Bar tape timeline...?
09-05-08, 12:47 PM
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Bar tape timeline...?
Anybody care to take a stab at it? When was bar tape first used instead of grips? When were various materials/styles introduced? Just curious...
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1959 Bottecchia Milano-Sanremo(frame), 1966 Bottecchia Professional (frame), 1971 Bottecchia Professional (frame),
1973 Bottecchia Gran Turismo, 1974 Bottecchia Special, 1977 Bottecchia Special (frame),
1974 Peugeot UO-8, 1988 Panasonic PT-3500, 2002 Bianchi Veloce, 2004 Bianchi Pista
1959 Bottecchia Milano-Sanremo(frame), 1966 Bottecchia Professional (frame), 1971 Bottecchia Professional (frame),
1973 Bottecchia Gran Turismo, 1974 Bottecchia Special, 1977 Bottecchia Special (frame),
1974 Peugeot UO-8, 1988 Panasonic PT-3500, 2002 Bianchi Veloce, 2004 Bianchi Pista
09-05-08, 01:08 PM
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Bar tape has been on road bikes since at least the 30's. These are educated guesses.
Plastic came around (at least in common usage) in the mid-late 60's.
Grab-ons - 70's
Cork - 80's
Plastic came around (at least in common usage) in the mid-late 60's.
Grab-ons - 70's
Cork - 80's
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09-05-08, 01:24 PM
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Benotto, I love that stuff! It is probably only good for late 70's -80's bikes. Many years ago i purchased a case of that stuff. I had probably 30 different shades of color & also stripes.
09-05-08, 01:30 PM
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This is very imprecise, but pre-war (1939-1941) Schwinn Paramount and New World catalogs show what look like cylindrical rubber grips that go up the handlebar drop curve a couple of inches, and the 1945 "50 Years of Schwinn-Built Bicycles" shows the same grips on a 1945 Paramount track bike. Photos of the 1950 TdF show many bikes with tape, others with grips similar to those shown in the pre-war Schwinn catalogs. The use of tape may have started in the thirties as Zorro suggests.
09-05-08, 01:33 PM
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This is very imprecise, but pre-war (1939-1941) Schwinn Paramount and New World catalogs show what look like cylindrical rubber grips that go up the handlebar drop curve a couple of inches, and the 1945 "50 Years of Schwinn-Built Bicycles" shows the same grips on a 1945 Paramount track bike. Photos of the 1950 TdF show many bikes with tape, others with grips similar to those shown in the pre-war Schwinn catalogs. The use of tape may have started in the thirties as Zorro suggests.
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09-05-08, 01:36 PM
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Now that you mention it, look at the bar tops on the Paramount. It looks like bar tape!
09-05-08, 04:46 PM
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Looks almost like the plastic tubular grips mounted on high-zoot track machines today.
-Kurt
-Kurt
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09-05-08, 05:28 PM
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Damn, I had forgotten about grab-ons. I found them too ugly even back in the day.
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1959 Bottecchia Milano-Sanremo(frame), 1966 Bottecchia Professional (frame), 1971 Bottecchia Professional (frame),
1973 Bottecchia Gran Turismo, 1974 Bottecchia Special, 1977 Bottecchia Special (frame),
1974 Peugeot UO-8, 1988 Panasonic PT-3500, 2002 Bianchi Veloce, 2004 Bianchi Pista
1959 Bottecchia Milano-Sanremo(frame), 1966 Bottecchia Professional (frame), 1971 Bottecchia Professional (frame),
1973 Bottecchia Gran Turismo, 1974 Bottecchia Special, 1977 Bottecchia Special (frame),
1974 Peugeot UO-8, 1988 Panasonic PT-3500, 2002 Bianchi Veloce, 2004 Bianchi Pista
09-05-08, 05:51 PM
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are grab ons that black foam rubber stuff? My LBS still has those.
09-05-08, 06:44 PM
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Yeah, it's still out there. We have a guy from India on temporary assignment here in the US at my office and he doesn't have a car so one of the guys dug up this old Univega complete with grab-ons for him to use to get around. It's just one butt ugly bike.
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1959 Bottecchia Milano-Sanremo(frame), 1966 Bottecchia Professional (frame), 1971 Bottecchia Professional (frame),
1973 Bottecchia Gran Turismo, 1974 Bottecchia Special, 1977 Bottecchia Special (frame),
1974 Peugeot UO-8, 1988 Panasonic PT-3500, 2002 Bianchi Veloce, 2004 Bianchi Pista
1959 Bottecchia Milano-Sanremo(frame), 1966 Bottecchia Professional (frame), 1971 Bottecchia Professional (frame),
1973 Bottecchia Gran Turismo, 1974 Bottecchia Special, 1977 Bottecchia Special (frame),
1974 Peugeot UO-8, 1988 Panasonic PT-3500, 2002 Bianchi Veloce, 2004 Bianchi Pista
09-05-08, 08:20 PM
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What about that fancy padded vinyl tape? When did that come along? Was it ever popular? How about a more precise date on cork. When in the 80's?
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1959 Bottecchia Milano-Sanremo(frame), 1966 Bottecchia Professional (frame), 1971 Bottecchia Professional (frame),
1973 Bottecchia Gran Turismo, 1974 Bottecchia Special, 1977 Bottecchia Special (frame),
1974 Peugeot UO-8, 1988 Panasonic PT-3500, 2002 Bianchi Veloce, 2004 Bianchi Pista
1959 Bottecchia Milano-Sanremo(frame), 1966 Bottecchia Professional (frame), 1971 Bottecchia Professional (frame),
1973 Bottecchia Gran Turismo, 1974 Bottecchia Special, 1977 Bottecchia Special (frame),
1974 Peugeot UO-8, 1988 Panasonic PT-3500, 2002 Bianchi Veloce, 2004 Bianchi Pista
