The tape is White cloth tape with amber shellac. The owner of a1 cyclery does that himself. The mechanic and owner at a1 were amazing. I came with a general list of what I wanted (shimano bar ends, nitto where it matters, 8 speed cas., stainless all around). They then proceeded to build up a list of actual parts. They saved me me tons on the wheels ($150 less than the VO), and they had me in there through the whole process test riding, and snapping photos. Great dudes. They are also a trek dealer and we recently purchased an allant wsd for my wife from them as well. I love the fact that Chris would say (while looking for a bike for her), I'm not going to sell you that. What I wanted was honesty and expertise, and they carry that in spades.