The thickest tape here, and the only PU surface that stays tacky wet
Supacaz Kush Gravel tape, 3.2 mm (0.13 in), PU over foam
A 3.2 mm (0.13 in) gravel bar tape with a Super Sticky PU top layer over a nano-foam core, embossed, with expanding bar plugs.
What you are getting
Supacaz Super Sticky Kush Gravel bar tape: a 3.2 mm (0.13 in) three-layer construction — a Super Sticky PU top layer, a Kush nano-foam middle, and an embossed surface — with Star Plugz screw-and-expand bar ends and rubberized finishing tape. 100 g (3.5 oz). $40.25.
It publishes a thickness, and it is the thickest here
3.2 mm, stated twice, “engineered to absorb severe trail vibrations”.
The introduction to this shelf says tape thickness and material are the comparison for drop bars. Only two of the six tapes in this survey publish a thickness: this at 3.2 mm (0.13 in) and the ALIEN PROS EVA at 3 mm (0.12 in).
Two tenths of a millimeter is not the difference. The difference is the construction: 3.2 mm (0.13 in) of PU over nano-foam behaves differently from 3 mm (0.12 in) of single-layer EVA, because the hard-wearing surface and the cushioning layer are separate materials each doing one job.
The top layer is the reason for the price
“Advanced Super Sticky PU top layer… remains extremely tacky in wet, rainy, or high-sweat conditions”, and “highly resistant to degradation from intense UV rays, harsh climates, and acidic sweat”.
Polyurethane holds its grip wet. EVA foam does not — the ALIEN PROS tape on this page claims “absolutely no-slip in all weather”, which is an absolute no foam can keep. This is the construction that actually addresses rain, and the three cheap tapes here cannot match it.
Acidic sweat is the other half, and it is the real killer of bar tape: the tops of the bars go first, under the hands, every ride.
Ten bullets, where the same brand’s black tape has two
The Supacaz Kush black on this page, at $40.29 — four cents more — carries two bullets, both about the plugs and the finishing tape, and says nothing about the tape itself.
This listing explains the PU layer, the foam layer, the thickness, the embossment, the plugs, the finishing tape and the fitment. Same brand, same tape family, same price; one listing was written and the other was not.
Buy by the listing that tells you something.
The embossment is a function, not just a logo
“Signature logo debossed pattern… wicks away surface moisture instantly while maximizing glove and palm friction.”
A textured surface channels sweat off the contact patch, which is why every premium tape is embossed. The ALIEN PROS tape achieves the same thing with a frosted skin and the Thinvik with cork grain.
Star Plugz, which is the one component detail on all three Supacaz listings
“Screw-and-expand 3 mm (0.12 in) mechanism, ensuring a secure, flush fit that never vibrates loose on rough terrain.”
An expanding plug grips the inside of the bar rather than being pushed in by friction. On a gravel bike it is the difference between a plug that stays and one that is lost on a cattle grid — and a bar with an open end is a sharp-edged tube.
None of the three cheap tapes on this page specifies its plug type.
What is not published
No length and no width, which is extraordinary on a tape that publishes a thickness — the ALIEN PROS gives 2 m × 3 cm. Nothing on this page tells you whether one Supacaz set wraps a deep-drop bar, and at $40.25 that is the figure to ask for.
Also missing: the foam density, the PU thickness within the 3.2 mm (0.13 in), and the roll count — two rolls is implied by “every kit” and never stated.
Availability
Read on the day this page was built: $40 at the American Amazon shop.
Read from Keepa on the day this page was last revised; stock and price both move without notice.
Prices quoted in this text were read on 2026-10-06. The live price is at the top of the page.
