Simon Bird inquired:
"... Robert, or anyone else, do you have a good photo of Bartali's 'Bartali' levers? Indistinct pics I've seen look as though they have rubber hoods fitted also, I wonder from which manufacturer."
Simon,
Here is a photo of Bartali, probably from the early 1950s (since this bike was fitted with bar-end shifters). The levers are shown... and also what indeed appear to be rubber hoods - which really do not fit the levers very precisely.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/
According to an old Ron Kitching catalogue, Vittoria (of Turin) was the first manufacturer of rubber brake lever hoods. By the early 1960s they produced a few different models suited to "most" brake levers. These were aftermarket hoods which could be fitted on levers of different marques. One was a simple cylindrical sleeve. Another had a forward extension with a molded spout to also cover over the cable exit hole and perhaps a short extension or a simple end button.
The latter type would be my guess for the hoods fitted on the Bartali bike in the above linked photo.
Cheers!
BOB HANSON, ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO, USA