Running bars on the road without tape is kind of silly. It's not like bar tape can't look good, and the increase in comfort is notable.

It seems like you're basing a lot of your bike-related decisions primarily on aesthetics and not as much on functionality. It's definitely nice to make a bike look the way you want it to, but a pretty bike that is not functional is useless. There are plenty of ways to obtain functionality and pleasing aesthetics.