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Anyone who knows me (and who is into cycling) will know that I am a huge proponent of Deda bar tape.  I run white tape, so having a durable tape that is resistant to dirt and wear is a huge plus.  Deda tape is both of those, and cleans up well.  In fact, my last wrapping of Deda held up through three full seasons of riding.  I would have bought it again, but I got some free Specialized cork tape with a saddle I bought.  Or was it a pair of shoes?  I can't remember.  This tape held up well too, and after two full seasons it looked like this:

Normally I would switch this out for Deda, but I get a lot of people asking me about Forte products, by Performance Bike shop.  Generally, my answer would be "Fotre is rubbish", but my last couple of Forte items (a set of MTB handlebars, a stem, some tubes, and some eyeware) have actually been pretty nice, so I figured I'd try out their Grip-Tec bar tape.

It's actually really nice looking, had an excellent feel to it, is both grippy and spongy, and seems to wipe down well (if my test smudges are anything to go by), in addition to having some nice stretch to it.  I wrapped it after today's ride, so I have yet to put any miles on it.  Once I have a few rides, I'll write up a review, so keep an eye out for that.  It's not any cheaper than the Deda ($13 + shipping for the Deda, vs $12 + tax (on sale) for the Perf) but the Forte is available locally for me, so no wait.

Here's the final product:

Keep an eye out for that review!