The clinchers of today (excluding wire beaded tires) have come a looong way compared to the clinchers from 1983 and earlier. The best clinchers today are close to today's tubular's in all around performance. Many are even very easy to take off and on. At the local crits. I have to change the flats in 2-3 min. and most of the high quality tires can be fixed very fast. So I can see why many are drawn to clinchers. But since this is a group of members dedicated to the worship of the classic steel frames and classic components virtually all clinches back in the day would not even come close to the ride of a good tubular -- let alone a great tubular. The smell of glue in the shop means somebody is going to have a fun ride. Long live tubulars.
-----Original Message----- From: Steve Whitting <ciocc_cat@yahoo.com> To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org Sent: Mon, 1 Jun 2009 7:51 pm Subject: Re: [CR] tubulars vs. clinchers
An unmentioned advantage that I've discovered about sew-ups is . . . when mounting a new tire, you get to drink and relax while the?rim cement dries.
Steve Whitting
Prairieville, Louisiana USA
http://ciocc-cat.angelfire.com/
From: billydavid13@comcast.net <billydavid13@comcast.net> Subject: Re: [CR] tubulars vs. clinchers To: "mitch harris" <mitch.harris531@gmail.com> Cc: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org Date: Monday, June 1, 2009, 1:54 PM
Thanks Mitch. These testomonies, although anecdotal, totally confirm my suspicions that tubulars are noble and good while clinchers are self serving, parasitical, know-nothings. And I'm not just saying this because clinchers foreclosed on the family farm and drove us into the streets. Billy [gluing isn't all that hard] Ketchum; Chicago, IL; USA.
Following the descriptions over the weekend of the various superiorities of tubulars over clinchers, and being a long-time fan (however unworthy) of tubulars and rider of both clinchers and tubulars, I thought I'd share two more examples of tubular abilities:
A recent note in Scientific American described how a tubular (a Corsa CX, I think) recently formulated a theorem for squaring the circle. When I pointed this out to a pair of Vred. Fortezzas on a nearby bike and asked if they had any interest in theoretical math, the clinchers avoided eye contact and muttered, "math is for chumps."
Recently I witnessed a scene on the towpath where a toddler had fallen into the canal as a small group of cyclists approached. Two of the tubular tires (vintage PRs, I think) immediately detached from rims and dove into the canal to rescue the child, while another tubular (a Hutchinson) comforted the distraught and notic eably attractive mother.
Meanwhile, a pair of Michelin clinchers, who'd been sucking wheel at the back of the group, merely watched the proceedings with minimal interest while finishing their cigarettes.
Mitch Harris
Little Rock Canyon, Utah, USA