robertorolfo

Just to make things a little easier, I'm not going to ask you to identify a rusty old frame, I just want to hear people's opinions on the best color of bar tape to use.

I recently received the frame below, and I'm going to start building it up. Components will all be silver/aluminum. Basically I'm trying to decide between my usual white, a yellow for which I have a matching saddle, or maybe even a gold?

To be clear, I'm really opposed to black bar tape, especially on vintage bikes. And I am a believer in having the bar tape match the saddle where possible, so that makes the gold option difficult. I do have one yellow saddle (not my favorite, but useable), although colors on the graphics are really more gold than yellow.

What do you guys think?

semroc

I'd go white bar tape, and try to get a white saddle. Sweet bike.

Old Fireleg

Yellow, white and surprising, but the red is also very spectacular with a blue frame.Although maybe because of the yellow / gold inscription it doesn’t really prevail. You have to try.

natterberry 

If you want to try gold, I can send a sample of the Lizard Skin Vegas Gold

noobinsf 

My .002, I think bright yellow cotton tape, yellow cable housing, and a black saddle would all work well together on that bike.

ljsense

I'd be curious to hear why, and why on vintage bikes it's especially important to you.

kermie

I would go with the accents which are gold. So gold tape. White would look good too on that blue frame though.

ridelikeaturtle

Gold bar tape all day long.

Black saddle.
... and tanwall (skinwall) tyres. Vittoria Corsas would look great here.

robertorolfo

Thanks for all the feedback. Always interesting to hear what people think.

Thanks for the offer. That is some fancy looking tape, and $35 (which is what a quick google shows) is usually more than I spend on bar tape. That said, I would be willing to take the plunge and just buy a set to try, but what color saddle would you say I should try with it? I can live with a black saddle.

I'm always tempted by brighter colored cable housing, but usually end up shying away because I think housing is one of those things that should be noticed as little as possible (hence the white on a mostly white frame in the pic below). Just my opinion, and I'm already pretty dead set on black housing for this build.

I just don't really like the look of it. A bit boring and pedestrian in my opinion. Certain modern bikes have paint schemes and colors that do lend themselves well to black tap, and some "blacked out" bikes seem cool, but it just doesn't do much for me.

And while some newer bikes might be OK with it, I don't like it on vintage stuff because they tend to have more lively and interesting paint schemes (at least the 80's and 90's), and most of all I just love the look of race bikes from that era with white or bright bar tape. Just looks cool and correct to me.

So another vote for gold and a black saddle. Hmmm. Oh, and tanwall tires are pretty much a certainty.

This is my Deda Aegis. Not vintage, but it gives you a feel for my preferred look. Also my Loto with white cable housing:

Numenor

white tape and white saddle

natterberry 

I’d say black if gold.

I went this route because my gold accents were more mustard, less bright gold.

I’m sure this would be fine in an envelope. PM your address if you want it to gauge color/feel of tape.

79pmooney

Funny, black cloth was my 1st thought. A few of my bikes have seen other colors but black has been my mainstay since the early '70s and on ever bike I raced. Now none of those bikes were vintage. (I raced a 1976 Fuji Pro, but in 1977, 1976 was not vintage yet. ) My Mooney spent years (between ~1984 and 2003) with leather wrapped tennis racquet stye but went back to black Fizik plastic. Best bike is also the black Fizik.

Andy_K 

That blue just screamed "white" at me before I even read your thoughts. That's the way I'd go. Gold could be cool, but it would need to match the decals. I just can't get my mind to accept yellow saddles. Yellow tape and a black saddle would work for me, but if you would insist on a yellow saddle with yellow tape, I'm not so enthusiastic. The tape and the saddle would need to match exactly with yellow, IMO.

plonz 

Yellow or white are solid choices. Big fan of this perforated silver that would also look nice.

Cougrrcj

I am running into the same 'problem' with choice for a bike I picked up for my 27-yr-old niece... Maroon bike, gold lettering. I ordered some shiny gold lined housing from PorkchopBMX. They also have a chrome silver lined housing available!


BUT, will probably go with black bar tape and saddle for two reasons -- Not sure what saddle my niece prefers, and she preferred black bar tape just so it doesn't look dirty as quickly as the yellow tape on my bike...

ljsense

I like the white tape and white saddle. Thanks for the explanation, and great photos. I've had a few white saddle / white tape bikes and they look so fantastic when it's pure as the driven snow.

But I've gone strickly black/black, so I was just curious why someone would have an aversion to that.

zacster

I'd say gold myself, but only if it matches. I'm putting blue tape on my white C'Dale with blue lettering. And blue housing too. Since it is for my daughter it is all about the looks.

I know who to look for out there now too. That Basso is hard to miss. Maybe we need to do a vintage ride and I can bring out my Zilioli. Italian frame and all Campy SR pantograph. Not as clean as the Basso though.

Zilioli by zacfi2000, on Flickr

Wildwood 

I went maroon on one, yellow on another. And have tried Pale Blue and Light Grey - which both often get mistaken as white-ish.

always cloth on vintage, generally Neebaums.



Maroon on green Zeus

Pale blue on DeRosa

Grey on Batavus


Benotto green vinyl, if you can find some supple enough. Pops w/ blue, tan leather saddle.

The easy yellow look on a Falcon.

juvela

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all of these posts, discussion and pictures yet you have not as yet let readers know what colour cable casing you envision employing...and no one has seen fit to inquire

there is a scrap of black poking out of the top tube in your pictures; is that going to be it?


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gios

My blue framed Gios currently has yellow Cinelli cork. Red before that. I'm about ready to move on from yellow and just got a white Cinelli cork in the mail the other day.

P!N20

Cinelli splash. Can't go wrong.

zacster

The problem with white and yellow is they get dirty so fast. Look at the yellow tape on my Zilioli above...

SJX426 

My first impression was blue. That may be too much. White works as long as it is Fizik. I tried the Fizik tape on the Pinarello and am impressed by how well it stays white. It has been 6 years and it still is very acceptable. This picture is from 2018 with 4 years on it. Lots of commuting, probably 5k miles. This is the 2mm thick stuff.
CConversion95, on Flickr

I tried splash on my Colnago. Boy did I get the snub from this forum! A couple people were kind enough to let me know it was totally unacceptable. Still I think it looked ok, given the other colors on the bike. A rare posting with splash.
B_Y_DS, on Flickr

jbchybridrider 

First thing I thought is black seat and tape gives the most classic look to this frame. Being a darker blue to Gios and gold lettering white doesn't look right. White might just pass for the frame but not the gold. With this frame brighter colours can only go with one colour but not the other, black fits with everything on this frame and gives the most classic look. So double layer black cloth tape and black suede seat for the most classic look imo. Did I say "classic" enough

And silver components. Beautiful frame too!

Kabuki12

I am changing handlebars this weekend on my Medici and only have black in cloth. It is a 1982 so other material I suppose would be acceptable . I am going to change the cable housing at the same time. I am now using bronze colored housing and the tape is black vinyl . The bars and stem will be black ( Medici panto on the bars).Also putting correct Super Record RD and chain rings on. Right now it is a halloween bike in black and orange. Thinking maybe yellow cables? Suggestions welcome, Joe