Andrew, can you identify a few vintage rims with seating beds that are suitable for wider tires?
On Sat, Oct 31, 2009 at 10:47 AM, Andrew R Stewart
<onetenth@earthlink.net>wrote:
> Ken- Back in the day we thought that velox tape was for roadside repairs
> only. I've gone through many rolls (the second half of one is in my Sunday
> bike's bag). The common understanding was that the tape was not strong
> enough to secure a tire that wasn't already glued, if used for really hard
> or aggressive cornering. As a spare tire mounting method though the rim has
> residual glue and, using old tires for the spare, the tire would also have
> old glue on it. Still we would remount the tire with "proper" glue when we
> got home.
>
> Some older rims were made with a shallower bed (made for a wider tire) then
> are common today. A narrow tire will not sit well on these rims and might
> suffer more of the "shttck" sounds of the casing being pressed against still
> tacky glue then pulling back with each revolution. Heavy applications of
> glue reduce this but a better match between the rim and tire is a far better
> solution. Unfortunately sew ups in 24 to 28mm widths are not common, or
> inexpensive, these days.
>
> Sew ups will grow a small bit in width with inflation. Maybe only a couple
> of mm. Much more might suggest the construction is not too good or the
> casing and threading are slowly failing. The tire should remain at it's
> inflated size for a long time with only minimal growth as the casing ages.
> Keeping the tire inflated for a long period won't make too much of a size
> difference but will wear the casing prematurely.
>
> Vittoria has made a couple of tires in a 23 or 24mm width. As I like a
> magic carpet ride I like to use these wider tires. I'm only 145lbs so I can
> run 100psi, have great cornering traction and enjoy the smooth ride.
>
>
>
--
Ken Freeman
Ann Arbor, MI USA