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Pneus Dourdoigne
As you can see, my first attempt at spelling the name was wrong - this is the correct version.
I'm afraid my information is of purely historical interest since the firm has long since ceased to exist.
These tubs were best described as 'artisan made'. I understand there was one quite small and very old fashioned workshop where the tyres were handmade by a small workforce. I believe Ken Ryall was the only importer.
We (the users) all thought these tyres were the best we'd ever used for speed. As you may be able to see from the photo below the tread was hand glued (colle main) onto the body on the tyre. I don't really know why, but this seems to be the hall mark of excellent tyres (Veloflex use this method today). It is said that only hand glued tyres need to be matured - vulcanised tyres don't benefit.
Sadly, at some point around 1980 something went wrong in that little workshop and the quality deteriorated. Nobody seems to know what happened - maybe there was just one key person who really knew what he (or she) was doing, or perhaps the ancient machinery just wore out. The end result was that the tyres became unreliable, and therefore useless for racing.
The tyre photographed below may well be the only one still in existence - I had to rack my brain to remember why I'd kept it. If you haven't heard enough (and I expect you have) there are two other, mildly interesting, anecdotes connected with this.
Other Historic Tyre Brands
Barum - also in the KR ad below were also popular at that time. They were fast but also very robust and hard wearing. It's interesting to note that these were Czechoslovak made, so a product of the Soviet empire. One of the very few consumer products that could compete as equal or better than most western products.
Dunlop - the British contribution. As a very young person I did have a few Dunlops that were handed down to me (punctured, naturally) be senior clubmates. They were excellent quality, but there was a problem - they were so expensive you would have thought they were sewn up personally by the managing director!
The Ken Ryall ad. was published in Cycling in March '79.
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clubman
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maybe there was just one key person who really knew what he (or she) was doing
Apparently a certain Mr Dugast left the company at about that time!
In the 1970s, Frenchman André Dugast was working for Dordogne – a
manufacturer of cotton and silk tubular tyres that was based in the
southwestern France department – when he fell in love with one of the
founder’s daughters. Unfortunately for Dugast (although fortunately
for cycling), the love was unrequited. He decided to start his own,
eponymous rival company out of frustration.https://www.rouleur.cc/blogs/the-rouleur-journal/a-dugast-outstanding-in-their-field
nick_h.
First time I've heard of Dordogne tubs! Pls tell us more.