I'll tell you what little I know. Pye tires were made in Newark, NJ during the height of the velodrome activity there. The tire casings were made of parachute silk. There is a picture in "Hearts of Lions" by Peter Nye showing a part of the Pye process involving winding the casing on a large drum.
Given that they were made from top quality silk and reputed to be well made, I suspect that any blowouts were due to light weight and high pressures.
Joe Bender-Zanoni
Great Noth, NJ
> I just finished the book Six Days of Madness by Ted Harper. In the
\r?\n> book
\r?\n> he said that he has yet (1993) to see a tire to compare to the old
\r?\n> Pye
\r?\n> track tires. He also said blowouts were common then.
\r?\n>
\r?\n> Anyone know why there were so many blowouts if the tires were so good?
\r?\n>
\r?\n> Tony Welch
\r?\n> Indianapolis, IN
\r?\n> USA