In 1962 I had a 3-speed "English Racer" with plastic push-on grips, so handlebar tape was not an issue. I didn't get a "10-speed" until ten years later.
I like plastic tape because it lasts longer and can be cleaned more easily than the alternatives. Doesn't cushion the ride like cork, but I always wear gloves, which are cushioning enough, even though that is not their primary purpose.
Regards,
Jerry Moos Big Spring, TX
Fred Rednor <fred_rednor@yahoo.com> wrote:
> Does anyone know when Schwinn began using the
> Hunt-Wilde or similar plastic handelbar tape?
> Would this be correct for a 50's/ early 60's
> Schwinn, or did it not appear until the 70's?
Jerry, Jerry, Jerry... Where were you in '62, baby? I don't know about the 1950s, but this stuff was definitely available in the early 1960s. The funny thing is that we used to remove the Hunt-Wilde vinyl tape - and replace it with TressoStar type cloth tape - because it wasn't "Euro cool". (Of course, we wouldn't have said "Euro cool" in those days.)
Then what? Fifteen years later cloth tape is passé, and the Benotto stuff appears, suddenly making vinyl handlebar tape both Euro and cool. But you couldn't tell a Cinelli owner something like "yeah, I had plastic tape like that on my '62 Schwinn" for fear of sounding like some uncouth boor from the hinterlands.
By the way, the Hunt-Wilde corporation finally went out of business last year. Cheers, Fred Rednor - Arlington, Virginia (USA)