yeah it was from your experience that I figured I'd either wrap the bars with the cork first (or use an old inner tube) and then do cloth on top so I could get the cushion of cork but the shellac absorption of cloth. I have to say if the natural cork tape I'd gotten was your color, it wouldn't be so bad, but the stuff I got is already more brown than the saddle. Figure I already have it so I might as well use it as an underlayer though.