Cloth tape and Shellac bars
 

Thinking about going this route soon, and wanted to see some examples and get the groups oppinion of comfort. I ride fairly long distances everytime I ride and am curious if cloth and shellac will be uncomfortable or not.

Not too comfy. That's why they invented padded cycling gloves I suppose. Here's one example.http://i1227.photobucket.com/albums/...s/Frejus14.jpg

I like the looks of shellac but prefer the feel of raw cotton.

I have to agree Auchen. It's softer. And, aceofspaids, you can install some padding underneath the cloth tape to give it a bit more cushion. Two layers helps, but they also make some gel pads you can attach before wrapping with cloth.

do a search for Shellac in this forum, tons of threads, here's one:
http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...lac-bar-tape!?

I put cork on, then shellac cotten over it. You get the comfort of cork, but the shellaced cotten tape lasts forever.

Here's a thread I had started regarding shellac and color blending. some good pics in here.

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...uff?highlight=

Like others I prefer the feel of raw cotton. In fact the only reason I use shellac any more is if I want to change the color of the tape. Then I'm careful not to use too much - otherwise I find it gets too slippery, which is my least favored quality in a tape.

For pure comfort I like Cinelli cork. Fizik is pretty nice stuff too and gives you a bit of cushion without bulk.

Plain cloth feels nicer. I removed the shellacked cloth from my Cinelli and went for plain cloth for my last back-to-back century and I was glad I did. I've tried lots of different tapes and I have non-cloth tape on some of my bikes because it doesn't look right on every bike, but I find one layer of cloth tape is still the most comfortable - I don't like it when the bar gets too fat. I've also found that the kind of cloth tape you use makes a difference. So far I still like Cat-eye the best, it's just a shame it's not available in more colours.

I will offer a dissenting opinion here. I totally appreciate and respect the previously posted comments, especially with regard to bar comfort on long rides. However, I do find cotton wrap and shellac to be comfortable, particularly because I tend to prefer a narrower bar than the thicker gel and padded wraps provide. I like the longevity of shellac-coated cotton wrap, and the appearance can really be quite beautiful also. For fresh cotton, I'll apply at least six (but usually seven or even eight) coats of shellac, allowing amply dry time between coats. Every year or so, I'll simply add a touch up layer. Here are some rando bars built up this way:

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4089/...e471c1d2_z.jpg

I've also seen - and just applied myself - perforated Fizik wrap that has been coated with shellac. It's an interesting "leather" look and is slightly cushier than the cotton with shellac, but not as thick as the padded stuff is. I'm not sure how the shellac will hold up because of the give, but it would be nice to discover that it doesn't flake, and that it adds longevity to the expensive wrap. I'll let you all know how it works out in about a year.

Beautiful, I'm looking at doing the same, cept mine will be honey to match my B17.