Outdoors & Fitness · Head-to-head
SILCA Nastro Piloti Bar Tape vs fizik Comfortfeel 3.5mm Classic
Which should you buy? Our verdict on both, pulled from our full The Best Handlebar Tape: 4 Compared (and One to Skip) comparison.
Nastro Piloti is the only tape here that publishes its thickness, its length, its adhesive and its warranty, and the butterfly clamp cover and alloy plugs mean the finished job looks right without extra parts. The fizik Comfortfeel costs less and gives most riders more cushioning, at 3.5mm against 1.85mm.
SILCA Nastro Piloti Bar Tape
Buy itThe most completely specified tape here, with the parts for a clean wrap in the box.
- 1.85mm of foam in a laminate of SILCAthane, SILCAlon and 3M visco-elastic adhesive rather than a single foam extrusion.
- An adhesive-backed butterfly segment covers the back of the lever clamp without the lump a folded offcut leaves.
- Expanding aluminium bar plugs and fully adhesive finishing tape are included, so nothing needs sourcing separately.
- At 1.85mm it is thinner than the fizik Comfortfeel, so it damps less on genuinely rough surfaces.
- SILCA's 3 to 5 times durability claim is made against existing tape materials generally, with no test cited.
- 230cm per roll with a plus or minus 10 percent tolerance leaves less margin for heavy overlap than a longer roll.
fizik Comfortfeel 3.5mm Classic
Buy itThe thickest tape fizik makes, and the right amount of cushioning for most real roads.
- 3.5mm is nearly twice the SILCA's thickness, which is the single biggest lever on hand comfort.
- fizik positions it for mixed-terrain riding, dampening discomfort on rough tarmac and gravel roads.
- The leather-like finish is durable and looks the same in year two, which perforated foam tapes rarely do.
- fizik does not publish a roll length, a width or a weight for it.
- There is no statement about bar plugs or finishing tape being included.
- 3.5mm noticeably increases handlebar diameter, which fizik frames as a benefit and small hands may not.
Side by side
| SILCA Nastro Piloti Bar Tape | fizik Comfortfeel 3.5mm Classic | |
|---|---|---|
| Our verdict | Buy | Buy |
| Best for | A bike you are building properly, where the lever clamp area and the plugs should look finished. | Most riders on most roads, and anyone who wants more cushioning without going to a specialist tape. |
| Price tier | $$$ · premium | $$ · mid-range |
The bottom line
Our overall pick is the SILCA Nastro Piloti Bar Tape - The most completely specified tape here, with the parts for a clean wrap in the box. Choose the fizik Comfortfeel 3.5mm Classic instead if most riders on most roads, and anyone who wants more cushioning without going to a specialist tape.
Want the full picture, including the other options we compared and the popular one we'd skip? Read the complete The Best Handlebar Tape: 4 Compared (and One to Skip).