i have a cheap-o neon gel tape that i really like- i'm assuming it's pretty much the same thing as the nashbar stuff.

i don't want the cork to be too thin... i've felt the cinelli stuff and it's too thin for my taste, but maybe with the gel padding (or maybe a different type of padding) it might work. the natural color in the nashbar cork is the nicest color i've found in that price range... hmmmm although i'm not entirely fond of only have 2 places of nice padding on the bars.

btw i have a very old (or at least extremely worn... you can barely make out the name) wrights saddle... in a dark leather color.

thanks moxfyre for discussing this topic with me

I'm not a real big fan of Cinelli wrap. Their length is too short for most bars. I usually have to end up
wrapping thin to cover the bars, and still come up short nearly every time. The most comfortable I have ever used is Bontrager gel backed. It's like a thick synthetic, but is super cushy with a corkish skin. I have it on my 87 Prelude, and Trek 560. Makes real cork feel hard even! The Nashbar cork is excellent too. I believe it's the exact same stuff sold at bike shops under the Pyramid brand. They both have an odd grape koolaid smell, which isn't really unpleasant. Unfortunately the bike shop that carried Bontrager near me closed down about a month ago. Anyone know where to get it online??

Thanks for the brake hoods compliment. I like them too, hehe. They had them at my LBS believe it or not. They asked me "Anything else?" I jokingly said..."Yeah, a set of brake hoods would be nice?" He reaches into a drawer and pulls them out. I was pretty happy as you can imagine. Sure they're probably repros, but I'm not complaining. Anytime you can rehood a 26 year old bike, it's a good day,,,,BD

nashbar cork thicker than cinelli? the thicker, the better for me. thank you for the tips