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Period-correct bar tape for 1930s road bike

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If you look at the Newbaum's from Rivendell, it has the very same texture as the Tressostar. $5 - cheep.

If you want to know what the French did, go way back on Jan Heine's blog - Off the Beaten Path - today's proponent of Technical Trials bikes and everything the French gave us.
But you'll find they shellacked cloth tape.

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https://www.compasscycle.com/product-category/print/books/
 
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and that's what they did - they didn't have a product made for bikes, they picked up available fabric.
You start with white and shellac it, and you end up with exactly the correct color.

When it became a bicycle product was when somebody bought bulk fabric tape, added adhesive so you didn't need shellac, and and packaged it as a bicycle product.
 
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Depending on the level of your restore, a super cheap option would be cloth hockey tape. You could find this stuff on ebay very inexpensively in a variety of colors. (the weave texture would be different, but you would have to look pretty close to notice). I would not be able to notice myself, as being far sighted I can not see any detail within 18" with out help from optical lenses.

https://www.ebay.com/bhp/hockey-tape

A while back I purchased a variety pack, and have used it myself temporarily on various road bikes until I found the bar tape of my choice. I have since also found many other uses for it, (Archery Bows / Fishing Gaffs, Lawn Mower / etc.) You could also stain it to match whatever color you would want.
 
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You could also stain it to match whatever color you would want.[/QUOTE]
Use SEW brand upholstery spray paint and color it any color you want
 
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