With the release of our web page on the 18th of July, we also started to hand out a version of the tape, which we consider ready to share with selected riders for testing. You might have seen them popping up in our Instagram stories. If not, never mind, as this post will bring light into the dark.
We asked some of our friends all over Europe to get valuable feedback. It means that samples of the tape have already been sent to Germany, Poland, Greece, Sweden, and Finland! So much for the internationality of our small venture. Our goal is really to provide a better handlebar tape for the European market. The testing period is set until the end of August for now. Everyone has enough time to go out for some rides and collect experiences with the tape.
You might ask yourself, now why bother instead of releasing it right away for sale on our website? Well, it’s easy. Just because we like it, it doesn't mean you will like it. Developing a tape that satisfies more than one or two people needs a lot more than a couple test rides by ourselves. On top of that, there is nothing better than getting unfiltered input from experienced riders who ride in different environments and conditions. They might give you some feedback you did not expect. In the worst-case scenario, you might find out that what you think is ready actually sucks and needs some major rework. Or the opposite, which would be great, of course.
In the previous blog post "test and learn", I explained the steps to reach our final test samples. So what did we change in the latest iteration? Compared to the version before, we tried to increase the overall thickness of the tape and make the rubber strings thicker. The idea was to increase the vibration damping as much as possible. We modified the machine parameters to increase the density of the fabric structure to make the tape more durable.
Besides the individual feedback we receive from talking to our test riders, we also sent them a survey. It will hopefully help us to uncover essential features that we might haven't considered. It should also help us verify some of the features we have defined and deemed necessary. Following this approach, we can set the needed modifications and determine how the final product is going to look so that it satisfies us and, more importantly: you. In the end, our goal is to provide you with the tape that lasts.
Cheers, Jan