Originally Posted by
Mike Mills
What ever happened to silk casings? I don't see any tires at any price that are using silk cords. Cotton cords were the hallmark of a lower-priced tubular. Silk was premium for competition.
See my previous post for tlinks to silk tires.
Yes, silk was the premium, but there were and still are a lot of excellent cotton tubulars, that were and are suitable for racing. I didn't race and don't, so I can't really speak intelligently about when one would select one over the other. Thread count is very significant in making a more supple-feeling tire, and careful assembly makes a tire that tends to lie straight. For $70 and up in a cotton road tubular today you get features such as these.