Dear list:
I need some sage counsel and advice.
I'm slowly working to get a new bike ready for Cirque. I know, I know, i t's much too soon to be ready for Cirque, but I'm only working on it: I intend to procrastinate, delay and stall so that I get my full measure of last minute frenzy, desperately bolting parts on and taking em back off, changing, gluing and panicking right up to the last second so that I'll be perfectly primed for Leesburg.
Anyway, the new bike is a 70's era Follis, wearing the pale blue/grey main tubes with the royal blue headtube paint scheme. The faux team jersey is Kelly green. The buildup is featuring gold French parts. No tast eful restraint here! Note to friends: never, never, never buy one g old doo-dad and think you can walk away from it. You will slowly be driv en to try to acquire a full group. A Simplex rear mech was my gateway co mponent. You can't help yourself. Resistance is futile. I now ha ve gold pedals, gold Mafacs, gold Edco headset, gold Ambrosio rims (I'm too heavy for the Mavic ORO rims), gold Nitto bars, yellow Binda straps----. I think my downfall was that great Peugeot poster of Thevent winning th e '75(?) tour on the golden Pugeot PY10. Ah, what a lovely pic.
http://us.st12.yimg.com/
(BTW, anyone got a gold Simplex front derailleur and some (Ha Ha!) 175mm Stronglight Gold ano arms and rings? Oh, and I want a unicorn, a centau r and an honest politician to go with em, too.)
So anyway, the question is what bar wrap treatment to use. The options a re wide open. I've used everything on other bikes from Tom Sanders exc ellent Amish leather wrap to shellaced cotton: screamin Benotto Celo to Cin elli cork fruit salad, Cateye black cotton to Stella Azzura faux stiched, p erf-ed leather. Ol Bernie looks like he sported the traditoinal team lea der brand new white cotton in all the pics. That's not really suitable f or me, as it wouldn't stay white long enough to make it up the stairs fro m the basement.
So help me out, folks. This isn't a period correct concours build. What tape is the most fittin in this context, which will maximize my vi ntage feng shui, which will make my bike desired by all women and envied by all men, what is the "best"? Philosophical digressions welcome. Whad dya think?
Tom Adams
Manhattan, KS