What’s next, $100 bar tape?

[duff_duffy]

Stuff is getting expensive these days.

[weisan]

That boat had long sailed for me ever since it costs more than $1k to get a complete groupset....actually $500....yes, I am cheapskate

[Allcarbon]

You joke, but leather bar tape like the one Brooks sells is $70 - $75.

https://www.brooksengland.com/en_us/...-bar-tape.html

[djg21]

Originally Posted by duff_duffy

Stuff is getting expensive these days.

I carry one of these as a spare when I ride tubeless. It is very minimalist and takes up little space. And my Handlebra does cost $100. It lasts for years.

[redir]

So is it the Molteni orange or is there something actually to it?

[Dino Suegiù]

Wow, $35 for those things?
The $ cost/bad review ratio is almost 1/1 then.

~$70 bar tape is actually a far more rational investment imo.

[Blue Jays]

Amortized over a bunch of years, the high-quality Handlebra tape has been a truly solid investment.
One thing that bugs me is unexpected "downtime" on bicycles. Reliability and durability have advantages.

[Jaybee]

With the caveat that I've never had to use it, I carry the 29" version for a MTB spare. It's like 1/4 of the volume in the pack, and something like 1/5 of the weight of a standard butyl tube. Especially bikepacking, the pack volume makes a difference.

[Gsinill]

Umm, I hate to admit it but 100 bucks didn't do for my last Handlebra order, which to my excuse, was an exception...

[djg21]

Originally Posted by jaybee

with the caveat that i've never had to use it, i carry the 29" version for a mtb spare. It's like 1/4 of the volume in the pack, and something like 1/5 of the weight of a standard butyl tube. Especially bikepacking, the pack volume makes a difference.

I’ve never had to use mine either. I purchased two last season to carry as spares (I ride road tubeless). The industry reviews were really good. https://www.bike-components.de/blog/...ed-revolution/

[Mikej]

It’s the size, search tubolito and you’ll see my picture. https://forums.thepaceline.net/attac...1&d=1566258426

[vincenz]

Give it a try sometime. You can lose 120g by spending $40 (buy from Europe). Or you can spend many thousands more for the same weight loss on wheels. Pretty good bang for buck in my opinion. Plus they are much more puncture resistant than latex or butyl tubes.

[Cantdog]

That’s an expensive tube. I recently had a flat and stopped at ATA cycles to grab another tube mid ride, and I thought they were out of their minds for charging 35$ to replace a tube. Maybe they put one of these in...

[EB]

Tubolito is a really great option as a tubeless spare. Not really for the weight savings, but for the space savings, especially for the 29er and gravel versions - rolled up its about 1/4 the space of the equivalent butyl tube.

For those that haven’t installed one on the side of the road yet, be warned that it’s a bit of a faff compared to butyl. The trick is to inflate the tube a bit by blowing into it with your mouth before attempting to install it.

[BobbyJones]

From RKP:

“Spending triple the cost of a normal tube to replace a fault-prone product in favor of one that is faster, weighs roughly 1/4 of the original and is at least three times as strong, plus is small enough that two tubes can be fit in the space occupied by one butyl tube, well if that ain’t a bargain, I don’t know what is.“

If I flatted more or wasn’t so frugal it may be worth a look.