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CYCLING, BUT NOT USUALLY RACING
LATEST UPDATE SEPTEMBER 5th.
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Silca Nastro Piloti Bar Tape
108g (uncut) £50
The Silca Nastro Piloti Bar Tape is a premium quality racers tape, which, according to Silca “utilises pioneering material technology to give you a previously unheard-of level of comfort, grip and durability.
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I’ve found it incredibly grippy and thus far, very durable and surprisingly comfortable given the low bulk. Perfect for that blend of connection and sleek aesthetic for road and audax builds, there’s scope for other branches of racing - cyclo cross and gravel too, although I’d be inclined to go for something thicker in the latter context.
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Pros: Low bulk, excellent grip, lightweight, generous length.
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Cons: Price.
Specification
The Nastro Piloti (loosely translating as Pilots Ribbon) is available in three classic colours- white, red and ultra practical black, which should complement or contrast most themes nicely. 185cm long and 1.85mm thick, there’s ample for big wide swoopy drops with gel underlay and overlap to taste. Despite being relatively thin by contemporary standards, Silca claim the cushioning technology is equivalent to the more common 2.5mm. This has some very obvious advantages-race, or best bikes on strict calorie-controlled diets.
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Silca are a little coy when talking specifics but would say it’s influenced by material technology employed in Formula 1 car tyres and endurance running shoes. SILCAthane and SILCAlon custom laminates. These feature Asymmetric texture for high and moderate grip configurations but unlike some polymer tapes doesn’t require kid gloves, or specialist potions when it comes to wash day. Finishing strips and beautifully CNC machined laser-etched end plugs are no less than we’d expect from Silca and this end of the market. Although they divide opinion, many of us will expect cheater strips and these also deserve a quick mention, primarily because of their butterfly shape, which is designed to offer better coverage and avoid unnecessary bulk around the lever hoods. Assuming of course, you’re not a devotee of the figure of eight technique, which does away with the need for strips.
Test Bikes & Contexts
In some respects, “Muffin” my fixed gear winter trainer would’ve been the most obvious host. However, Denise, my gravel bike’s Wolf Tooth Supple Bar Tape was showing signs of wear, having survived a few tumbles and generally served us well in harsh weather. Coming from the 5mm silicone wrap, it would save a few grams, provide a sleeker aesthetic, more direct connection with the bars, while also testing Silca’s claims around comfort and damping and durability. A few months back, I’d switched the bars to these WTB drops which have a generous flare. Ours arrived in late July, which was characterised by a mix of searing heat and wet, stormy conditions. Being a gravel build, there’s been a fair mix of terrain, too, from metalled roads, loose hardpack, unmade roads, green lanes, and bridlepath.
Fitting 3.25/5
There was ample for the WTB drops and in retrospect, I could’ve been more liberal with the overlap at key points. Despite fitting the butterfly strips, I went into auto pilot and did the figure of eight around the brake lever hoods. That’s not a regret, rather a gentle word to the wise.
From the off, so long as you’re not shy about pulling taught, it’s easy to bind and the sensibly tacky 3M backing adhesive allows for some correction without any mischievous unravelling. Grip can also be customised, depending on which direction you wrap. I’ve wrapped the left side counterclockwise, the right clockwise to see what influence this had.
It may wind back a few turns but easily tamed and bound in situ with the super stretchy finishing strips. These are super secure. However, there are no dry runs-it sets like super glue and doesn’t respond well to being corrected. I found this out the hard way but no biggie, provided you’ve some decent electrical tape handy. Denise sports bar end shifters, so the beautiful end plugs were redundant. However, I ported them over to Muffin and confirm tenacity rivals’ refinement.
Grip 5/5
Leach-like but without the Marmite tackiness associated with polymer blends such as Lizard Skins DSP, regardless of glove choice, or indeed, a couple of occasions where I’ve ridden bare handed. For context, during the height (and heat) of summer, I’ve defaulted to mitts with Amara palms and these full finger Lomo Mountain Bike Gloves depending on how high the mercury rose.
Purchase and control have been uniformly good, regardless of how arid, or wet conditions have been. Given it’s a racers tape, this came as little surprise and inspires confidence whether hurtling along descents, flicking around obstacles etc. No need to death grip the bars, just a relaxed stance, meaning I could stay fluid and relaxed- This was particularly welcome at the close of a long ride, or tackling more technical forest trails and singletrack.
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However, it was similar welcome when negotiating frenetic town centres. Car doors flung open, pedestrians step out without a moment’s thought, weaving through the pothole and glass slaloms etc. I’ve also found it adds another element of control when my Yak homage trailer’s been trundling behind. Talking of control, I’ve gone bare handed for twelve miles or so a couple of times. Leach-like connection, much as I expected.
Comfort/Damping 3.5/5
I’ve done a 50/50 mix of road and gravel riding and while on balance, something like Wolf Tooth Supple Lite is a superior choice for those riding primarily off road and wanting a slender look. That said, much depends on gloves and their padding density.
Hands have been perfectly comfortable for 3 hours or so wearing the Lomo Mountain Bike Gloves, while enjoying all the tape’s grippy benefits. By contrast, sticking to metalled roads, I could go as long as my legs and time allowed, without fatigue nagging my hands and shoulders-regardless of glove choice.
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Sans gloves, it damped smaller bumps, and washboard surfaces better than I’d expected, but not on par with silicone type wraps, including the Wolf Tooth Supple Lite and Ciclovation Grind Touch Bar Tape.
Durability/Care 3.75/5
Black certainly helps disguise the everyday wear n’ tear- dropped chain anyone? That aside, the lack of any specialist, potentially delicate coatings means the tape can be tickled clean with a medium stiff brush dipped in warm sudsy water. Ours has been leant against rendered brickwork, iron gates, trees, fences.
Some chalky and mossy residue was easily dismissed with a damp cloth. 700 miles hence, there’s no obvious signs of smoothing, or similar wear. Reassuringly good but in line with my expectations, given Silca’s boasts. Upon unwinding the tape after six weeks, I was slightly surprised by some deterioration of the backing adhesive. This didn’t impair its tenacity per se, but I needed to employ fresh, high quality electrical tape to prevent slippage.
Value 3.25/5
£50 is very much at the upper end of the market and despite some very obvious charm, there’s a lot of competition. Enve Handlebar Tape is another very comfortable, grippy and ultimately, durable option for road, cross. Audax and gravel 250ml length means there’s ample for big swoopy drops with tailored overlap at key places. Lizard Skins DSP Bar Tape V2 2.5mm is £10 cheaper and employs a grippy polymer coating for impressive wet weather control. It's also available in six colours, which will compliment or contrast handsomely with most colour schemes.
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However, a little more caution is required when cleaning the tape to avoid stripping the coating, so think wet cloths, swerve brushes. Wolf Tooth Supple Lite Bar Tape (£27) is surprisingly versatile and indeed, rugged, judging by the condition of ours, ten mixed terrain months riding later. However, while ultra practical, black won’t be to everyone’s taste. M Part Primo Anti Slip Silicone Gel (review to follow) comes in at £24.99. Available in black, white, or red, it's very easy to wrap, offers considerable comfort and control without being unduly bulky. Supecaz Super Sticky Kush (£33) is another good option for all conditions mile munching. Plenty of colours to choose from. That said, it might be a little thick for some tastes.
Summary
Ultimately, the Silca Nastra Piloto is a high-quality tape that performs as I would expect from one commanding fifty quid. I've also been pleasantly surprised by the grip, comfort and control off road, wearing moderately padded mitts, but true to Silca’s claims, the Nastra Piloto Bar tape is a racer’s choice. One also befitting sportive and audax builds where less padding is required and a chunky aesthetic is unwelcome.
Verdict: 3.75/5 Grippy, seemingly durable bar tape that delivers in most contexts-if you can justify the price.
Michael Stenning
PUBLISHED SEPTEMBER 2025
