[CR]Tire survey

(Example: Production Builders:Peugeot)

Date: Sun, 30 May 2004 09:33:05 +0900
From: "Dennis Young" <mail@woodworkingboy.com>
To: <jswan@optonline.net>, <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
Subject: [CR]Tire survey

Hi Jamie,

I'm not a touring bike aficionado, and I think that you are mainly enquiring about clinchers, but for racing bikes, my own impression has always been that the expensive tires that make you say, "Ouch", when you pay for them, are what make life worthwhile. My taste runs toward the upper end narrow tubulars by Veloflex or Vittoria, or the old Clements, but recently I have started to use the Tufo tubulars. They are a interesting alternative to the standard tires, with the tube casing being part of the tire wall. The feel is different than a regular tubular (harder?), but not unpleasant. They leak air very very slowly, and are available in an almost absurd range of weights, prices, colors and widths. The cheaper ones I have on a road bike seem good too. I have some very light and pricey ones on my track bike and they are very enjoyable. Recently, I was speaking with a professional keirin racer, a guy who works out at my local and is still on the pro circuit after nearly twenty years. He was saying that at very steep banked tracks, due to their rolling resistance, the Tufos are the only way to go. I have never used the Tufo clinchers.

I think that CR member, Steven Maasland, has found a brand that he feels satisfies all his tire needs. Perhaps he can roll in to elaborate.

Dennis Young
Hotaka, Japan