# Benotto Bar Tape . . .



## JetSpeed

I just bought a NOS roll of 80's era Benotto bar tape to complete a CL project bike. 

Was is common back in the day to use this tape by itself with no other padding?
I will only ride this bike a few times a year in fair weather doing only 25 or less miles 
so, no padding won't be a show stopper for me.

Also, the tape seems rather fragile. Another RBR member said the sides were
fragile, but how does it fair when you wrap it tight around the bars? Is the tape
durable as compared to cork tape?

I know I can double wrap with cork underneath, however I don't think I want to do that.
Thoughts/experience on the above?


----------



## CurbDestroyer

Yep . . . Just wrap the bars, no padding!

Back then you had basically 3 or 4 choices. You had Bennoto, Cinelli Cork, Cloth Tape, and that stitch on Almark leather wrap. 

MMMMmmmm come to think about it, there was cheap padded wrap, but I didn't use it. 

I had a couple reasons for using Benotto tape. One was because you coud take it off and on without messing it up. You have to remember that back then stems didn't have face plates, So it you wanted to experiment with different stem lengths, you had to unwrap your bars in order to slide the stem off the bars. It's almost impossible to take padded tape off because of the sticky back.

Two was because you could take it off and on without messing it up. I had some orange Bennoto tape that I put on about 4 different bikes and it lasted over 15 years. 

When you put it on, you have to stretch the tape, so it clings to the bar tight, but don't stretch it too much. That was the case back then, I'm not sure how well a 30 year old roll of Benotto tape stretches.


----------



## FatTireFred

I don't recall cork that far back... and then there were 'grab-on' grips


----------



## CurbDestroyer

FatTireFred said:


> I don't recall cork that far back... and then there were 'grab-on' grips


Oh man . . . Grab-Ons . . . how did I forget them? I remember cork in 86, and it was just that "Cork", not much stretch.


----------



## steelbikerider

You could double wrap and use a weave pattern with 2 different colors for a different look. It would also give some texture for a better grip. Not much help since I don't remember how. Be careful when it is wet - very slick.


----------



## JML

The tape is translucent, which means that there will be some color variation between the single- and double-wrapped sections of the bar. Different colors will show this to greater or lesser degrees.

I wrapped mine over a base layer. I remember that most people used it right over the bars, but I thought the feel and overall color was better with something under it. White cotton tape works, and I recall several other riders doing that, but for my bike I used thin white rubberized tape from Scott (which is long gone). Of course, the thicker the underlying layer, the harder it will be to stretch the tape and have enough to end the job. 

I wrap from the center ferrule to the end of the bars, which works fine with the thin Benotto tape (and does NOT work with most modern tapes which have a thick cross section and edges that easily stretch and loosen when done that way). A small piece of Scotch Magic Tape goes at the start, to secure the tape, and I wrap over that at the ferrule. Then just wrap all the way to the end, constantly stretching the tape and keeping it tight (if you need to take a break, just use some more Magic Tape to hold it in place for a while). I've never had the Benotto unravel or curl from my hands/gloves on the bars.

If you want the best results, you can loosen your brake levers and wrap under them. A third roll is usually needed to serve as a donor for two sections you have to cut to fit under the brake lever cover, and then wrap around them.

You have to be careful with Benotto tape, because any sharp edge can cut the tape (the edges are sometimes prone to damage even off the roll, or they have edge slices or scallops from the manufacturing process that ruin the whole job because they will tear when you stretch the tape (of course, they only appear when you're nearing the end of the job). It usually takes several tries, doing a full wrap, to stretch the tape enough to properly finish the job.

I have never seen anything that looks quite as good as the Benotto tape, and once it's applied, it can last a long time. It's easy to keep clean, and with a thin padded layer underneath, you get the best of both worlds. The colors can be perfect!

The Benotto plugs are awful. I end the wrap by overlaying the end of the bar (all around the bar end edge) and pushing the tape inside the bar (any underlaid tape has to be cut off flush with the end of the bar, or the plug won't go in). Chromed metal plugs work well, but they're hard to find. I push them in by hand, and then finish with a dead blow mallet that won't mark the plug. Plastic plugs may work, too, but they have to have sufficient give in the tangs to work with the layer of tape inside the bar.

Here are two pictures of the results (the bar is a Nitto Dream Bar, in 44, and the stem is a Nitto Pearl).

View attachment 201916


View attachment 201917


I recently found these expanding plugs which are very nicely made (black anodized aluminum).


----------



## JetSpeed

All good info. I think I'll just do one layer of the Benotto just to find out
how it feels/looks. JML, thanks again for the good write-up; very nice wrap job!


----------



## High Gear

I really like the looks of the Benotto cello on older bikes. It's period correct, making the bike look right.


----------



## steelisreal2

*And so many colours.....*










I have used Benotto Cello-Tape on a couple of bikes, it goes on well too.


----------



## JetSpeed

Hey! One more question. 

WHAT can I use as far as taping the bar tape on near the stem?
Benotto doesn't supply any tape, so what are you all using?
I'd like to try amd stay away from standard black electrical tape. In JML's
pics, I can't even see any tape. Looks GREAT!


----------



## JML

That's one reason I wrap from the top the the bottom.

If you start the taping job at the bar ferrule near the stem, use a 1" piece of Scotch Magic Tape to hold the Benotto tape in place on the bar, and then wrap the Benotto completely around the bar, covering the starting point, going OVER the Scotch tape, to hide the beginning. I place the starting point on the back/underside side of the bars. 

If you have plugs for the end, you overwrap the ends completely, stretch the Benotto very tightly over the end, and push the last full wrap inside the bar. Hold it in place over the last 1" of the bar, temporarily, using Scotch tape, and then insert the plugs. If there's any problem with an errant overwrap, try it again. But be warned, once you pound those plugs in the bar, it will likely tear the Benotto tape inside the bar when you remove the plug.

If you do a more common bar-end-to-ferrule job, from bottom to top, then you can end it with any type of vinyl electrical tape, of course. You can find many colors at places like Home Depot or Lowe's, but the adhesive tends to migrate.


----------



## JetSpeed

Learned something here. Regards.


----------



## JML

Here's a closeup. You can see the detail at the ferrule end, where the tape overlaps itself and is pulled tight to snuggle down over the underlying tape. You can also see the direction of the wrap. The enlarged cross-section is from the overwrap of the padded tape, and the extra layer of Benotto hiding the Scotch tape.

And the color consistency shows well here, too.

View attachment 202005


----------



## frpax

Back in the 80's, when I wrapped from the top, I always had problems with the tape shifting on the bends and exposing the aluminum of the bar, no matter how tight I wrapped it. So I start from the bottom and have done so since. I use colored electrical tape.


----------



## JetSpeed

I actually wondered about slipping tape BOTH ways. I suppose that 
the extra padding stops the slippage. Thanks!


----------



## frpax

When you wrap starting at the bottom, the overlaps are such that your hands won't "roll" them down. Much like shingles on your roof...


----------



## JML

The layer of Kraton rubber tape under the Benotto tape, and the very tight wrap of the thin edge Benotto, prevents unravelling. This method will NOT work with the thick modern tapes.


----------



## MR_GRUMPY

With Benotto tape, you didn't have to worry about tape slipping because you'd have to change the tape twice a year, anyway. After a few months in the sun, the tape would fade so bad, you'd have to replace.......(but it was cheap)


----------



## splorty

I remember grab on for touring bikes, bike ribbon or benotto was the stuff to use in the early eighties!!


----------



## SJX426

As far as durability, I can attest to it as I bought a 1983 Colnago with what looks like the original tape. The Bennoto bar ends are meant to be wrapped by the tape so bar end to stem.


----------



## tarwheel2

I remember Benotto tape from my riding days back in the 1970s and 80s, and I have no love for it. To me, it is less comfortable than cork tape and looks worse, but to each his own. I haven't found any bar tape that functions as well as cork tape, and it looks great if you keep it simple -- solid colors.


----------



## frpax

tarwheel2 said:


> I remember Benotto tape from my riding days back in the 1970s and 80s, and I have no love for it. To me, it is less comfortable than cork tape and looks worse, but to each his own. I haven't found any bar tape that functions as well as cork tape, and it looks great if you keep it simple -- solid colors.


+1

Once I discovered cork, there was no going back...


----------



## JML

To me, the Benotto tape over a layer of padding results in the best of both vintage and modern tapes, preserving the unique look of the 1980s tape and adding shock absorption, as well as making the bar diameter larger and more comfortable while the tape is easy to keep clean. Actually, I just found some NOS stock of the Scott kraton rubber tape online, at Ben's Cycles, and ordered another package and some chrome bar plugs, too! Pulling the white rubber tape on very tightly gives just enough cushioning without making the bar diameter so wide that it becomes a problem.


----------



## Le Turbo

I'm with JML on this one. I think the tape at the ferrule looks nasty, so I too wrap from the ferrule towards the bar end. In fact, at the beginnig, I find you can simply tuck the one end on the underside of the bar, then wrap the first turn tightly over it. These days I use the fi:z:k (or whatever!) perforated tape. It looks classic whereas cork looks like ... well, cork and fattens the bar too much.

Incidentally, if the tape tends to unwrap as mentioned by frpax, wrap it in the opposite direction the next time. It means you tend to either roll your hands to the front or to the back and that loosens the tape. Generally, I've found wrapping towards the rider to be better.


----------



## velomateo

Starting in the center, ala JML, I find works great. The tape needs to be stretched a little as you wrap. So once completed it stays in place and doesn't slip. Old Cinelli plugs hold the ends with the remaining tape tucked inside. I use it a lot and really enjoy the look and feel of it. I don't put any other tape under it, just straight to the bars. I think the aluminum color of the bars adds to the metallic color of the tape. You may need to clean any old tape residue off before taping, because it may show through since the tape is so thin.


----------



## badhabets23

Fancy stuff. Really digging all the colors.


----------



## OfftheBack

Don't know if anyone looks at this thread anymore, but my two cents anyway.
I used Benotto Cello in the 80's and early 90's. I had huge problems with numb hands. The resolution I came to in the end involved a total of eight rolls of tape. One roll of white Velo cotton from bar end to brake perch and one more from brake perch to the ferrule end. This method enabled me to build the circumference of the bar up in key areas and add some padding (very dense cotton tape wraps). This went a long way to mitigating the numb hands at distances under 75 mi. Beyond that, just deal with it. This method, however, posed a new problem. Benotto is very stingy on their tape rolls and as a result, with the added circumference of the bar, it became impossible to cover a bar completely with one roll, no matter how much you stretched it. That is when I became aware how durable the Cello tape can be. In fact, the only way I ever had to actually replace the tape was to grind it on the pavement along with your skin. So it ended up with four rolls per side. I just restored a Trek 660 I raced in the 80's and reproduced my tape wrap to keep the bike in period as much as possible.


----------

