Final week I flatted a tubular tire on the Cervino:
Since all my spares had been unhealthy and I wished to return the bike to rideability as quickly as potential, I put in an order for some new tubular tires–virtually instantly after which I opened an e-mail from a kindly and beneficiant reader who provided to ship me “a number of unused, gently aged tubular tires.” Naturally, I accepted. I didn’t even suppose to ask him why he wished to ship me a number of unused tires of top quality, largely as a result of I simply assumed like most individuals he’d come to his senses and realized tubulars are a ache within the ass. I assumed the identical factor a few years in the past when I discovered a complete cache of classic tubular rims within the trash on a Brooklyn sidewalk–that the proprietor had lastly snapped, introduced “Fuck this stuff!,” and threw them away. (I saved them for years for stretching tires and stuff, solely not too long ago eliminating them myself once I figured I’d in all probability by no means cope with a tubular tire once more…and right here we’re.)
Then I spotted, “Duh, why don’t I simply put a pair of contemporary clincher wheels on the Cervino?,” which turned out nice and made me understand I didn’t actually need to cope with the tubulars in any respect:
Nonetheless, what’s the purpose of proudly owning an aesthetic classic bike in the event you don’t a minimum of sometimes journey the stylish classic wheels that got here with it? And with an ample provide of tires for it on the way in which (which amongst different issues will enable me to journey with spares that can really maintain air) there’s actually no purpose to not maintain them rolling. Most significantly, they need to present me with ample alternative to make an ass of myself.
The freebies are nonetheless en route, however the unique pair I ordered simply arrived, so the very first thing I did was name in an skilled:
Although I’m sorry to report issues didn’t go nicely:
Simply kidding:
Clearly issues went fantastically.
In any case, I’m unsure I’ll use these or the freebies, but it surely’s at all times thrilling to get new bike stuff, so I figured I’d a minimum of put them on the wheels with out glue with a purpose to stretch them and test them out or no matter. Again once I raced and had a pair of tubular wheels I largely used Continental Sprinters, which appeared like a very good compromise between gentle weight and sturdiness–till the inevitable flat, after all. (You at all times swear by a tire till the second you get a flat at which level you swear by no means to make use of it once more.) Nonetheless, I not too long ago discovered there’s now such a factor as a Continental Gatorskin, so I figured I’d give {that a} strive:
The lingerie-like black base tape was completely different from the Sprinters I bear in mind, however the tread that serves solely a beauty objective was nonetheless there:
Subsequent I went to the wheels, the rear nonetheless wrapped in that sorry, structurally unsound spare:
Talking of out of date expertise, in case you’re questioning, the freewheel is a Suntour Winner:
It’s a 13-21, so with the 42-tooth little ring up entrance it nets me the identical “low” gear I used to conquer barely survive the Swiss Alps.
I’m torn between altering it to one thing a bit of decrease and leaving it on there endlessly so I can maintain congratulating myself.
Earlier than gluing no matter tires I finally find yourself utilizing subsequent, I had an vital choice to make with regard to the entrance wheel:
As everyone is aware of, you’re supposed to place the tire label on the drive facet of the bike. Moreover, the brand on the hub ought to oriented in order that it’s legible from the saddle, and the brand on the rim ought to be legible from the drive facet of the bike. Nevertheless, again once I first obtained the Cervino, I observed that, sure, the tire label and the brand on the rim had been dealing with the identical means as they need to:
However the precise stamped branding on the rim was dealing with the reverse means because the sticker:
Additionally, with the entrance wheel on the bike with the tire label and rim label dealing with the “proper” means, the brand on the entrance hub was dealing with the “flawed” means:
So once I mount the brand new tire, what do I do?
Mainly the sticker and the tire presently agree, and the hub brand and the rim stamp presently agree, however there’s no approach to make them all agree. So do I comply with the hub brand? The rim sticker? The stamp within the rim? Do I peel the rim sticker and attempt to stick it again on the opposite approach to make it agree with the stamp and the hub brand? And if I do orient the hub so the brand is legible from the saddle because it’s speculated to be, meaning the wheel shall be spinning in the wrong way it’s been spinning all this time, and everyone is aware of the sudden reversal might trigger the bearings and races to fail catastrophically:
Simply kidding.
Clearly I’ll simply be throwing the wheel away and getting a brand new one.
Subsequent I peeled off the entrance tire:
I hadn’t actually observed when peeling off the rear tire since I used to be largely simply targeted on getting again on the street, however I spotted now that the tire was coming off very cleanly certainly, at which level I spotted Paul had in all probability used tubular tape, which I’d by no means tried:
Given how tidy it was, I spotted I in all probability ought to have simply ordered a few of that as an alternative of an enormous tub of glue I’ll in all probability make a multitude out of and that I’ll by no means get by way of anyway until I get a hankering to re-tile the toilet:
So I figured I’d do a minimum of one good factor to make up for all that. Through the flat debacle I’d discovered the onerous means that one among my spares wouldn’t maintain air. I supposed to make use of the tire I simply eliminated as a spare, so to verify I didn’t combine it up with its flat counterpart I wrote “good” on the sidewall:
Sadly it appears prefer it says “Gooo,” and I can virtually assure that I’ll overlook doing this anyway, which signifies that in just a few months I’ll marvel why the hell I’ve a tire that claims “Gooo” on it, conclude the tire is by some means unhealthy, and use its flat counterpart with no ambiguous markings on it because the spare. And the cycle will proceed.
(Sure, I might simply throw out the flat one, however a part of utilizing tubulars is deluding your self into pondering you’ll restore it in the future.)
As I say, I’m unsure which tires I’ll find yourself gluing, so I mounted the Gatorskins dry to see what they appeared like in situ and to offer them a very good stretch:
They went on fairly simply and appeared good and straight:
Better of all they’ve labels on either side so that you don’t actually need to fret about which means you mount them in spite of everything:
Like me, they don’t have any route.
