DiabloScott

I had my Pave 27mm on some GL330s for a while - they were fine. Wore out those rims and built a new set of wheels on HED rims which are SWEET. The ride feels the same but the cornering might be a little better now... I'm very sensitive to tire squirm on winding descents.
These are listed as 23mm, I don't think I measured.

I use glue, because I enjoy the process and the nostalgia, not for any performance reason.

79pmooney

No. We're talking totally tubed. The tires are tubes, Most of them have tubes inside. The rims are tubes. The ready to roll wheels are "totally tubular". Literally.

smontanaro 

None of my Rallys have removable cores. My speculation is that if I'm buying them at a steep discount (I am a self-professed bottom feeder about many things) I might well be getting old (pre-removable core) stock.

tcpasley

Thanks to Dean51, smontanaro, and DiabloScott for the sage advice. I'll probably go with the wheels that are easier to clean up. The Ambrosio Montreals are covered in petrified deposits of red mastic, so the GL330s may get the nod.

smontanaro 

Acetone (nail polish remover) should help soften the petrified glue. I actually find those blue Park tire levers to be pretty good at removing stuff before softening (not great, but maybe nothing is, really). Also, a wire wheel chucked in your hand drill will help I think. (Wear eye protection!)

DiabloScott

Oooh, I found a photo - this was one of the last rides I took on the GL330s and I documented the rim wear - when you see that patchy pattern between the spokes, you know it's time.
Anyway, you can see how they look in the size department.

Classtime 

I think those rims are just about broken in. And I also think that it is possible to err with a tire too narrow for a wide rim but highly unlikely to put too wide a tire on your normal vintage rim. Weren't 27s standard fair Tubulars for the spring classics? And 33s were mounted on the same rims for CX.

DiabloScott

Well the braking was getting pretty bad if that's what you mean.

nlerner

Classtime 

I hit a surprise pot hole which made the brakes grab on these rims and they were retired until some future track wheel set or stretchers. Otherwise, they were good for 1,000s miles more.


Premature death of GEL 330

tcpasley

Seems like all these vintage tubular rims have very narrow and smooth (not machined) brake tracks, without much room for error in aligning your brake pads. Are there any particular narrow brake pads that work well with them?

daviddavieboy

If the pads are installed properly there is no issue. The brakes on all my tubular equipped bikes have the block pads typical for the period with the exception of a set of tubular carbon wheels. IMO the drawback of the older stuff is the lack of braking power compared to the newer ones and would be interested if any found modern pads work better.

Mackers

Kenda also has tubulars.

Their Domestique is a really good value vulcanized training tubular, I've picked them up for as cheap as $10 in Luxembourg.
Only negative is that the valve core can't be removed so you're limited to rims no taller than 38mm.
The Super Domestique is a little nicer with glued on tread and their Volare has high TPI, glued on tread and latex inner.

smontanaro 

Sealant doesn't cover all sins. After a few rides I got a small cut in the rear tire from a tiny bit of glass on the rear tire. It was a slow enough leak that I didn't notice until the next day when I found the tire flat. I squirted in some Orange Seal and was good to go. No problem for several more rides.

Fast forward to today. I was out riding with some buddies and lost pressure in my rear tire. I thought it odd that the sealant didn't help. I swapped in my spare and rode the rest of the way a bit gingerly. I wasn't terribly confident that the adhesive would work all that well (it was right around freezing). At home, I put the Schwalbe on a spare rim and inflated it, and it went flat immediately. Hmmm... Oh well, I was still a bit cold and was hungry, so I ate some lunch. I just tried again. There was no sealant leaking from the tire itself, but it sure wouldn't hold air. It seemed the leak was from the valve core, so I pulled it, but it looked okay. Try again. Same-o, same-o. Pull it from the rim, pump in some air and hold it underwater. Well, phooey. It appears the leak is at the junction between the valve stem and the tube. Dead tire, failed experiment.

I suppose all it would be good for now is practice on replacing the tube. Any idea what kind of tubes are used in tubular tires? Are they just normal old presta butyl or latex tubes, or are they tubular-specific?

jimmuller 

I've had mostly good luck with Stan's but an occasional cut will blow out again if I pump it up too high. It's sure good enough to use as a spare to swap in if I have a second tire problem on that ride.

Some high-end sew-ups have latex tubes. You can tell by how fast it loses air overnight.

I've been sending my flat sew-ups off to TireAlert for new tubes if the casing has enough life left to justify it. That's a lot cheaper than a new tire and much less work for my fingers!

smontanaro 

I sent a batch (maybe six) off to Tire Alert a few years ago. I was unimpressed with the result. Even if the result was better, I suspect it would only make sense for expensive tires.

cadillacmike68

I have a mix of tires, but I always match what's on the bike front and rear. Right now I have thos Cervizio Corsa or whatever they are called from yellow jersey. They're ok I have some nicer ones, GommItalia, Panaracer, Vittoria, they are on my other really nice wheel sets. I run a tire until it blows or flats. If it's repairable, I have kits, but usually the sidewall gives out first.

Wildwood

These Clement tires coming with a CraigsList wheelset purchase. I expect they will hold up for some pics on a nice vintage bike (or 2). Not much more than an around-th-block cruise for a ride.

Don’t know squat about ‘em, but guessing an early ‘90s tire?

repechage

Those are taxing my memory, but as I recall these were like the Tufo, the tube was a seal from the outside task, this was before "tire sealant"
Any tubular wheelset with premounted tires should be almost deflated and the tire bonds evaluated, to the rim and base tape to the tire.
This one shows added adhesive between tire and base tape.

The good thing is that if all is well or correctable, that the tires are well aged and will not pick up road debris nearly as fast as a fresh tire.