Don,
I'm about the only one on many of my club rides who is on steel. The only one using a freewheel. The only one with friction sgifters. Quite often I'm the only one on tubulars too.
I'm not writing to tell you that you ought to ride tubulars on your International - but rather to not worry about being in the minority when it comes to equipment choices. Personally, I prefer tubulars because I seem to be plagued by flats when I use clinchers.
Tip on mounting tubulars straight. If you use FastTac, as your adhesive, inflate your tires to about 30 psi right after you've put them on. You can then see how straight they're on, and you can then let the air back out and make minor adjustments before the adhesive completely sets.
Good luck, and Happy New Year!
John Barry
Mechanicsburg, PA, USA
> I have two newly repainted bike frames from 1974,
> and they are very
> close to "perfect" restorations (Raleigh
> International(s) - undoubedly
> they look better than original, and the colors are
> great, with not-too
> thick of a clearcoat). I just got the
> much-hoped-for truing stand for
> Christmas. Time to build some wheels.
>
> In the garage, I have some used original AVA wheels
> and rims, which
> are quite possibly some of the _crummiest_ tubular
> rims that existed
> in 1974 (these are the dreaded "washer" rims with no
> eyelets.) And I
> have learned that my skills at mounting tubulars are
> so poor that i
> could quite possibly go through all 14 of my budget
> tires before I get
> just one tire mounted straight ...
>
> So here are the choices for the wheels :
>
> - Campy High-Flange Original Hubs, and
>
> AVA Rims +
> Panaracer Practice Tubulars ( = Raleigh Nylon Extra
> 270gm, circa 1974)
>
> - or -
>
> MAVIC Open Pro Rims +
> - stripped of anodizing & polished
> - modern logo removed, maybe a retro "MAVIC" logo
> applied
> Clement (Thailand) Ventoux Clinchers, 220 grams +
> Michelin 70 gram tubes
>
> =====
>
> My goal is to have a good bike, and imho the campy
> hubs are more
> likely to get used by the next owner if the wheels
> are clinchers.
> Nobody is making new AVA washer-rims. I've noticed
> that on the
> vintage san diego rides, EVERYONE is riding
> clinchers, i.e. on the
> Colnagos, the Raleighs, the Cinellis, etc. I was
> the only one with
> tubulars (my Carlton PRO last month on our ride to
> Solana Beach ...
>
> - Don Gillies
> San Diego, CA
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