on 2/8/05 10:36 AM, John Thompson at JohnThompson@new.rr.com wrote:
> Todd Kuzma wrote:
>
>> But they will now ride like generic tires or worse.
>
> I guess I don't understand why you feel that recoating the sidewalls
> will ruin the way they look or ride. I've done it before, and properly
> applied new latex on the sidewalls does neither, in my experience. All
> it does is restore the original look, and protect the sidewall from damage.
How it affects the looks will depend on your expectations. It won't necessarily look *bad* but it won't be original either.
How it affects the ride is another matter. Some argue that all tires of a given volume and pressure ride the same. Some argue that there is much more to it than that. If you believe that these tires ride better than cheap tires, it's because of the suppleness of the silk casing and relatively light latex sidewall coating. Once the latex has hardened and cracked, it will not be as supple. Adding additional latex doesn't help matters as this will stiffen the sidewall even more.
Can you tell the difference? I don't know. Some claim that it's all in our heads, but if you believe that silk CdMs ride better than cheapies then you should be concerned about dry-rot and additional latex affecting the ride.
Todd Kuzma
Heron Bicycles
Tullio's Big Dog Cyclery
LaSalle, IL 815-223-1776
http://www.heronbicycles.com
http://www.tullios.com