M Part Primo Anti Slip Silicone Gel Bar Tape
128g uncut £24.99

The M Part Primo Anti Slip Bar Tape Gel Bar Tape is available in a choice of three primary colours, is easy to wrap, care for and offers excellent grip and decent damping. Qualities that are impressive given the price. Affordable enough for daily drivers and winter bikes, its generous length, moderate thickness and low maintenance extend its horizons to touring and cyclo cross.

Pros: Impressive grip, good damping, generous length, easy to wrap, durable, competitively priced.

Cons: colour choice more limited than some.

Specification

Curiously, Madison doesn't cite a thickness, which makes on paper comparison with other wraps slightly trickier and in my view, sells it short. Length wise, there’s ample to dress big swoopy drops with nice flowing overlap. There are three colours- black, white, or red. More limited than some, although should complement, or contrast most colourways nicely. The tape itself is a tag team of Polyurethane and Silicone with a subtly embossed texture and a finish that's closer to matt. Plugs and finishing strips are places where there's often compromise but I was pleased to discover the end plugs were the expander wedge type and finishing strips made of a sticky silicone material. The backing adhesive is tacky, meaning it settles reliably while still being very tolerant of corrections and tweaks.

Test Bike & Contexts

Muffin this time, since though I love natural silicone wraps the otherwise fabulous T-One Mr Fantastic showed every trace of grime.

he Genetic D-Riser drops are a subtly swoopy, curvy model and at 44cm, moderately broad. Very much a four-seasons working bike, it's essentially a single speed gravel frameset with track spacing with lofty bottom bracket height, presently running 40mm rear, 38mm tyres, with scope for 43mm. Roomy enough for spiked tyres during the icy months and scope for unmetalled roads and similar, should mood take me. Features that lend themselves to a more compliant, dare we say “magic carpet” ride across uneven roads.

Fitting 4.25/5

As I hinted in my opening paragraph, the Primo is refreshingly easy to work with and generally very tolerant of firm tension, which aside from flowing effect, also helps adhesion. This was particularly obvious, performing the "figure of eight" pattern at the hoods. Against this backdrop, I was surprised to find one roll tearing just as I'd reached the bar's centre bulge. Arguably, not an issue given it'd reached it's intended destination, leaving me to tether in situ with one of the stretchy finishing strips. The photo denotes the leftover tape (per side). Some has been re-purposed, dressing this Genetic Neuron Accessory Mount curing some marginal creep of the K-Lite Ultra Low Drag Dynamo Light mount when navigating poorly surfaced roads.

bicycle head set bar tape wrap lights computer

These benefitted from a more sustained smoothing to prevent some slight lift but once that's done, no issues with peeling. While the tape seems very tolerant of being rewound-at least within the first few weeks, you'll need to reach for some decent quality electrical tape, since the finishing strips' adhesive quicky cures hard and cannot be re-used.

Regardless of temperature, grip has been impressive, meaning a light touch of the bars when cruising along open road-moderate when tackling twisty lanes, winding descents and of course, weaving through town. Something I partially attribute to the matt texture. The ability to assume a more relaxed stance has meant fatigue around the palms and digits was minimal after a few hours steady riding. As a rule, I don't ride bare-handed but a few ten-mile loops along the back roads were similarly pleasant.

Gummier textures, such as natural silicones, the Ciclovation Grindtouch and Lizard Skins DSP have a slight edge, especially in the wet. Nonetheless, I was impressed by how effectively water beaded up and rolled away and this was similarly apparent following sudsy bucket washes.

The gap between the Ciclovation Grindtouch and Lizard Skins DSP narrows further wearing gloves with silicone infused palms, such as these from Cycology.

Comfort 3.5/5

The thin silicone layer is surprisingly effective against intrusive low-level road vibration common to washboard tarmac, rumble strips. Admittedly, I’m running this Vecnum FreeQUENCE Suspension Stem and 38mm tyres, but the stem’s set to minimum travel-almost locked out. Dressing the bars of a completely rigid bike packing or gravel rig, I wouldn’t bother with gel, or similar underlays, but might be liberal in my layering at key points, since the rolls allow without giving an unduly bulky look to the front end. Riders with smaller hands who struggle with thicker wraps are also likely to feel the benefits.

On balance, thicker natural silicones, such as the Wolf Tooth Supple Bar Tape will trump it and where I’d point you for extended rough stuff, assuming you could cope with 5mm tape. Nonetheless, fatigue, numbness and similarly unpleasant sensations have been moot points given several hours along the lanes and back roads and I’ve enjoyed the sense of connection with the bars, which can be reduced with the really beefy bar wraps. Horses for courses.

Care/Durability 3.5/5

Arguably black hides the everyday accumulated dirt and grime very effectively and this Primo is no exception and presently its weathering very well, despite being leant against the usual suspects-rendered brickwork, rough sawn fence panels, corrugated iron, trees and street furniture. 600 miles hence, it is also responding very well to being washed. Being as there's no delicate coatings to worry about, I've given ours liberal tickling with a medium soft brush dipped in a warm sudsy bucket while given the bike a deep clean. Grime-organic and otherwise has lifted from the lightly embossed texture convincingly and with minimal effort. No lifting or peeling of the finishing strips either and, at the other end, the expander plugs are holding everything reliably in situ.

Value 3.5/5

£25 is arguably mid-point and subjectively, taking everything into account, I'd say the Primo represents good value. Objectively, there's plenty of capable competition. I'm particularly attached to and impressed by the Wolf Tooth Supple Light (£27.99). 2.5mm thick, it's a natural silicone that absorbs road and trail vibration better than wraps of this density might suggest and while offering a slender aesthetic. Well worth considering if you have smaller hands and the lack of adhesive backing means its easily ported between bars, or even machine washed at 30 degrees.

Kinesis 4 Seasons Handlebar Tape £16.99 (check) is 3.5mm and made from what Kinesis describes as "anti-slip" rubber with a dimpled pattern for improved grip and unusually at this price point, expander wedge plugs, rather than the more common press fit.

The Ciclovation Grind Touch Bar Tape (now £35.99) is 3mm thick, 2 metres long, very grippy and absorbs shock well. However, it's a tenner dearer and requires a little more patience to wrap. Enve Handlebar Tape is also £10 dearer at £35 and the push-fit end plugs are relatively low rent. On the plus side, it’s 3mm thick, 250cm long and in my experience, easy to re-wrap. Crucially, it performed well across the board. BBB BHT-14 Flexribbon Bar Tape (£19.99) is 200cm long 2.5mm thick and available in 5 colours. I found it easy to wrap, rugged and easy to care for. Grip and damping were also reassuringly good. Impressive for the money and a great choice, especially for winter and ‘cross bikes.

Summary

I wouldn’t go so far as to describe the M Part Primo as remarkable and there are closely priced rivals that might better serve gravel audiences. Similarly, the colour choices may be too limited for some tastes. Nonetheless, there’s a lot to like about the Primo- it's a very competent, affordable and seemingly durable all-rounder with decent finishing kit. One that I wouldn’t hesitate to dress the bars of a road, touring, training, or cross bike with.

Verdict: 3.5/5 Competent, understated tape for general road-biassed riding with a similarly competitive price tag.

Michael Stenning

Madison.co.uk – The UK’s largest cycle parts & accessories distributor

PUBLISHED SEPTEMBER 2025

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M Part Primo Anti Slip Silicone Gel Bar Tape 128g uncut £24.99