# How Many Flavors Of Red Bar Tape Did Schwinn Offer?



## GTs58

I have a 64 Varsity in the odd color Terra Cotta and have been looking for the matching bar tape for a few years now. When I was packing up getting ready to move I opened a bag of red bar tape that I got off eBay a while back and out of the four rolls there was one that didn't look really red. Since I was moving time was running short and never had the chance to really check it out. So how many colors of red did the Flexon equipped lightweights come in? And what is the match for this color red? Notice the red print on the Schwinn bag and the color of the tape. I'm thinking this is TC.




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## Metacortex

Post it in a pic next to rolls of Flamboyant Red and Chestnut (that looks like Chestnut to me). I don't think Schwinn ever offered Terra Cotta tape in that packaging, but I'm not 100% sure.


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## GTs58

Here's the bag.  I can say without a doubt that this is not Chestnut. I'll have to dig out my box of bar tape tomorrow to show a comparison with the Flambo/Cardinal Red.


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## Metacortex

Remove the roll from the bag, set it next to a roll of Flamboyant Red and Chestnut, then take a pic and post it! So far I believe Terra Cotta was last offered in the parts catalog in '67 and at that time it used different packaging and included bar end plugs. If you don't have Flamboyant Red and Chestnut rolls for comparison then send it to me. I'll take a pic of all of them together and send it back. I'd love to get my hands on a roll of Terra Cotta tape even if it was only for a few hours.


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## Schwinn499

The struggle is real.


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## GTs58

Okay, here are some pictures of the tape. Looks like I have (left to right) Chestnut, 2-Terra Cotta, Burgundy, Flambo Red, and the last 2 pics show a color on the left that I have no idea what it is. It's surely not Coppertone.


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## Schwinn499

Im confused....to me looks like...left to right....chestnut/flam red x2/flamingo rose x2.....


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## GTs58

Schwinn499 said:


> Im confused....to me looks like...left to right....chestnut/flam red x2/flamingo rose x2.....





Is there a good chance you flunked art class in Jr. High? ..

By the way, I do have a light purple mixed with my Violet that could pass for Flamingo.


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## GTs58

My right is different than yours. I'm facing east, not west. Got it straightened out for ya.

So what do you think, Terra Cotta?


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## Schwinn499

I dunno....gonna ride home....a little swervy and pull out the stash and compare...


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## Schwinn499

Well heres what I can contribute.

Left to right. I know #3 is burgundy 100% cause it came from a factory case stamped burgundy. #1 is schwinn branded violet. #2 is a set of two small rolls that I believe is burgundy as well. They look the same held up to the light. #4 is HuntWilde branded, what i believe to be flamboyant red. #5 was an open roll i acquired that i believe to be flamboyant red. #6 is an open random orange i think GT has as well and #7 is HuntWilde branded coppertone.


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## Schwinn499

Has anyone ever noticed this stamp before? I just saw this while going through my stash.


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## GTs58

Interesting detail with the stamp. I've never really looked at the tape real close and have never seen that before. I usually don't open the bags since I sell most of the tape I get.

Now, your #7 is what they call gold. I had one roll and two partials that I sold to a muscle bike guy on the SBF. Your #6 looks like it's quite a bit lighter than the orange I posted and that one could easily pass as Coppertone, the early years. Out of maybe 10 or more different rolls of Coppertone I've been thru I did notice at least three shades and I have multiple shades of Sky Blue and Lime. The unopened roll to the right in your picture and in mine is Coppertone. Natural lighting will show the actual colors and I've never had any luck getting the true color in a picture using artificial lighting when I was selling on eBay. Your F. Red sure looks a little orangey?


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## Metacortex

By gosh you may actually have 2 rolls of Terra Cotta there! As for Schwinn "red" tapes I would also include Opaque Red, Sunset Orange (and maybe Kool Orange as well), Violet and Flamingo.


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## Metacortex

Schwinn499 said:


> Has anyone ever noticed this stamp before? I just saw this while going through my stash.




Very interesting, I've not seen that! Was that on a roll in "Schwinn" or "Hunt Wild" packaging?


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## Schwinn499

The roll to the right of #7 is the exact same as #7 and is the exact same as the tape on my coppetone bikes. Its coppertone for sure. #6 has an almost neon quality to it and for sure will not pass for coppertone.





I dont open my packages either but put a small slit with a razor in the bottom to pull the roll out for comparison. 

I can include sunset orange and opaque red as well but was thinking to keep the opaque tapes out of it. I also want to pull out my TC Superior and take photos with the possible (flam red/terra cotta) rolls in question. They do have a little orange hint but IIRC when I wrapped it on the Superior it looked far to dark of a shade of red. Remeber when wrapping the bars this tape is doubled up and therefor the color is changed quite a bit as to how we are viewing and comparing them here.


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## Schwinn499

Metacortex said:


> Very interesting, I've not seen that! Was that on a roll in "Schwinn" or "Hunt Wild" packaging?



I got this roll in a lot of rolls that were open already. Although its obviously not meant to be, it looks like a good match for radiant green IMO.


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## Schwinn499

Now that im thinking about it, #5 may have been a schwinn branded package that I opened thinking it was flamboyant red, just to see how well it would match the TC. I was unhappy and went with the white tape instead.


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## GTs58

Schwinn499 said:


> I got this roll in a lot of rolls that were open already. Although its obviously not meant to be, it looks like a good match for radiant green IMO.




That is or looks like an off color green that I haven't seen before. Some of the Murray muscle bikes used flexon so that green may have been made for them, like the gold.  I think your fluorescent lighting is throwing me off a little. The last roll sure looks yellow, not coppertone, in the picture.


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## Schwinn499

The light is a halogen shop light, (there are fluorescents over head but the halogen was spotted on the rolls) and to be honest the colors match really well to in person. The white balance is whats critical when photographing these and you can tell mines on point as the white towel looks really white. The foam in your pictures has a blue hue to it indicating your auto white balance chose the wrong settings for the lighting conditions.


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## Schwinn499

I wrapped up a set of bars with roll #5 and set them on the Superior. Just a little to dark IMO. I took a shot of the paint behind the head badge to show thats its not faded paint to account for the difference in shade.


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## momo608

Violet VS Flamingo. I wanted to get to the bottom of is Violet the same tape as Flamingo, I suspected Violet is the same tape renamed as Flamingo. I bought this recently and the seller assured me it came from a box labeled Flamingo, he had two complete unopened boxes of Flamingo. Here are multiple rolls of Violet in Schwinn and Hunte Wild. Unless all the other sellers I bought the Violet tape from were mistaken, it is the same.


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## Schwinn499

There are two different shades of violet from what I can remember. The flamingo is like hot pink and there should be a discernible difference from violet from what I recall. I think this thread goes with out saying, its a little difficult to tell without seeing the tape exposed a little. I had a roll of flamingo but for the life of me cant find it. I think I may have the two different violets though. Ill check next time I hit the garage.


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## momo608

*New message from: bluesandyspot 

(3,062

)*
*yes, see my other listing with the box of 10.*


Reply
Your previous message

Hello

Can you confirm 100% that this came from a box labeled Flamingo Rose?

Thank You
*
1 ROLL Schwinn Approved Handlebar Tape Flamingo Rose 5 Yards X 3/4" purple*



Price: $11.00
Buy it now
Watchers: 1
Quantity Remaining: 3
New Condition


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## GTs58

Schwinn499 said:


> I wrapped up a set of bars with roll #5 and set them on the Superior. Just a little to dark IMO. I took a shot of the paint behind the head badge to show thats its not faded paint to account for the difference in shade.




I agree, that Flambo Red is a little to dark and it's pure red.


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## GTs58

Here are a few more shots for Cody. These were done with a flash just to see how they would turn out.


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## Schwinn499

Okay well after much debate in the man cave, and a stroke of luck that someone asked me to work on their chestnut cruiser5, ive come to the conclusion that the tape in question is in fact a variation of chestnut. I have seen a different shade of chestnut tape before (an almost opaque version) but not in person so this is all I can atest for personally, but my mind is made. What do you all think?


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## Metacortex

That looks exactly like Chestnut to me. I believe I have examples of all of the Schwinn "red" tapes *except* Terra Cotta, perhaps one day this summer I can picture them all together.


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## GTs58

:eek:.....................................:eek:


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## momo608

Metacortex said:


> That looks exactly like Chestnut to me. I believe I have examples of all of the Schwinn "red" tapes *except* Terra Cotta, perhaps one day this summer I can picture them all together.




Are you sure Terra Cotta tape even exists? All the Terra Cotta lightweights back then showed white tape being used in the catalogs. I'm starting to wonder if we are operating on assumptions with this. In my opinion, none of the schwinn tapes match the translucent colors that well. I think it's easy to confuse these tapes because nothing comes in marked bags. Has anyone seen a box marked Terra Cotta?


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## Metacortex

momo608 said:


> Are you sure Terra Cotta tape even exists? All the Terra Cotta lightweights back then showed white tape being used in the catalogs...




Oh  ye of little faith, do you seriously think I would be talking about Terra Cotta tape if it never existed?  It is indeed rare, undoubtedly the rarest matching color tape in Schwinn history. Terra Cotta paint was only offered on drop bar lightweights from 1962 through 1964 and '64 was the first year they used matching color tape. That means Terra Cotta tape only came on 1964 Terra Cotta lightweight drop-bar models including the Super Sport, Sierra, Continental, and Varsity. For example you can clearly see Terra Cotta tape on the the Super Sport shown in the 1964 consumer catalog:






Note that Terra Cotta tape was also listed in the 1964 through 1967 dealer parts catalogs under p/n 09 016/7917T (5 yard roll w/chrome plugs). Unfortunately it was discontinued after that.


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## momo608

Just askin


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## Shadayjj1

Does anyone know the name of the color that is still in the package on the very far right upper corner? I have an old Schwinn that needs new tape, but I want to keep the bike as original as possible. I believe it is a 1976 Schwinn Varsity. The photo is from the original poster.


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## GTs58

Shadayjj1 said:


> Does anyone know the name of the color that is still in the package on the very far right upper corner? I have an old Schwinn that needs new tape, but I want to keep the bike as original as possible. I believe it is a 1976 Schwinn Varsity. The photo is from the original poster.
> 
> View attachment 1246954





Your arrows are pointing to the Coppertone tape. They didn't use that color in 1976 on the Varsity.


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## kostnerave

The Hunt Wilde roll of tape on the right, #7, is highly sought after by aftermarket muscle bike collectors. It was used on Sears Screamer "butterfly bars" and on some others such as, the Murray F5 Streeter, Murray Eliminator, J.C. Penny Swinger, etc. It usually comes in a large roll to cover the extra real estate on these crazy handlebars.


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