San Marco Lorica handlebar tape £26.42 (15% VAT)

A fibrous, synthetic material that looks and feels much like leather but without the weight and water retention penalites, Lorica is a popular choice for hard-wearing clothing items such as cycling footwear. Given its properties, it is not surprising that someone, saddle manufacturer San Marco to be precise, decided to offer a Lorica handlebar tape.

The tape is stiff – perhaps more so than leather – and relatively inflexible with a shiny outer surface and embossed San Marco and Lorica logos. It has a tapered cross section to ensure a ridge-free fit. Four colour options are on offer: Blue, Black, Red and White. Included in the pack are plastic end plugs, short lengths to tape to go behind the brake lever bands and finishing adhesive ribbons. The tape has an adhesive strip on the inside.

Fitment is fairly easy but made less so by the stiffness of the material, which requires a goodly pull on the free end at all times during wrapping if wrinkles are to be avoided on the inside of the curves. It also means that the tape may need to be trimmed to make a neat start.

The pull needed on the tape means that the logos get distorted, while the tape acquires a ‘taut’ look far removed from its carefully made leather look when still in the box.

Comfort is fine in that ‘firm’ way that will be familiar to users of leather tape. Is it better? At 88g it is certainly lighter and has a drier feel without the waxy effect of new leather. On the other hand it does not look as good and is harder to fit neatly.

So, it’s Lorica for those who want the longevity and abrasion resistance of leather but not the weight. As for looks, it is better in the pic than in the flesh but still perfectly agreeable.

More as it wears in…