Handlebar tape, ribbon or ???
#1
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Handlebar tape, ribbon or ???
These days, I prefer to build older steeds, those from the early seventies or older. My question is pretty straight forward - what handlebar tape, or ribbon or whatever was available in those days..
At the moment, I have only two oldies, a 1968 Legnano Grand Premio (red cotton tape installed years ago)...
...and a 1958 Rabeneick 120d which will be completed this summer, if the virus will allow me to return to my summer cottage (I do have black, dark blue and red cotton tape, the same as that on the Legnano)...
At the moment, I have only two oldies, a 1968 Legnano Grand Premio (red cotton tape installed years ago)...
...and a 1958 Rabeneick 120d which will be completed this summer, if the virus will allow me to return to my summer cottage (I do have black, dark blue and red cotton tape, the same as that on the Legnano)...
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#2
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There were a few options in the early 1970's and many more toward the end of the 70's.
Tressostar cloth tape was a brand, but there were a number of other adhesive backed cloth tape options.
.
Hunt-Wilde made plastic handlebar wrap in a variety of colors. Not certain, but likely was OEM on Schwinn drip bar models.
Grab on grips(foam sections) was introduced sometime in the late 1970's
Benotto introduced its plastic wrap in the US.
As the bike boom was in full swing, there were any number of of new introductions of brands and iterations.
Section type grips with textures, padded plastic wrap,etc.
Tressostar cloth tape was a brand, but there were a number of other adhesive backed cloth tape options.
.
Hunt-Wilde made plastic handlebar wrap in a variety of colors. Not certain, but likely was OEM on Schwinn drip bar models.
Grab on grips(foam sections) was introduced sometime in the late 1970's
Benotto introduced its plastic wrap in the US.
As the bike boom was in full swing, there were any number of of new introductions of brands and iterations.
Section type grips with textures, padded plastic wrap,etc.
#3
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Thanks 100bikes. It would seem that I will be using some of my cotton tape and hate to do so. I bought dozens of sets, years ago, for two bucks a set. Try to find cotton tape at that price now. Anyway, thanks again. Now all I have to do is decide on dark blue, red or black...
I fitted the Legnano bar to the Rubeneick, for test riding purposes, and kinda like the look but the color seems to jump out at me or does it..?
I fitted the Legnano bar to the Rubeneick, for test riding purposes, and kinda like the look but the color seems to jump out at me or does it..?
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That's the one you painted blue and gold, right? If so, black cotton would look great.
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#7
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Anyhow, back to the OP. I vote for cotton for both of those. It seems to me that in 1958 a single position slip on grip on a dropped bar would have been slightly archaic already, but probably still period correct. Even so I'd put cotton on just to make the thing have more than one position. It has a certain retro cool as it is, but it looks painful and dangerous unless you're really into the retro tweed thing.
Last edited by Salamandrine; 03-31-20 at 10:46 AM.
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IIRC, Grab On actually had a thinner version of their foam grips that they tried to sell to sport and racing bikers. I almost bought a set for my bike back then, but the vinyl padded tapes came up, and I quickly forgot about Grab Ons.
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#9
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Anyhow, back to the OP. I vote for cotton for both of those. It seems to me that in 1958 a single position slip on grip on a dropped bar would have been slightly archaic already, but probably still period correct. Even so I'd put cotton on just to make the thing have more than one position. It has a certain retro cool as it is, but it looks painful and dangerous unless you're really into the retro tweed thing.
...connected to this long reach caliper (rear only) which another forum member helped me with...
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"98% of the bikes I buy are projects".
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#10
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randyjawa I know you don't want to take away from your stash of bargain-priced cloth tape but you can't keep it forever. I recently found long-stored Cat-Eye cloth tape to be unusable close to the inside of the wrap. The adhesive backing was bonding to the top surface of the cloth. I was only able to use 80% of the rolls.
Use it.
Use it.
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randyjawa I know you don't want to take away from your stash of bargain-priced cloth tape but you can't keep it forever. I recently found long-stored Cat-Eye cloth tape to be unusable close to the inside of the wrap. The adhesive backing was bonding to the top surface of the cloth. I was only able to use 80% of the rolls.
Use it.
Use it.
I still have some of this stuff left,,,
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That Benotto tape is pretty. I rewraped my bike in probably 1980 or '81 with it . Once on the bike, I hated it and thought it made the bike too pretty. I used Yellow Benotto ribbon that matched the yellow in the Serotta logo. Other people liked it so I kept it for a while.
For early '70's to early '80's I think cloth was the most common bike enthusiast way to go. I only remember Schwinn's and other American (lesser) bikes having plastic wrap. Maybe some of he lower end Japanese bikes of the time too, like Royce Union.
Tressostar was the preferred tape, at least for me at the time. I would use either black or white tape.
For early '70's to early '80's I think cloth was the most common bike enthusiast way to go. I only remember Schwinn's and other American (lesser) bikes having plastic wrap. Maybe some of he lower end Japanese bikes of the time too, like Royce Union.
Tressostar was the preferred tape, at least for me at the time. I would use either black or white tape.
#13
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I still have a couple rolls of 'No 1 Tape' on the card from probably the late '70s or early '80s.. 'The Tape' was another early synthetic thin foam tape from BITD... I believe my old Fuji is still sporting the same wrap (can't remember which it was - No 1 Tape or The Tape - ) that I put on it waaaay back in 1980 before I took it on tour...
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