I always wear gloves (and helmet) when riding. Not really to cushion the h ands, but to protect them in case of a fall. But maybe using gloves is one reason I prefer plastic bar tape. The old Hunt-Wilde translucent stuff th at Schwinn used In The Day is my favorite, but Benotto is OK also. Doesn't get soiled or need to be changed nearly as frequently as cloth tape. I us ed cork tape for a couple of years but returned to plastic tape probably at least 5 years ago. I suppose if one rides without gloves, cloth or cork t ape might have a better feel.
Regards,
Jerry Moos
wearing the 4-layer Thinsulate-lined ragg wool gloves with deerskin palms today in the freezing rain in Big, Spring, Texas, USA
> From: Kurt Sperry <haxixe@gmail.com>
> Subject: Re: [CR] Was: Bar Tape Taste Test, Now: Shellacked cotton?
> To: "Daniel Artley" <dartley@baltimorecountymd.gov>
> Cc: "Classic Rendezvous" <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
> Date: Wednesday, March 11, 2009, 1:09 PM
> I assumed that shellacked tape- like vinyl tape- was for
> people who
> always ride gloved and for whom the slicker, unabsorbent
> tactile feel
> isn't an issue. I only ride gloved in cold weather,
> but many (most?)
> cyclists ride gloved all the time. I do know that for me
> the first
> time I rode cotton tape as opposed to slippery, sweaty
> vinyl tape that
> I'd grown accustomed to on Schwinns in hot Davis CA, I
> could never go
> back. Shellacked cotton at least retains some of the
> original woven
> texture.
>
> Kurt Sperry
> Bellingham, Washington
> USA
>
> 2009/3/11 Daniel Artley
> <dartley@baltimorecountymd.gov>:
> > Tom's post brought back a question I've never
> had answered. When (and
> > why) did people start shellacking their cotton
> handlebar wrap? I'd nev
> er
> > heard of it until I was introduced to the Bob-ish
> Grant Peterson's essays
> > on the subject, shellac tape finished off with fine
> twine.
> >
> > I can be as anal as the next guy (or girl), but
> it's never made sense to
> > me as the fresher the tape, the better the grip, the
> better it soaks up
> > sweat. Shellacked tape is slippery, or sticky on a
> hot muggy ride (the
> > summer weather we have here in Baltimore), and
> doesn't cushion in the
> > least. I see it as a style thing that can extend the
> life of your tape
> > and be repaired. I've heard the stories of
> fireplace ashes or artifici
> al
> > coloring to match paint, or many layers to match the
> natural saddle and
> > gum hoods color. My wife restores oak furniture and
> shellac is the one
> > surface she say's is easy to touch up. I only
> think of what a PITA it'
> s
> > got to be to do all that stuff with the fine twine,
> etc.
> >
> > I think a bike looks right when it's as well set
> up for riding as it can
> > be, and shellac & cotton just don't do it for
> me. It's gotta be easier
> to
> > re-tape a bar than to go through all that trouble with
> Shellac. And ev
> en
> > cork loses its cushion after many miles. Please!
> Someone tell me wh
> at's
> > so great about the shellac obsession and why I might
> actually want to do
> > it for a bike I'd like to ride.
> >
> > Cheers,
> >
> > Dan Artley in Parkton, Maryland USA
> >
> >
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