Lizard Skin bar tape, impressions ?

[donevwil]

I was at my LBS this Saturday shopping for a helmet and they had a Lizard Skin display with set of bars wrapped in the thin tape. Very unique, a bit strange, kind of sticky or gummy, didn't know whether to love it or hate it. It's a bit pricey to try on a whim, but the red matches my bike perfectly. A lot here seem to love it, please share your impressions. My current go-to is Fizik Microtex.

How about:

Durability/re-wrapability ?
How is it in wet, cold, hot, sweaty and/or dirty conditions ?
Thin vs thick ?

Thanks

[adub]

Its definitely a love/hate thing with this tape.

I love it, I use the standard thickness. I also don't wear gloves. Very durable and I like it in all conditions. I ride with a couple guys who've tried it and they hate it.

[booglebug]

As a Fizik guy, recently wrapped a friends with Lizzard Skins was very impressed with the feel. Interested in the feedback on this also.

[nmrt]

for me: love the feel. but horrible in durability.

[pjm]

Not for me, too rubbery. I prefer a smooth surface I can slide my hands on without a lot of friction.

[Geeheeb]

its durable if you treat it right (don't stretch it!), but I didn't like the feel. back to fizik.

[hoj]

I've used it on all of my bikes for the last 3 years, and I think it's a good tape overall. However, just recently moved to a much more humid climate and have found that it gets really slippery when wet (aka high humidity, sweat, rain, etc.). I know other people who have complained about this issue as well.

In my personal experience I've never had any problems with durability. Lasts just as long as any other tape I've used in the past.

That being said, I'll probably be switching to something different when my current wrap wears out since 1) it's expensive, and 2) above issues when wet.

[R3awak3n]

imo not great, doesn't last that long, too expensive, feel just ok.

I give it that its light, thats it.

[adub]

Ive got 10k on mine so far, zero wear.

[R3awak3n]

well, mine lasted 10km, but died at like 200km
:p

[bigbill]

Wasn't durable for me. I tend to ride without gloves and it's hot here in the summer. The top layer of the material would tear off after a few months.

This has been my favorite:
http://www.arundelbike.com/product/rubber-gecko/

[R3awak3n]

Wasn't durable for me. I tend to ride without gloves and it's hot here in the summer. The top layer of the material would tear off after a few months.

This has been my favorite:
http://www.arundelbike.com/product/rubber-gecko/

yep, it delaminates. The tape was fine, till I got some rides on the trainer, didnt last long

[cmg]

great when your hands get sweaty but yea it de-laminates. had it on 3 bikes, 2 of them delaminated after about a summer of riding.

[gavingould]

i've quite liked Lizard Skins. i'm a no-gloves rider most of the time and never really found it to be slippery due to sweat or rain. did not have durability issues either, key being to not stretch it when installing, which can be quite difficult.
going to try out the ESI silicone stuff as spring nears.

[ultraman6970]

I dont use gloves, that tape works pretty well.

[Dead Man]

I tried 3 rolls, I had 3 rolls de-laminate in the first few weeks. Crap!

[jruhlen1980]

Same as others, didn't last very long. On the other hand, I'm going on 2 years and 1400 miles with the specialized HD tape, although it's only available in a bafflingly limited number of colors.

[NickR]

for me: love the feel. but horrible in durability.

its durable if you treat it right (don't stretch it!), but I didn't like the feel. back to fizik.

Wasn't durable for me. I tend to ride without gloves and it's hot here in the summer. The top layer of the material would tear off after a few months.

This has been my favorite:
http://www.arundelbike.com/product/rubber-gecko/

Had lizard skin on a low mileage bike, swapped out bars and they de-laminated. Could be operator error since it said not to stretch, but who knows, went back to Fizik.

[donevwil]

Thanks all ! I'm a profuse sweater and have ruined/delaminated many other brands so I think I'll let the novelty pass and keep looking.

I've been using Fizik Microtex for nearly 10 years, but they've discontinued "my" color and my last two rolls have been far less durable than prior rolls with edges rolling up pretty much from the get go. Don't know if they changed the formulation, construction or what, but I'm quite put off by it.

[Climb01742]

Wow, I'm surprised so many have had bad experiences with Lizard Skin. I'm a no-gloves guy and I love the feel of Lizard Skin. Have had it on 3 or 4 bikes for years now and zero issues. Did you guys buy the box labelled in very small type 'The good stuff'?:D:beer:;)

[stien]

I also love this stuff. My then girlfriend (now wife) gave me a roll for Christmas 2013 and it's been on several different bikes and now my race bike. At least 10k miles. I've worn through a few spots climbing Devil's Kitchen out of the saddle with gloves but it owes me nothing at this point. It's well worth the extra cost.

[jonc]

I have used this for the last few years and very much like it. The standard thickness feels great and I have no problems getting 400 or so hours a year out of it. I retape my bars every year no matter what it looks like, but the Lizard Skins tape has held up better than anything else I've used.

That being said, I just wrapped a friend's bars with the new Fabric branded tape and it felt really nice. I'm going to try that out this spring and see how I like it.

[oldpotatoe]

imo not great, doesn't last that long, too expensive, feel just ok.

I give it that its light, thats it.

$40!!! yikes.

[R3awak3n]

Thanks all ! I'm a profuse sweater and have ruined/delaminated many other brands so I think I'll let the novelty pass and keep looking.

I've been using Fizik Microtex for nearly 10 years, but they've discontinued "my" color and my last two rolls have been far less durable than prior rolls with edges rolling up pretty much from the get go. Don't know if they changed the formulation, construction or what, but I'm quite put off by it.

I tapped a bike like 5 months ago and it looks brand new, with new microtez that is. The one that comes in the smaller cube box. Maybe a bad batch.

[R3awak3n]

$40!!! yikes.

Right? You can find the fizik stuff for $16 sometimes but normal price is $20.

[-dustin]

I tried 3 rolls, I had 3 rolls de-laminate in the first few weeks. Crap!
I've used black for years with zero issue.

I tried a roll of white, and it did that within a month. Back to black, and no problems.

[Bentley]

I've used it. I don't wear gloves and it's great when New but does not last. There are better tapes out there for the same money. Supakaz is great, Profile makes some nice Lizard Skin tape, so does Arumdel. I'm giving ESI a try.

For me Lizard skin delaminates to easy for what it costs

Ray

[jtbadge]

I just bought four rolls of Fizik for the new price of one roll of Lizard Skins. This should last me approximately 2 lifetimes.

[benb]

I've had good luck with it. The rapid delaminating thing is from over stretching. Maybe we're used to not reading instructions when installing bike stuff but every package of the Lizard Skins tape I've gotten has had instructions on how to mount it so it doesn't delaminate.

I've got it on one of my bikes right now, maybe 5-6000 miles and it's starting to look a little ratty/worn but it's not delaminating. Traditionally I do replace bar tape every year. But this set of Lizard Skins I've taken off and put back on numerous times.

I actually don't like the feel of Lizard Skins when it's wet if you're not wearing gloves. I wear gloves 99% of the time though so no big deal. I also am fine with the Fizik stuff, that tape is very nice too and less expensive. I've got Fizik on my other bike and it's wearing well, and I have a set of Fizik on the shelf that is going to replace the Lizard Skins that is starting to look ratty.

[dave thompson]

The key to Lizard Skin tape longevity is to not stretch it when wrapping. After my wife's Lizard Skin tape came apart for the second time I switched to NFS bar tape. It has the same feeling as the Lizard Skin but is tough as hell and wraps really well. My wife puts on a ton of miles every year as is not kind to her bar tape. NFS is the best synthetic tape I've found.

[dem]

With leather gloves, the color layer wore off for me. Also since you can't stretch it much, the tape likes to migrate. ~500 miles of riding in varied conditions and it looks pretty cruddy.

One and done for me. Fizzik microtex and cheap deda foam will last 5000+ plus miles for me.

[benc]

Lizard Skins sponsors my team so I get the bar tape for free. It's garbage. I ride without gloves and get less than 1000 miles out of it before it delaminates.

[MaraudingWalrus]

Do people know that tape is a wear item? It eventually all wears out. And, perhaps more importantly, one should probably change their tape BEFORE it wears out, so that they can mitigate the chances of their salty sweaty filth corroding through the bars...

[donevwil]

I just bought four rolls of Fizik for the new price of one roll of Lizard Skins. This should last me approximately 2 lifetimes.

This in a nutshell is why I'll probably stick with Fizik. I've used 5 rolls in the last 10+ years and only the most recent two let me down (a discontinued color purchased from Amazon so very likely they were very old and possibly defective). I've got white on my Merckx that's been re-wrapped three times soon to be a fourth and still looks great.

[Pierre]

Over-priced crap. Have tried it on a few occasions. Funny feel when wet, no different in feel vs. traditional when dry.

[zzy]

Kinda surprised no one mentioned this, but the different thickness tapes all wear differently. IMO, the 3.2mm ones do wear down fast at the shoulders, and tear easily (2.5 similar but not as bad). The 1.8mm stuff is much firmer and more durable, and a lot of serious riders I know swear by it. Whether it's worth the premium over almost anything else is up to you.

[adub]

After reading these comments you should find the actual answer with your magic 8 ball.

[jimwhimpey]

Lizard Skin is awful. The lack of stretch and stick makes it very hard to keep in place over time. I preserved with it for way too long because I like the feel. Then I discovered "PRO digital carbon" which has a similar feel but much better durability. Then I found my favorite ever: Planet Bike Tachyon! So easy to wrap, so durable, feels so nice with gloves or not.

[R3awak3n]

Kinda surprised no one mentioned this, but the different thickness tapes all wear differently. IMO, the 3.2mm ones do wear down fast at the shoulders, and tear easily (2.5 similar but not as bad). The 1.8mm stuff is much firmer and more durable, and a lot of serious riders I know swear by it. Whether it's worth the premium over almost anything else is up to you.

I had the 1.8mm, and lasted me 3 months. It was great for 2 and half months but it did not like whatever I was doing on it, on the trainer.

[donevwil]

after reading these comments you should find the actual answer with your magic 8 ball.

1697933655

[crankles]

Do people know that tape is a wear item? It eventually all wears out.

of course we all know this (although the handlebra stuff seems to defy all assumptions about tape being a 'wear item'), but at twice the price of fizik/deda with half the life, it better be life changing. I raced it when we were sponsored, but it's longevity was a deal breaker. The white also yellowed terribly in the sun.

I loved the grip in muddy cross races, but thr ROI just wasn't there.

[Paid In Full]

I think I am just echoing what others have said, but I have decided to give up on Lizard Skins for my own bikes. I loved the 1.8mm thickness, but it just didn't last long enough, and in my experience it lasted longer than it's thicker brothers.

I am now trying out some Zipp CX bar tape that feels like a mix of the 2.5mm Lizard Skins and the Fizik Soft Touch stuff. It doesn't feel as nice as the 1.8, but it's growing on me. 500 miles in, so no long term durability report yet.

[livingminimal]

Crap, to me. The durability sucks. Expensive. Feels only ok.

[Makuman]

I like the feel. Expensive. Can be a little slippery when wet. Had a few sets on a couple bike but found out they don't last very long here in Hawaii conditions. Leaning towards Fizik Superlight

[beercan]

Dislike it, wears too quick. Fizik is great, they have the tackier version now also

[trener1]

Wow, I have had the exact opposite experience of Y'all.
I brought my bike into my LBS for an overhaul this past May, wanted some tape that matched my bike, and the guy recommended the Lizard Skins, so on they went, the tackiness is a bit interesting, took a bit getting used to but now I like it, it's been going strong for the last 8 months with no issues whatsoever, looks as solid as the day it went on.

[ptourkin]

I have DSP 3.2 put on once a year before my biggest event. I get about 10,000 miles between wraps. It will start to wear behind the hoods a month or so before the change. I've done this for the last three years.

[bshell]

Shop recommendation. Put it on two bikes. Color layer wears through way too early. 1000 miles max in my case. Never again.

[Cicli]

Probably the worst tape I have ever used.
I normally use the cheap cork Cinelli tape and at 5x the cost this Lizard skins crap was a huge disappointment.

[efaust_o]

LS = :crap:

[ptourkin]

Applied last August. About 6,000 miles ago http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p250/cecilhayduke/20170129_160915_1.jpg

Either Holland Cycles knows how to do it correctly or I just keep getting great batches.

[Tony]

I guess I'll add to the list of those who have had good luck with it lasting more than six month of riding. I found it easy to install and it stayed in place nicely. My complaint is that it gets dirty easy and its difficult to clean. I've moved on to other tapes due to the high price.

[Tommy Mac]

I like Lizard Skins for about six months, then it wears thin. I like the ESI wrap better - nice padding, super tacky, better in the wet, and more durable.

[donevwil]

When I started this thread I thought Lizard Skin was unique in its sticki- and tackiness, but that appears to be a trend in a lot of tapes, even Fizik has such an option. So aside from Lizard Skin vs whatever, in what situations do people prefer sticky and tacky? It appears many proponents don't wear gloves?

I really do like the free-to-slide, leather'esque feel of Fizik Microtex so maybe I should just try some HandleBra, but how is leather in the wet?