The bike I'm building is a road bike around 1978-1980, so to be period correct I think cotton or Benotto cello-tape would be appropriate. I love the look of the Benotto tape in black, but it is expensive and I have a feeling I won't like it due to the lack of comfort it offers.

What do you guys use for your vintage builds?

My preference is not for fat bar tape so I like cotton tape with shellac. I've also used Cinelli black Volee bar tape and it's pretty good but not cheap at $22 or so. Very stretchy and applies very well but it's not a thick spongy tape. I think it's supposed to be about the thickness and feel of tennis racket tape. It's pretty durable -- more so than raw cotton tape, for sure.

I have Benotto Cello Tape on one bike and while it looks perfect, for that bike, it's my least favorite. I don't ride it much or for very long so it's fine and not worth switching out.

I tried cloth tape with shellac on one build, but it just wasn't for me. I like the look, but it felt too hard.

For all my other vintage bikes I like Newbaum's Cloth Tape, the regular stuff, and I have one bike with the newer Newbaum's CUSHIONED Cloth Tape. The cushioned version is really nice. Same look, but far more comfortable on really long rides.

Since my machines Are all riders, no garage queens, I go for comfort. "Cork" tape but not too thick. I've used Cinelli tape and SRAM. My latest build (84 Fuji) has Origin 8 tape. My preference is for tape that is either plain/no logos, like the Origin 8, or the logos to one side such that I can hide them (like Deda). I looked at Salsa tape, good feel and wraps well, but the embossed goop is all over the tape. Way too busy for me.

My preference is cloth tape, no shellac. When it gets crappy, re-tape it. Its like a new pair of socks. I did a build once with matching leather bar tape and saddle, which was super-comfy, but man that leather tape is $$$!

Cotton tape was king at that time, if you're wondering about period correct circa 78-80. Though cello tape was around, the great craze for it was still a year or two away, and it was limited to racer types. If you wanted padded tape, Bike Ribbon was fairly common by then. The other padded option was Grab-on. They made a thin racing model. Good luck finding any. Cork tape did not exist yet. There was this bike boom era rubber tape called Bailey's I think, but it never really caught on. Most people just went with cotton, If you needed padding, there were gloves for that.

My ars poetics: to follow the period of correctness.
Cloth until the late '70s.
Benotto-style celo until the early '80s.
Almarc-style leather or pelten/bike ribbon until the late ’80s,
Cork from the late '80s.

For my older bicycles, those that sort of fall into the period correct attempt builds, I always go for cloth tape, which used to be darn near free on Ebay. Anyway, this is the cloth tape that I like for my older bikes. I should add that end caps are important to me, also. With that in mind, I really like the old school Velox product (never falls out)...



For newer bikes, I go with the cheapest cushion tape that I can find. I buy the non-adhesive backed stuff, through Ebay, and sets me back a couple of dollars a set, shipping included. I buy a dozen sets at a time. This is my Jamaica Bianchi and the tape has thousands of kilo meters on it...

Velo Orange Comfy Cotton is my go-to. (Buy local!) Looks traditional, feels great, and is never too short for your bars.

have been using VELOX bar tape since the 1970's, but just switched to Newbaum's, better quality and longer rolls...

https://www.newbaums.com/

Newbaums - for the reasons in the above 2 posts. Plus, colour selection.