I am forever looking for the right stem/handlebar combination. When I think I find the right stem length or HB shape, I start wondering if there is a better configuration. More time with a given configuration often exposes the little details that aren't quite right.
This gets a bit complicated when I add various brake levers from Campagnolo NR non aero to aero to gen 1 Ergo to gen 2 Ergo and their position on the bar.
The constraints are mostly Cinelli parts, and I have a variety.
The issue is, as the title implies, what do you use for temporary bar tape. Reusing the final tape is problematic as you can appreciate the challenges associated with change in color and shape, not to mention matching the number of wraps.

I would like something that isn't a waste of money and can serve as a temporary wrap that might be used for several hundred miles, just to be able to assess the new configuration.

Pipe insulation is not an option!

I buy the foam type wrap off eBay. It’s around $6 and there’s no adhesive so it’s easy to take off and reuse. It’s actually quite comfortable, little like Cinelli cork wrap.

Hadn't thought of that! Dooh! As low as $3!

I do the exact same. A while back, I hit some sale and got 4 sets of the black/white/gray for something like $8... I just finished using the last set, and I have re-wrapped them COUNTLESS times as I've tried a lot of bar configurations in the past year. I do the same thing, get everything where I think I like it, put a couple hundred miles on it, and go "NOPE". :-) To be honest, I've got a few sets of nicer wrap still in their packages, b/c this cheap stuff works really well, and is FAR more durable than I expected it to be, and I really stretch it when I wrap!

I was using hockey tape for a while, but what was mentioned above sounds better

Do you actually need to tape while you are in the adjustment phase? Use gloves and no tape during the adjustment phase. Use wrapping ribbon in different colors to see what different colors will look like. If you have to have tape, old bicycle tubes will work.

Thanks for the replies!
I have used the Cinelli splash tape 2-3 times already. I don't know when it will fail. It is such a popular tape! Right now I am using the 710 as my experiment mule for bars and stem. I don't think the type of brake levers contribute that much. It is more about the rotation of the bar and where they are located.
P1040796 on Flickr

Twilltape.com

I bought a couple rolls of their heavyweight .5". It's still a bit lighterweight than Newbaums and it doesn't have an adhesive. What I've been doing is putting a few strategic strips of double-sided tape down before wrapping with this. If I place the tape correctly where I typically grip, it seems to keep the tape from migrating much. Although I do ride with a pretty light grip, never understood the people who twist the snot out of bars.

I use old inner tubes split down the middle as a temp bar tape to make sure the levers are where I want them. Once my OCD is satisfied, I tape them up with the real thing.

Remnants of tape left over

This is why I buy Cinelli tape for builds. If it works, it's good enough to leave on the bike till it needs replacing. If not, I'm only out 10 bucks.

I simply tape with classic black cloth tape from the bottom. Easy to unwrap, move the brake levers and rewrap. (Is hockey tape now better than the sticky mess we used to tape our sticks with 50 years ago? I cannot imagine that stuff on handlebars.)

My new handlebar/stem/lever routine is to ride the bike with bare bars except enough electrical tape to keep cables in place. I bring the wrenches for all three (allen and 6" crescent for the levers) and stop whenever I feel an improvement can be made. Only then do I tape the bars - with cloth. When that wears out I can go the nice stuff (but often don't - I've always liked cloth tape, now doubled.)

Plain Ole Tape... Yes...


Very durable, won't sticky up your hands, holds up to weather, easily removable, proven...

For reusing bar tape, I found hitting it with a heat gun will relax the tape so the stretched places will flatten out. That makes it go on easier the next time.

Simply put I do not use temporary bar tape even though I tend to use really inexpensive stuff ($2.70 US shipped to my door)...


But before I tape, I build the bike and ride it for a while before applying the bar tape. This allows me to fine tune where the levers will finally be located, what stem will feel the most comfortable and even what bar to use...


Once satisfied, I tape away and usually find the end result to be comfortable, well done and looking good....

+1
I bought a roll years ago and I'm still working on it. For $25 you can get enough to last nearly a life time.

My answer to this question is that Fizik Microtex is both washable/cleanable with magic eraser, and it holds up to being re-wrapped multiple times.

+1. Easy to make and works fine. Actually, my salty roads bike, Babe the Blue Oxen, has had her inner tube bar tape for 4 years now. Function over style.

I also agree about heating old tape to relax the stretched areas. In summer, I just roll it up and leave it on the dash board for an hour or so, windows up.

Great set of responses! Thanks!
I typically do what many do wrt no tape until a couple of rides. I was addressing the longer term discoveries/curiosities of position and placement.
Two suggestions stick out, heat and the use of the Fizik Microtex. The Pinarello has the later with 2mm thickness that is truly washable. Reuse is new.
The De Rosa Pro also has Fizik Microtex but in 3mm with a little tacky finish which does not get as clean.
Both bikes are candidates for change with the DR already having one rewrap.
All great Ideas. More options to play with.