and work around the gash that I earned by smacking the ground.

I'm fine, but my wheel just suddenly bent and I think I might have a hell of a time getting insurance to pay for it since it was a few months since I've ridden the bike with that wheelset and was hit.

it's a bummer that the stuff seems to be of inconsistent quality from y'alls reports. I've got it on all my bikes.


the best traction by far has and always will be the stuff from ESIGRIPS and ZEVLIN, if you're looking for a Lizard Skin alternative:

http://www.zevlin.com/category_s/1862.htm

http://www.esigrips.com/Silicone_Road_Grips.htm

(I use ESI for MTB, but my friend loves the road stuff on his cross bike)

[r_mutt]

odd- i've used it for over 5 years and have not found a better tape.

[cinema]

The price is outrageous. takes all kinds i guess

[kasak]

Can confirm. I have some blue and white lizard skins on the trainer and the blue will bleed out and with a heavy sweet. Definitely slippery when wet too - it can be like grabbing a slick sponge but others don't fare great here either. I also had some black LS on another bike - it was older and less slippery. That one went all to pieces but it had been on there quite a while so I really can't fault it. Just don't think it performs well enough to justify their asking price.

[Highpowernut]

I believe it is priced high,.
I have it on two bikes, started with it on my tri bike due to its feel when wet. Good grip for me when hands are wet.

Put it on my road bike , doesn't seem to be lasting as long, starting to see ware after 1k miles.
Any other similar alternative would be great as I like the feel , but don't know if I can justify the cost again