Lizard Skins DSP Bar Tape V2 4.6mm Shadow Camo to give it its full name is one seriously fat tape producing a large diameter bar to hold once wrapped. The colour may be love or hate, but standard colours are available. The pattern is very grippy feeling slightly tacky in use and the extras are worth it. The overall impression is one of luxury comfort for those who like fat bar tape, at a price.
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Lizard Skins DSP Bar Tape V2 – Technical details
Lizard Skins has updated its line of DSP handlebar tapes with all versions of tape (1.8, 2.5, 3.2 and the 4.6mm that we have here) getting the V2 polymer upgrade to offer better durability and increased comfort. The special edition shadow camo colour scheme looks great and lies within a multi-depth updated textured pattern to achieve better grip which Lizard Skins says is more durable and more comfortable making it ideal for long rutted off road gravel adventures. Other classic colours are available if you prefer a solid look.
The bar tape is supplied in a 231cm roll with finishing tape, bolt in bar plugs, extra hood strips and weighs just over 100g Uncut.
Lizard Skins DSP Bar Tape V2 – Performance
Fitting the DSP V2 4.6mm tape (for short) was slightly harder to wrap than slimmer handlebar tapes. Lizard Skins suggests that you do not stretch the tape but rather, apply just enough tension so that the tape sits correctly as you wrap it. It’s a fine line getting that right, but after a few false starts caused by the thickness of the tape, it was okay on the straight runs of the drops and the tops.
Around the corners (yes the Lauf Smoothie handlebar has corners) and the the hoods it does get a little tricky. Lizard Skins doesn’t recommend using a figure-of-eight method of installation, but rather suggests the use of a clamp strip on the back of the clamp and just passing the tape as close to the hood as possible without looping the tape around the clamp. I can see why this has been said as it’s thickness and the fact that you shouldn’t stretch it make it hard to get this area right.
Even so, I stuck with my prefered figure of eight method. It was a little awkward and I only needed a shortened strip to cover the clamp but I feel the look and most importantly the feel in the hands is spot on and in a nod towards consistency, it will be a direct comparison in feel to all the other tapes I’ve installed over the last decade.
Coming in at 231cm long (per roll) the tape is long enough to have no issues wrapping my 44cm Lauf Smoothie Bar, even without the slight stretch I normally add to my bar tape and the figure of eight method around the brake clamp. I think (I haven’t tested) you might struggle with a wider bar than a 46cm so you’ll have to look elsewhere or apply more stretch.
The included Lizard Skins logo’d bar plugs are of good quality and are tighted by a 3mm hex key once pushed inside the bar. The finishing tape is also unusually worthwhile and does a very decent job of making your hard work look sharp on the tops.
I have large hands, normally wear large gloves and I like fat-diameter mountain bike grips so my bars felt good wrapped in this tape – in fact not dissimilar to a mountain bike grip on the tops in diamater. I think the diameter is roughly the same thickness as my double-wrapped Enve handlebar tape plus DSP 2.5mm tape I used on my other gravel bike for maximum shock adsorption when I was suffering from an injury and left it on because I got rather attached to it.
The DSP V2 4.6 tape feels extremely comfortable riding on any rough surface. It does slightly reduce the feeling of sharpness of holding a thin tape on the bar and feeling every pump and change of surface texture in the tarmac. But unless you’re blessed with fabulous new roads where you ride, this tape could be the answer for very poor road surfaces. Certainly, if you ride a gravel or adventure bike on both road and gravel, the comfort factor will outweigh the loss of dynamism.
Off-road the DSP V2 4.6 reduces the jolts and spikes from surface imperfections and sizeable gravel and when you’re crashing into potholes and ruts it offers a very secure place to hold on and steer the bike from wherever you are holding the bar. It has continued to be slightly tacky and the textured grip has been reassuringly grippy whether wet or dry offering great control when tucked into the drops heading down steep off-road descents.
The only obvious downside, its thickness, has an solution of sorts, if you have small hands and prefer a smaller diameter handlebar feel then opt for a different thickness tape, there are 3 thinner options to choose from all with the same polymer and grip pattern. Yes you will lose some of the shock adsorption in each reduction in thickness but having a too fat bar to hold will end up giving you hand cramp on longer rides and void the comfort advantages.
Another fat grip downside is that you do lose the direct feel on the bars. The vibration damping is great but your inputs feel slightly ‘soft’ compared to a thinner bar tape. The same issue afflicts the mountain bike grip feel if you go too large and soft. Some pro riders prefer very thin small grips for this exact reason whilst many touring riders prefer paddle style grips for long useage comfort. Obviously life is a compromise and for many the DSP V2 4.6mm handlebar tape will be worth it for the comfort.
DSP V2 4.6 mm Listed weight 102 g and 231cm length uncut. Actual weight used of tape to wrap a 44cm bar was 88g including the plugs and bar clamp section (200cm length) so it can hardly be called heavy.
Lizard Skins DSP Bar Tape V2 – Verdict
There are a number of excellent fat tape options on the market delivering a decent level of shock absorption with a slimmer tape thickness for less money. £35 Enve Handlebar tape is a great example of one and whilst it’s not quite as fat, it is very comfortable for all but the harshest surfaces and provides a little more feedback for ultimate control
Suvi rated the £25 Seido Tab tape with its silicone gel backing and the its grip strips with it providing just enough comfort without making the bars chunky.
If you are after the fattest, most comfortable shock-absorbing handlebar tape, then the Lizard Skins DSP V2 4.6mm should be right at the top of your list – if your hands are large enough. If not and you are of slighter build you might find enough comfort in the slimmer DSP V2 options. Crazy colourway aside, it’s a smart long-lasting grippy handlebar tape that provides an added boost of comfort to your ride.
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Product purpose:
Build extra:
Product performance
Product performance extra:
Lots of shock smothering from the 4.6mm which polymer
Product durability extra:
Product weight
Product weight extra:
Product comfort
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Product comfort extra:
BUT
I can imagine not comfy for small hands over longer rides.
Product value extra:
Bu there is a lot of it. In thickness anyway.
Overall performance:
Product likes:
Grippy Pattern
