G
G.Daniels
Guest
Tubular tires are expensive so it is wise to take measures which will occasionally help lengthen
their life span. One helpful procedure is to give the sidewalls a cleaning with a sof t brush and
soap water then apply liquid latex(LBS).this milky solution protects the sidewall fabric from uh
moisture dirt road chemicals, ect. New tires come with a coating but it quickly dissappears once
they are ridden .
OVER IN EUROPE, a top racing cyclist may have dozens of tubulars down in his basement, stored away
like a good wine or you name it until the passage of time brings them to full maturity-"I will ride
no tire before its time" Orson Wells might say. Really! The reason is that the rubber of a newly
manufactured tire is definitely softer and more prone to punctures and wear than aged rubber. TWO
TO THREE YEARS is considered ideal, which means that smart riders will want to buy their tires many
months in advance of when they intend to use them. Until then! The tires are stored in cool
darkness, lightly inflated on old rims(cheap) or hung loosely over larch rods. Once aged, the
rubber will show no mark when pressed with a thumbnail, nor will it act like an e racer and give up
little particles when it is rubbed."green tires" will do both, and they will puncture more easily
because they tend to pick up and hold road debris, letting it work through the tread. Certainly all
quality non-vulcanized cotton tubulars and all racing tubulars constructed on a silk casing should
be aged. Such tires can cost up to $50 apiece(l984), and to ride them green is like throwing money
away. I remember…
Many tubulars in the moderate price range, for training and touring, probably don't need aging. For
one thing, it is becoming more and more common for these to be made of nylon, which does not harden
with time[nylon stretches when cold, shrinks when warm] ON THE OTHER HAND, the low cost rubber
tubulars are machine made and the tread is vulcanized onto the casing. The heat used in this process
also serves to harden the rubber, making the tires about as puncture resistant as they would be
hanging larch hung two years. It won't hurt to age them(the writer's style is terrific and the '84
deserves a read), however, and if you are able to get a deal(pssst) by buying in quantity you should
go ahead and treat them like expensive silks. IF they came in a bundle, break it apart so there is
no danger the tires will come stuck together as the months go by.
[This is enough to get you into hiking!]
I remember an instance a few seasons ago when a team of riders from florida competed for a month in
the northeast. Among the equipment their sponsor provided was a batch of top quality silk racing
tires with the cocksure model name"INVULNERABLE". They were anything but. Having just arrived from
the European factory, the tires sounded like popcorn in races that took the riders over any road
strewn with gravel[and therein lies a tail?]
************************************************************************
Hoe hoe hoe! AN EXCERPT FROM; THE COMPLETE BOOK OF COMPETITIVE AND LONG DISTANCE CYCLING by Pavelka
and Doughty, Simon and Schuster, l983 edition
their life span. One helpful procedure is to give the sidewalls a cleaning with a sof t brush and
soap water then apply liquid latex(LBS).this milky solution protects the sidewall fabric from uh
moisture dirt road chemicals, ect. New tires come with a coating but it quickly dissappears once
they are ridden .
OVER IN EUROPE, a top racing cyclist may have dozens of tubulars down in his basement, stored away
like a good wine or you name it until the passage of time brings them to full maturity-"I will ride
no tire before its time" Orson Wells might say. Really! The reason is that the rubber of a newly
manufactured tire is definitely softer and more prone to punctures and wear than aged rubber. TWO
TO THREE YEARS is considered ideal, which means that smart riders will want to buy their tires many
months in advance of when they intend to use them. Until then! The tires are stored in cool
darkness, lightly inflated on old rims(cheap) or hung loosely over larch rods. Once aged, the
rubber will show no mark when pressed with a thumbnail, nor will it act like an e racer and give up
little particles when it is rubbed."green tires" will do both, and they will puncture more easily
because they tend to pick up and hold road debris, letting it work through the tread. Certainly all
quality non-vulcanized cotton tubulars and all racing tubulars constructed on a silk casing should
be aged. Such tires can cost up to $50 apiece(l984), and to ride them green is like throwing money
away. I remember…
Many tubulars in the moderate price range, for training and touring, probably don't need aging. For
one thing, it is becoming more and more common for these to be made of nylon, which does not harden
with time[nylon stretches when cold, shrinks when warm] ON THE OTHER HAND, the low cost rubber
tubulars are machine made and the tread is vulcanized onto the casing. The heat used in this process
also serves to harden the rubber, making the tires about as puncture resistant as they would be
hanging larch hung two years. It won't hurt to age them(the writer's style is terrific and the '84
deserves a read), however, and if you are able to get a deal(pssst) by buying in quantity you should
go ahead and treat them like expensive silks. IF they came in a bundle, break it apart so there is
no danger the tires will come stuck together as the months go by.
[This is enough to get you into hiking!]
I remember an instance a few seasons ago when a team of riders from florida competed for a month in
the northeast. Among the equipment their sponsor provided was a batch of top quality silk racing
tires with the cocksure model name"INVULNERABLE". They were anything but. Having just arrived from
the European factory, the tires sounded like popcorn in races that took the riders over any road
strewn with gravel[and therein lies a tail?]
************************************************************************
Hoe hoe hoe! AN EXCERPT FROM; THE COMPLETE BOOK OF COMPETITIVE AND LONG DISTANCE CYCLING by Pavelka
and Doughty, Simon and Schuster, l983 edition