Sometimes you get lucky
 

I went into my basement today to search for some old tubulars that I just knew I still had. I checked every box that wasn't under a pile, and I knew they wouldn't be buried. I was about to give up when I noticed that I had a wheel leaning against a post and saw that it had a tire on it. I knew which wheel it was, but I looked closely at the tire and saw this:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3412/...f138c2e3ae.jpg

Whether the tire will hold up I can't say, given its age. It does hold pressure though without any weight on it. Maybe I'll give it a try tomorrow. The wheel is Campy Record/Mavic GP4, not bad either.

Just don't go more than 5mph. And wear your helmet. That tire looks like it's ready to collapse into dust.

That's what I'm worried about. But these are constructed differently than your standard tires, and the thread may be OK. It isn't just rubber. The tread doesn't have much wear on it either. I wasn't planning on riding it anywhere other than Prospect Park anyway.

Ok, zacster, listen to this. A long time ago, when I was still racing and training on tubulars, about this time of the year, I took up road training again, preparing for the season. Got a couple of tubular shod wheels that were leaning against a wall close to the heater, put them on my Visser Vainqueur, and off I went.
On my usual ride I had to pass more than traffic light, so naturally, when its red, you just have a quick look, no-one's coming, just a quick sprint out of the saddle to pass that crossing will do. So thats what I did ..

Hey, why am I hearing a loud bang, and looking at the tarmac from about 2 inches? I'm lying on the road, face down, cheekbone and chin resting on same tarmac. What happened? When sprinting out of the saddle, of course you swing the handlebars a bit from left to right. This (easily probably) made the front tubular come off, which would not pass through the forks once it arrived there. Bike stops abruptly, throws me over the bars so quick I dont even notive it, makes me land face down on the road. I still have some small scars to show for iot ..

Tubulars are glued! Glue dries out! Test everything before you go out on the road, and by the look of it, that tubular needs glueing again! If it holds up to the removal procedure of course ...

Not to worry. I was actually going to swap it off that wheel first anyway. I know all about glue. I wasn't going to ride it fast or hard to start anyway, I even know enough to take it easy down the little hill. This is for a vintage bike after all, albeit a nice Italian one.

I took it off the wheel it was on. It was actually still pretty tough to get off. The tire looks as if it has never been repaired, but has been mounted multiple times based on the markings on the underside. Considering I'm the only one that has ever used it I'll assume that its OK. The sidewalls were OK, the tape underneath stayed on. I think I'm good with this, but I'll be careful. And again, this is for a vintage show bike, not for my regular ride.

That tire looks pretty good to me. Fresh glue and I'd ride it.

If you don't want to take the chance, PM me for a mailing address you can send it to.

'sometimes you get lucky, sometimes you knock on wood...." Rossington-Collins Band.

zacster, be careful.
we'd all prefer you posting about the success of the tire in the future.
as opposed to the alternative.

There are lots of reasons to be careful when I ride this bike, such as the brakes, the old toe clips, the frame being a bit big, and the tires. But it is a beautiful bike to show off, and to even have a nearly original tire is just icing on the cake. Pics are here: Zilioli Pics

When I'm ready to ride hard, I'll pull out my Kuota Kredo.