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cyclinghenry
@clubman
Training Tubulars
This is a concept that may need a little explanation for younger readers
The photo below, 'On Rockingham Hill' by Bernard Thompson has been posted here before, but it seems relevant to my comment above.
This pic comes from the Hounslow's 'Bern and Eth' ride, a weekend trip to Rutland shire which was about a hundred miles each way (plus whatever you did to and from the rendez-vous) and was usually done in February. It was a hard weekend.
Of the six riders whose tyres are visible four are on 27 x 1.25" pressures, the other two are on tubs.
It's not easy to explain just how bad those 27's were, especially for anything that involved speed, and to do that distance (at a brisk pace) at that time of year, was tough.
The heavy tubs that were available (eg Clement Elvezia) were usually about 14 ounces (400 grams) and, although not suitable for racing, they were as good as a modern run of the mill 700 and a great deal better than the 27's. If you were going on a ride like this, there was a strong temptation to use your training bike (with tubs and gears), especially if you weren't as strong as some of the others. Incidentally, the four riders on 27's are also on single gears (3 fixed, 1 single free).
And this ride wasn't just 'knocking about' it was training. I believe the year was 1976, when Martyn Roach (3rd left) won the National 12. I think the others all had some successes.
So, Cycling Henry, your original question has spilt a surprising amount of electronic ink. It's obvious to me you should give your sprint wheels (as we used to call them) a go, and see how you get on. If you're in NW London, call in and see me and I'll give you an old tub suitable as a spare, and I'll show you how to do a repair. If this is any good, sent me a pm.
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