SILCA goes big (and thin) on two new bar tapes

In only seven years since the brand was brought back from the brink, nearly death-knelled by industry manufacturing that had moved from Italy to Asia, SILCA has earned a cult following at LBSs the world over, morphing into indispensable gadgetry for pro teams and home wrenches. I’ve not used too much of the kit - the stuff that really earns praise, like the torque wrenches and pumps - but what I have used has left very little to be desired.

As CEO Joshua Poertner seems keen to explore the cracks of cycling components further, applying a high standard to manufacturing and design now done in the US, the company releases two very different kind of bar tapes - one thick, one incredibly thin - for two very different kinds of riders (…counting down the days till my test tape arrives so I can apply that new-bike-feel fresh bar tape so handsomely yields…).

The first, thicker tape is 3.5mm and geared toward anyone looking for added comfort on the tops but envisioned specifically for those brave enough to tackle the groads less travelled. The second is just 1.0mm thick and is aimed at the aerodynamically obsessed: images of it mounted appear barely there on the track and time trial bikes for which it is intended.

Both are backed with what the company is calling an industry first: a one-year crash replacement program, the first of this kind (it is really a partial subsidy for any tape that hits tarmac and is destroyed; the sentiment however is certainly appreciated).

The tech: Traditional bar tape is extruded as-is, or molded to develop a thin skin of non-expanded foam at the surface. When producing it, you have to choose between more durable foams which are harder, or more cushioning which means less grip.

By using a laminated design, SILCA has managed to locate the right material in the exact right location. The outer Ply of SILCAthane is tuned using the same materials used in high performance eyewear for maximum grip, durability, and cleanability, while SILCAlon was developed from the same foam technology recently used to shatter marathon records. The outcome is cushion 10-15% softer than most bar tape foams, the company says, while offering 10-15% higher rebound rates than any previous foams. 

Updated post with a test ride to follow. Happy base miles, people.

Specs:

• Nastro Cuscino

  • 3.5mm Thick, tri-lam construction cushions like it was 4.5 thick

  • MSRP $50

  • https://silca.cc/collections/bar-tape-1/products/nastro-cuscino-bar-tape

• Nastro Aero

  • 1mm thick- the thinnest tape available.

  • MSRP $15

  • https://silca.cc/collections/bar-tape-1/products/nastro-aero-bar-tape