I'm with you jimmuller. My Colnago still has the sticker from the bike shop in Boulder that sold it. It is still in business. I should call and see if they have a record of the bike and if it was a frame or complete bike. My suspicision is that it was a build. Might even find out who bought it! I'm a little lazy or forgetful, don't remember which.

I too prefer my brake lever bodies to be in touch with the bar. More intimate and less likely for them to move, which happens upon occasion. One of the challenges is not over tightening the lever bodies to the bar. Universal bodies are very prone to failure due to this issue. A slight bump and the fracture along the corners. If on tape, the material will compress over time and cause some them to move. Out of frustration of them rotating, the temptation is to tighten those MF's up good.

I've done all versions of the wrap around the bar. Past experience (like history level past) causes me to be concerned about tape length, which will dictate how much wrapping I will do at this section. The overlap is the issue, especially on bends. An attempt is made to have the tape overlap the previous wrap in such away to cause the tape to be flush along the azis of the bar. On bends, the preference is to continue this approach on the transition between the outside and inside of the bend, resulting in a gap on the outside and overlap on the inside. Too many wraps around the brake clamp causes an unsightly bulge. Then the issues is trade off between the bulge and the exposed clamp/bar. The extra "loop" of taper is a good compromize if you want full wrap without metal exposture.

The last option is the one I have been following lately. I really don't like the trend toward the strip of double sided sticky tape on the inside of the wrap either. It makes pre wrap difficult as well as installation. If done correctly, a good tape installation will not allow the tape to move anyway. JMHO.