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• #52
The pro one ht hugely discounted on Condor does not seem to be a good tyre:
https://www.bicyclerollingresistance.com/road-bike-reviews/schwalbe-pro-one-ht-tubular-2017 -
• #53
Fair point — had not seen that. Vittoria it is then. But as previously mentioned, Conti Comp has butyl tube and stays inflated for ages, unlike the Vittorias, which I think all have the traditional latex inner tubes?
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• #54
As for tape, this Caden Australian stuff is apparently very good. Much cheaper than that posh Italian stuff, and easier to remove. Made by 3M. But only in 24mm. >https://carbonbikewheels.com.au/eu/product/tubular-rim-tape-big-12-meter-rolls
Not the stuff I got with my wheels... Maybe it was a bad batch, but the backing insisted on shredding itself; it was a total bastard.
My Decadence wheelset on the other hand, is almost entirely magnificent - light AF for 49s (1080g), and gorgeous. 'Flange' placement on the super minimal straight-pull hubs is the best I've seen. Only thing I could want for, aside from a quieter ratchet and cup & cone bearings, would be the option for silver spokes. Incredible bang for the buck. Oh yeah, the braking is amazingly good for a smooth carbon brake track too.
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• #55
Here's Ben speaking in depth about all the reasons he's got five stars from 177 reviews...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7vnIcw44RKA
He's got distributers in Spain, France, the US & UK as well as Oz, and does worldwide free shipping!
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• #56
Bumping this with a decent price on Corsa 2.0 tubs in 23-30mm widths from Condor:
https://www.condorcycles.com/products/vittoria-corsa-g2-20-tubular-tyre?variant=47081613984065
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• #57
Seems to be some confusion about whether these are full-black or black/par
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• #58
There's a NOS 1970 pair of the fabled Doudoigne Grand Prix des Nations on ebay France. Still in their original wrapping. Opening bid is 750 euro. https://www.ebay.fr/itm/176136352426?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=709-127639-2357-0&ssspo=qPhR6hUaSpe&sssrc=2047675&ssuid=0PDdBtKRSKe&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY
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• #59
Fascinating!
But I won't be bidding. Even assuming they would really hold full pressure on the rim, what would you use them for?
Back in the day, you would use them for a race when you thought you might get a good result. That did involve getting to the finish without puncturing.
I notice that these tyres do not appear to be silks, and they are not even a pair. Also, they are not said to be 1970, but '1970s', which may include the period when they were not reliable - quite possibly the reason they've never been used.
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• #60
what would you use them for?
A pertinent and astute remark, and not only applying to antique tubular tyres
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• #61
Fair smorgasbord of types and sizes, but Merlin have S Works tubs at £30 each
https://www.merlincycles.com/road-bike-tyres-75331/?tyre_type=tubular
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• #62
Wonderful opportunity... if you don't already have a handful of spares. I guess Spesh are exiting the tubulars market.
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• #63
I wonder who made them?
I've bought the last Hell of the North and three Pro Tour.
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• #64
Vittoria, I imagine. They used to make cotton open tubulars for Specialized
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• #65
Can anyone find the specs of the S-Works Pro Tour Classics Road Tubular? The internet doesn't seem to know they exist. This is the only mention I can find https://www.merlincycles.com/specialized-s-works-pro-tour-classics-road-tubular-tyre-317263.html
edit: The casing says fabriqué en France and there's a tiny FMB logo!
edit again: they're 355 grams, so must have lots of puncture protection. 30mm, cotton with latex tube. The nearest FMB spec is the Paris-Roubaix cotton 30. Can't find a weight. But the price is about 4x the Merlin price. https://www.renehersecycles.com/shop/components/tires/tubular/fmb-paris-roubaix-tubular/ They must have been made for Spesh-sponsored teams when Spesh didn't have an equivalent tub in their range.
Yes I caved and bought a pair of 28mm tanwall Veloflex from the Cycle Clinic while they had them today to avoid FOMO. The pair of Roubaix on my bike have been on for a few years and I had a sudden jolt to make sure I had spares - they're coming apart at the base tape.
Does seem that you'll always get some tubs, but not necessarily your choice of size or sidewall. Thanks for the input - I had a look around and found the Schwalbe's for £28 on eBay:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/186016406084
Rolling resistance is pretty poor for tubs somehow though!