Originally Posted by
Flying Mullet
The first thing I can tell you is ask around with people you know that cycle to find a good shop and speak with the mechanic(s). When you're converting parts on a bike they know a lot about the geometry, mechanics, specs, etc... in regards to the various parts and what works, doesn't work, etc... I wanted to upgrade the brakes on a 15 year-old mountain bike a couple of months ago and spoke with a mechanic friend to see what needed to be done and he informed me that it couldn't be done due to how the cables and cable housing are attached to the frame. This was good to know ahead of time before I had my brakes disassembled and learned the hard way that it wouldn't work.
In regards to your handlebar questions, it probably depends upon how your frame is designed, i.e. the geometry. Again, if you can find a quality bike shop that does fittings, they should be able to take one look at your bike and see if the handlebars are what you need to fix your fit problem, or see if something else can be done to help you out, or if the frame's geometry is off and there's not much that can be done for you.
Sorry this post isn't of more help, but for the type of questions you're asking, the answers are best to come from a professional that deals with this stuff on a daily basis, especially since seeing the bike and you on the bike will play such an important part in the fit.
As for the tape, they're all roughly the same.