Review: Giant Stratus 2.0 Handlebar Tape

(2022) Handlebar tape can take an old bike and make it look new again, make a new bike feel customized, or, in our case, make an event work for the better. Giant’s Stratus 2.0 handlebar wrap had us singing its praises after several circumstances where our hands could have come off, but they didn’t. 

The test event was the gravel event called Black Fly Challenge. It was an uncharacteristically sunny and dry day in the Adirondacks, but the stony descents were knuckle-blanching enough to put faith in holding onto the bike. When major events pop up, people tend to spring for new small accessories for an all-out effort. After 25 miles of non-stop gravel riding, here is what we thought:

The bright white glow of the Stratus 2.0 handlebar tape is the luster many cyclists aim for. It screams cleanliness. The unsaid thing is that the mechanic’s hands were as clean as could be during the tape installation. At one point grease found its way onto a spot. With a simple wet paper towel, the stain came off straight away. This tape gleams in front of dark bikes. Subtle Giant logos adorn the wrap amidst alternating arrowheads. The wrap comes with two Giant bar plugs. 

Hands to bars and this tape is immediately tacky. This came in handy on rides where gloves were and were not present. Either solution maintained grip with the bar tape and confidence soared throughout rides. This is the tape that can work anywhere: road, cross, gravel, or touring.

Throughout the Black Fly Challenge, there were multiple steep rocky descents with tight turns at the bottom. Navigating the gravel fields and granite anvils required utmost concentration as well as contact with the bars. The Giant Stratus 2.0 bar tape made these moments less terrifying. But the real moments where the tape shined were the two instances where the hands were switching positions. Amidst the maneuver, the front wheel clashed with yet another granite stone and the only part holding onto the bar was a thumbnail. That was enough to gain purchase and maintain control of the bike as it carried on - upright - through the rock garden. This was the moment the bar tape won our praises. 

There are boutique bar wraps at double the price, but the Giant Stratus 2.0 handlebar tape performs at the top level. After the nearly-forty mile affair, the bar wrap still shined brightly as if it were installed then and there. But it was the two close calls out on course that made us a fan of the Giant Stratus 2.0 handlebar tape. Because if things went the other way, we might not be typing these words.