Tire in 1989
 

I know some about older bike equiptment, but tires are not one of them. I guess because they wear out so quickley. I picked 1989 because thats when I was born. What would a good tire had been like then? Weight and all that good stuff.

Silk tubular 200g

and on 300g rims

So tubulars are just about the same except for some more advanced materials maybe, but I bet clinchers have come a long way. When did they start making folding beads?

When I started racing back in 1982 I was an "Intermediate" and there were technical rules like no gear larger that 48x15 and no tubulars. I used Specialized Turbo S clinchers, which were around the first folding bead tires. They cost about $25 each back then.

The old guys will tell you that modern "advanced" materials are a huge step backwards in tubular land.

Clinchers have higher thread counts now than back then. And in the 70's we didn't have hook bead rims, so 100psi wasn't possible with clinchers.

I liked those and the Michelin Hi lite supercomps.

One of the bikes that I am riding is a 1989 Trek 1400 and it still has the original -- yes, really -- matrix 21s on the wheels...if I get a chance, I'll take a pic and post...it is my brother's bike which he had stored away and had not, apparently, ridden too much. I started riding it about 2 months or so ago...I like the wheels and the tires as well as the feel of the bike...

I used both the Michelin Hilite Pro and the Spec Turbo S and R. They were something like 700x19 or 20 and were very harsh. I also used silk tubulars. These were the best riding tires ever. There is still nothing like them. I wish I didn't throw them out, although I found one in my basement a few months back and mounted it on my Italian classic. I'm still leery of riding it fast, it was pretty dried out.

<<SIGH>>


Back in 1989, when I was 2 years older than you are now, I was riding 27 x 1 1/4 Kendas from Canadian Tire on my Venture road bicycle which my father bought brand new in 1985.

I still have the bicycle ... Rowan has converted it to a fixed gear. I might still have some of those tires.

comps and supercomps. great tires (although i didn't start using them until 1990-1991.

when i'm back home, i sometimes still ride on an old pair of racing wheels that have them.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2.../wheelwall.jpg

Restore it with Jevelot :)

Cool, I have those same wheels on my old 1400. Omega aero?

Back then I was using some 700x19 Vittorias, usually pumped to 130-135psi.

Folding beads came out around 1985. Avocet Criterium K20 was one of the first and still popular in 1989, Specialized Turbo also. Sew ups were still pretty popular for racers - Clement and Vittoria CG or CX were about $40 each then.

Folding beads and slick treads and high pressure all kind of happened at the same time.

omg Mavic hubs. I still have my front, but man, the narrow flanges make for the flexiest wheels ever. Nice that you could use an M5 (?) screw to bolt the hub on, i.e. make it a track hub. I have a "TT" front wheel - M17, 24H oval spokes, with that hub.

The big thing back then were the two standards for measuring tire width - Japanese (JIS?) and European. So a Specialized (JIS) 700x25 would be the same as a Michelin 700x20, or something like that. So guys running the Turbo S 700x20 would be pinch-flatting everywhere.

I remember the first gen of Michelin folding tires, a brownish sidewall tire. The casing was about as stiff as the bead, and the tires blew off pretty much any rim because they were so bad. The Comps and Super Comps were great but I preferred trying every light clincher tire and having flats and stuff. I didn't believe in the "to finish first you first have to finish" thing back then. I think I rode them for a very short time before I moved on to other brands of tires.

I rode mainly Clement Crits tubulars. Also the Wolber steel mesh belted tubular, at least until the mesh disintegrated and punctured the tube. And Clement whatevers with the kevlar belt for training.

Panaracer made 17mm tubulars which I somehow used in crits every now and then. Nylon casing. Even had two such tires for my 24" front TT wheel. And my spare wheel, both with M17 rims. They also had a 21mm version with kevlar - those were pretty indestructible, I rode through glass and such in crits when I had them, tried to get other guys to puncture lol.

cdr

I still have some Specialized Turbo R and RS tyres in the garage along with the Michelin Hi-Lite Comps. Those have corroded to crumbs, but the Specialized are still ridable. I also recall the Avocet 20 and 30 tyres being very good at the time.

The Panaracer tubulars in 200gm with kevlar belt was very innovative at the time. Higher thread-count and lighter than cotton tyres at the time. Was the only tubulars that can hold up to the abuse of road-racing and crits. That kind like standard fare nowadays, although various manufacturers use all sort of marketing-speak to avoid saying it's nylon in the casing.

Avocet slicks.

Clemente tubulars on GP4s for racing.

36H, box section rims laced 3x for training.

When I graduated to race with the big guys, I used Criterium Seta Extras on Wolber Arc-En-Ciels.

The Seta Extras were paper thin and amazingly pliable. I didn't have much cash (at 18 years old) and actually repaired them with the sewing kit.

Ahhhh, the memories.

They were thin tires and rolled nicely, didn't they? Good to see the old Michelin label again.

Another vote for the Michelins. I also used the Avocet slicks. The "real deal" of course was silk sew-ups.

(Somethings haven't changed)

Going a little farther back I can recall when clinchers that could take high pressure started coming out (though that was more a function of improved rims). I rode 27 inch wheels for a long time. I hop on an old Motobecane sometimes and when I look at the front wheel I think I'm on a mtn bike as they're so much wider than the 23s I usually ride.

1989 a long time ago? I was married, had finished my B.A and was almost done with my M.A.

Damn.


:beer:

I still have a new Panaracer 17mm in the basement. Looks great. I also have a narrow Assos rim. Both are in search of a home.

I use my old front wheels. Last week did a hilly group ride, front wheel was Campy NR hub and Fiamme yellow label rim . For the rear I bought a slightly used Campy Record 10 speed hub and laced it to an old Araya "aero" rim from the late 80s. Both with new Vittoria tubulars. Pretty fast wheels (compared to my Kyserium clinchers)

I could use that (or any 18-19mm or narrower tubular). I wonder if there's anything you can use for your bike in return (?).

cdr

Waddya got ? I could use climbing legs.

Chorus brifters to help build up my old race frame from decades past. :D

I'll swap you for a regular tire of some sort. Will you be at New Britain ?

I still have a VELOX sew-up kit sitting in my office.

I'll be at New Britain (Nutmeg & regular). Also Bethel (next week) with CCC (I belong to that club).

You need clinchers? GP4000s new or so unused they appear new to me? Hm. You can randomly list some stuff, I can check. I have Campy parts through the ages, sort of, but no spare brifters.

cdr