I personally find the newly made FIZIK tape looks and feels great on vintage machines, and is available in a wide variety of colors. Not nearly the padding of cork-style tapes, but wraps nicely and looks great in my opinion (although Dale scolded me when he saw it on my 1976 Pogliaghi at last year's Cirque show). Here's how it looks on a couple of my bikes (1963 Bianchi Specialissima and 1976 Pogliaghi):
Plastic tape was original equipment of my 1963 Bianchi, so I don't feel bad about having it installed now. Plus if you actually ride your bikes like I do, comfort/durability is a consideration. Now if you are hanging it on a wall, that's another story!
Taking advantage of the warm weather spell in PA.
Kevin Kruger - Grantville, PA
Date: Fri, 15 Jan 2010 06:52:53 -0800 From: Anthony Taylor <ajft1942(AT)yahoo.com> Subject: [CR] Vintage Handlebar Tape
All,
I frequently see pictures of "on topic" bikes on ebay that are using a type of handlebar tape that appears to be plastic (it looks shiny in the pictures), but also looks to be cushioned, and is perforated. Can anyone advise what brand this is, and more importantly, is it still available?
Many thanks
Tony Taylor
Manchester NH