Re: association of tubulars with "roadies" I guess really the association should be with "racers" though I think some folks use of the term "roadie" implies a MCFRB riding racer wana be. Back in the day high performance meant tubulars, but mostly only racers or racer wana bees bothered with them (or even knew of them). Back then racing pretty much meant road racing, though of course "road" racing includes things like Paris - Roubaix and strada bianca. There was always cyclocross too and from what I understand tubulars ruled there as well and still do. But isn't cyclocross almost by definition racing? Most folks not racing oriented didn't bother with the expense and perceived trouble of tubulars. Over time narrower and higher performance clinchers became available and most amateur racers and wana-bee types moved to those. By the early 90s when I wanted to get my campi high flange / arc-enciel tubular wheels rebuilt I had to traipse all over silicon valley before I found a shop that wanted to do it instead of trying to convince me to just go to clinchers. These days I don't know what a typical tubular rider would be except perhaps a professional racer.
Anybody in the sf bay area interested in a pair of old lightly used light tubular wheels? Mavic hubs (freewheel rear) gl280 front gl330 rear rims. There's an AC aluminum freewheel on the rear at the moment. On Saturday, April 25, 2020 at 4:48:04 PM UTC-7, Bill Schairer wrote: > > Also being a Bill, I’ll volunteer my answer to Ted’s question. I have two > sets of the Vlaanderen tires, each set with about 1800 miles times 4 gives > me about 7200 tire miles? I have had one puncture too large for sealant > -glass cut. The tire was at about the rated mileage limit and well worn > but, unlike Bill L, I had no previous experience repairing tubulars so > doing the repair was my opportunity for a learning experience. REMA patch > and glue worked and the tire is still in service. All other punctures (not > sure how many but not a lot) have been fixed with sealant. I’ve opted to > ride with 2 spares and save sealant injections for home. I’ve changed > exactly one tire on the road, the aforementioned flat. All other punctures > were slow enough that I got home or they sealed from previously > administered sealant. So far, I’ve come to the conclusion that latex tubes > are more puncture resistant than butyl and leak more slowly when punctured. > I’ve also pulled 3 goat heads out of tires with no sealant without any > resulting loss of pressure. I don’t think I can ever remember doing that > with a clincher. > > I also did a complete tube replacement on a used FMB tire that I acquired > with a leak. That involved cutting a new $15 tube in half, pulling it > through and gluing it back together. Probably got the instructions on that > from Sheldon Brown. It took a long time but, again, this was a learning > experience. That tire has about 90 of my miles on it. Not the greatest > repair job - a little lumpy - but definitely worth it. > > I am also puzzled by a couple comments I’ve seen regarding these tires > being for “roadies.” I don’t consider myself a roadie - never raced - > always been a commuter, tourer and now recreational rider too. I’ve ridden > my tubulars on and off road and will ride them under any conditions I would > ride a clincher. Besides that, I believe many cyclocross racers use > tubulars and I shouldn’t think they are roadies. Just saying. > > I apologize as I know I have a tendency to get carried away with my > enthusiasm but reading the positive experiences of others who debunked the > notion that tubulars are something exotic not worth the trouble finally > pushed me to give them a try. I mean, there are similar discussions > regarding tubeless? Besides, the more people who will give them a shot, the > better chance we will get or keep more choices. I highly recommend them > for anyone who enjoys working on their bicycles. If somebody else does all > your work, maybe not the right choice. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/41edad8a-cf5a-4065-a277-2ca18410758a%40googlegroups.com.
