Easton’s Microfibre Handlebar Tape is primarily designed to reduce buzz from the road or trail. It's a tape that doesn’t get squishy or slippery. While grip, buzz reduction, and comfort are excellent in the dry, when wet grip wains making its price a bit tricky to swallow. However, it is very easy to install and adjust.
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Easton Microfibre Handlebar Tape - Technical details
Coming in six colours, the Microfibre tape is a pretty simple affair. It’s built using an anti-shock foam to absorb harsh buzz and it gets an adhesive gel backing. On the exterior is a microfibre outer which is printed with Easton’s logo, and handy dots that help during installation.
In the box are a pair of bar ends and a couple of slithers of finishing tape.
Easton Microfibre Handlebar Tape - Installation
I’ll admit, my bar taping experience is fairly limited so far, but the fact I managed to do a reasonably tidy job of taping my Easton EA70AX bar speaks volumes about the ease of installation.
The dots printed on the tape's exterior make it super easy to follow a neat wrap and there’s plenty to cover the 46cm wide bar. That’s with closer wraps around the top of the bar for comfort.
While the gel is adhesive, it’s not permanently sticky. So in areas that I wasn’t 100% happy with, the tape is very accommodating of being re-wrapped, as well as stretched to suit the contours of the bar following a figure of eight method. Though there were areas in the tape that held onto its stretch while re-wrapping, these were very easy to hide.
The strips of finishing tape included in the box aren’t the best. They lack tack and stretch which can mar a completely tidy job.
Easton Microfibre Handlebar Tape - Performance
With the tape installed, I was left with a reasonably cushioned bar. I wouldn’t go as far as to say that it rivals the ENVE bar tape for all-out comfort, but considering that this tape is £20 cheaper, it’s not bad at all.
The cush that the Microfibre tape provides is definitely helpful and it effectively dampens those small repetitive vibrations that get transmitted through the bar over fine gravel. Over long distances, I never felt any numbness or fatigue in my hands.
In the dry, grip is more than enough too, which is impressive considering there’s next to no texture on the tape. Although, the absence of texture directly impacts grip in the wet. Simply put, it’s not very grippy at all, leading me to tightly grip the bar and develop arm pump deeper into a ride.
Easton Microfibre Handlebar Tape - Verdict
The £30 price point is a pretty hot one with a range of decent tapes coming from top and bottom, one of which being SQlab’s Handlebar Tape 712 Red ltd. RUH. Apart from the slightly ridiculous name, it’s well worth the extra £3 as it’s seriously grippy in the wet and dry, and it’s easy to install thanks to similar markings. It is a bit on the short side, though.
Suvi is a big fan of the Seido Tab handlebar tape which is £5 cheaper. This one offers great grip and screwed bar ends, which show better value for money.
So, the Easton Microfibre bar tape may be best if you manage to find it at a sale price, or if you want a svelt feeling bar for summer riding. It’s easy to install and damps vibration effectively too. There are better tapes out there for less, though.