Originally Posted by bulgie

They were not stitched; they were molded in the shape you see with FAKE stitching molded in.

As to whether they were rubber -- that word gets used for a lot of things that never came from a rubber tree. I'm no expert but I would assume they are some kind of petroleum-based plastic, but definitely a rubbery feel. I wouldn't mind if someone called them rubber. They give a slight amount of cushioning, less than say Cinelli cork or some other padded tapes, but better than unpadded tape.

BTW I think the ones in the photo from randyjawa have normal bands holding the levers on -- not riv-nuts. I'm pretty sure I can see the bulge in the rubber where the band is underneath. Unless I'm imagining it...

Mark B in Seattle