> To bring this around to the topic at hand, I'm not a fan of shellacked > cork tape. It's hard (for me) to get an even coat without drips, and > it wears quickly with use.
I agree that the shellac wears quickly, especially in the places that I grip most often. This has never bothered me since it makes the cork look more like leather (uneven and organic). I touch up the shellac occasionally, though not obsessively - I don't carry shellac on tours! I'm OK with a few drips because it's my bike and I don't care. However, I'll stand by the fact that unprotected cork wears quickly and, unless it is black, it looks grubby pretty fast. Shellacked cotton tape is beautiful. One can do fancy harlequin weaves with it. It wears like iron. Why shouldn't everyone use it? I would love to. There are two reasons for me. Sometimes I like to ride without gloves and I have big hands. Riding with cotton tape is like riding on bare bars - no padding and a small diameter. I just don't find cotton taped bars all that comfortable. All this said, I am switching my Atlantis off touring and town duty now that I have a Bombadil. Perhaps, I'll consider committing to wearing gloves and using cloth tape. Dave "The desire to have a beautiful bike is something shared by everyone. The desire comes with childhood; some cultivate it, others repress it, but it's always there." -- Paul Fournel - Need for the Bike --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
