Final week I flatted a tubular tire on the Cervino:
Since all my spares have been dangerous and I needed to return the bike to rideability as quickly as potential, I put in an order for some new tubular tires–nearly instantly after which I opened an electronic 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 needed to ship me a number of unused tires of top quality, principally 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 these items!,” and threw them away. (I stored them for years for stretching tires and stuff, solely lately eliminating them myself after I figured I’d most likely 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 recent clincher wheels on the Cervino?,” which turned out nice and made me understand I didn’t really want to cope with the tubulars in any respect:
Nonetheless, what’s the purpose of proudly owning an aesthetic classic bike if you happen to don’t a minimum of sometimes journey the fashionable 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 permit me to journey with spares that may truly maintain air) there’s actually no motive to not preserve 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 authentic pair I ordered simply arrived, so the very first thing I did was name in an knowledgeable:
Although I’m sorry to report issues didn’t go properly:
Simply kidding:
Clearly issues went fantastically.
In any case, I’m unsure I’ll use these or the freebies, however it’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 in an effort to stretch them and verify them out or no matter. Again after I raced and had a pair of tubular wheels I principally used Continental Sprinters, which appeared like compromise between gentle weight and sturdiness–till the inevitable flat, in fact. (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.) However, I lately discovered there’s now such a factor as a Continental Gatorskin, so I figured I’d give {that a} attempt:
The lingerie-like black base tape was completely different from the Sprinters I keep 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 little bit decrease and leaving it on there perpetually so I can preserve congratulating myself.
Earlier than gluing no matter tires I finally find yourself utilizing subsequent, I had an vital resolution to make with regard to the entrance wheel:
As all people 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 must be legible from the drive facet of the bike. Nonetheless, again after I first obtained the Cervino, I seen that, sure, the tire label and the brand on the rim have been going through the identical manner as they need to:
However the precise stamped branding on the rim was going through the reverse manner because the sticker:
Additionally, with the entrance wheel on the bike with the tire label and rim label going through the “proper” manner, the brand on the entrance hub was going through the “unsuitable” manner:
So after I mount the brand new tire, what do I do?
Mainly the sticker and the tire at the moment agree, and the hub brand and the rim stamp at the moment agree, however there’s no technique to make them all agree. So do I observe 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 technique 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 imagined to be, which means the wheel might be spinning in the other way it’s been spinning all this time, and all people 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 seen when peeling off the rear tire since I used to be principally 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 most likely used tubular tape, which I’d by no means tried:
Given how tidy it was, I spotted I most likely ought to have simply ordered a few of that as a substitute of a large tub of glue I’ll most likely make a multitude out of and that I’ll by no means get by means of anyway except I get a hankering to re-tile the lavatory:
So I figured I’d do a minimum of one good factor to make up for all that. Throughout the flat debacle I’d discovered the laborious manner that certainly one of my spares wouldn’t maintain air. I supposed to make use of the tire I simply eliminated as a spare, so to ensure I didn’t combine it up with its flat counterpart I wrote “good” on the sidewall:
Sadly it seems to be prefer it says “Gooo,” and I can nearly assure that I’ll overlook doing this anyway, which signifies that in a number of months I’ll surprise why the hell I’ve a tire that claims “Gooo” on it, conclude the tire is one way or the other dangerous, 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 sooner or later.)
As I say, I’m unsure which tires I’ll find yourself gluing, so I mounted the Gatorskins dry to see what they regarded like in situ and to present them stretch:
They went on fairly simply and appeared good and straight:
Better of all they’ve labels on each side so that you don’t really want to fret about which manner you mount them in any case:
Like me, they don’t have any route.
