taguy4

I thought I'd give this padded cork (which is actually extruded foam with little holes in it) stuff a try since there aren't very many options available for a vintage Italian racing bike from the 80's and I just can't warm up to how it looks, even though I'm sure it's very easy on bare hands and has it's uses on a touring or modern style bike. I put white tape on my silver bike's handlebars and now it looks like they are in a cast! This is made worse by the extra bulk of brake cables running underneath the thick tape.

I've always been a big fan of Benotto tape for 80's era racing bikes, and I wish someone here in the States would start selling a similar version of this (especially in white) if someone doesn't already. In the meantime I imagine I'll have to turn to eBay to get some NOS Benotto tape.

Anyone feel the same way? Anyone have a source of tape similar to Benotto available new in white?

IVARR

can't help with the fake cork, don't know why you would buy that in white and not natural cork though ???



and to my own personal taste and opinion, aero levers aren't vintage. but i only speak for myself ...

wschruba

For thin tape, you have a few options--fizik microfiber comes in an ultralight version, there is Newbaums cloth tape, and, of course, Velox.

All three are available in white, but you ought to shellac the cloth if you go with that, as it won't stay white for long, otherwise.

Henry III

I thought Benotto is being made again but the tape was a little different. Not sure I'd like ribbon tape with cables running underneath it.

due ruote 

I would give Fizik a try. It's good stuff; not nearly as cushy as "cork".
If you go with white cloth, I would not shellac it. Just let it get dirty and worn. What the heck, it will look like you rode your bike. If you shellac it, it won't be white any more. Your choice.
I like Benotto but the white is hard to come by. I have no experience with the new stuff mentioned earlier.

taguy4

I prefer cloth tape for 70's (maybe early 80's) and prior bikes, but I've never shellacked it; I use black of that kind of tape on that era bikes, except on silver bikes I use white cloth tape. When white tape gets dirty it just shows you've been riding your bike.

A lot of world class pro cyclists used the Benotto style tape throughout the eighties and from what I can tell into the 90's, even after they switched to recessed cable mounted brake levers, and it still looked cool (and was probably pretty aerodynamic as well). I've read that Andy Hampsten popularized cork tape when Cinelli first came out with it because he found he could ride gloveless with it comfortably.

Of course no "cork" tape is actually made of pure cork; at best I'd say it might have some cork fiber (for appearance or marketing reasons) in it because pure cork tape would be very weak and tear. I think what is considered "cork" tape nowadays is the extruded padded foam strips with tiny holes punched in it so it resembles cork.

Chombi1 

If you bought the newest version of Cinelli's cork bar tape (Made in Taiwan), then it will definitely look fugly, as Cinelli decided not to taper the tape edges as thin as they used to, so you end up with a bumpy/lumpy looking padded bar. Their old stuff used to look very smooth and not so bulky. It's because each turn of the tape blended in very well to the ones next to it, because of the then, very thin edges......

Salamandrine 

I'm not sure why people obsess on Benotto tape. It was almost a flash in the pan trend.

IIRC most popular tape, at least to the mid 80s, was Bike Ribbon. It is pretty similar to today's Fizik tape, minus the branding. The cork tape was more of a late 80s and early 90s thing.

Ambrosio Bike Ribbon Professional.

SJX426 

'been riding this a lot lately after an accident on the Pinarello, now needing repair, broken spoke on the Colnago, then a blowout of one of my 3/50 YJ tires.
[IMG]P1030374, on Flickr[/IMG]

It is the vintage stuff and hard on the hands even with padded gloves.

IVARR

not a red frame person, but i love that very impressive red white and blue ...

Chombi1 

I thought the white Cello tape that came with my Peugeots in the early 80's looked great, but they were really hard on the hands......so I overcompensated by installing Grab-On foam grips, but hated them after getting caught in the rain with them the first time as they retained like 2 pounds of water while I rode in the wet, and took forever to dry out...... Then bike ribbon vinyl padded tape saved the day!!.......Then Cinelli cork gave padded bar tape classy looks too.....

jamesdak 

I'm no help, I love that padded synthetic cork under my hands while riding!

tkamd73 

This is the Lizard Skins middle grade tape, and yes it too looks like a cast on the bars, but way more comfortable then the original stuff it replaced,according my wife, looks better in other colors. Very happy with Fiziks on another bike, not a fan of white on any bike but it was her choice. Tim

Kactus

You may want to look at Bike Ribbon Professional. It has a little padding but it has a shinier finish than cork tape and cleans up easily. It's very cheap (less than $10) and looks correct on 80's bikes IMO.

Chombi1 

Tim, I'm sorry to say that your wife has better taste with bike handlebar tape colors than you do.....

SJX426 

Thanks! I also have Stars and Stripes Kit to go along on holidays.

1989Pre 

If you can't find the Benotto cello tape in the color you want, check out Hunt-Wilde or OGK.
The OGK is a little bit thinner.

crandress 

here is the new Benotto tape from Soma: Benotto Handlebar Tape

I have not tried it, so I have no idea the difference. Fortunately I still have some of the original hanging around. Now I just need to find frames in the right color to match...

Chombi1 

Nobody seems to realize that "splash" pattern cork tapes were made from "end of the shift factory floor sweepings", cooked togther in vats of glue and extruded into tape......
Our C&V bikes deserve much better than that......

USAZorro

I'm with you there when it comes to despising cork bar tape. I'll either go with leather, synthetic leather, cloth with shellac, cloth with shellac over a lightly cushioned plastic foam, or something along the lines of the fizik tape.

noglider 

I also like Benotto tape. You can get it NOS on ebay, and you can get imitations there, too. I have the imitation stuff, and it's perfectly good.

CliffordK

One thing that I've been doing is running the cables near the top of the bars.

Of course it is still obvious where the tape is, but it helps make a flat-top on the bars which I find comfortable for gripping.

79pmooney

Interesting. I have always put the cable at 4:00 so it is under my first knuckle when I am riding the tops and climbing. Also makes for a nice start of the bend down to the brake, top and down tubes.

Ben

tkamd73 

I agree, my choice was light grey, just because it would be easier to keep looking good. Chombi1, you still have the best avitar on the C & V forum, nothing to do with bikes but definitely high end C & V. Tim

jeirvine 

Velo Classique in NoVA has NOS Benetto tape for a reasonable price.
https://www.facebook.com/Velo-Classi...4625401059577/

As for me, I'm a fan of the VO "Comfy Cotton":
https://store.velo-orange.com/index....-bar-tape.html