I had bad luck with cheapo gel tape. My cinelli cork tape is really starting to wear too. I re-wrapped it and cleaned it once in 2000 or so miles, but it may be time to buy some more.

I think bar tape can last a long time if you don't care about how it looks. The key is wrapping it really, really tight, I think. Sometimes it just needs to be re-wrapped. I like the upside down electrical tape idea.