gitaneusa.com :: View topic - Technical questions about bringing back the RECORD

grumpyphil

I have a question for the Cognoscenti on this forum. I am not that familiar anymore with bike mechanics and while I have the books available to look this stuff up, certain things are not always as clear as one might prefer.
Anyway, my first problem is with the stem. The previous owner has stuck some gawdawful piece of trash down the hole. Mechanically, it seems to work and measures just an RCH over 22mm. So, is this thing a "French" standard 22mm quill size or what? The difference between a 22 and a 22.2 is about .008". Can I get the more typical 22.2 in there? While I'm sure I could bore out the headset or whatever, I'd like to keep the machining time to a minimum on such stuff. Any pointers would be gratefully accepted.
About the wheels...
I'm an old guy. I just came back to cycling after a short 45 year hiatus. I grew up on sew ups. Did people actually race clinchers in the mid 80's? I haven't figured out from the catalog pages if these bikes came with clinchers but how terrible a foo pah would it be to put sew ups (tubulars) on it? Incidentally, I'm going to change to sew ups on my other bike (BMC pro machine). I hate clinchers. I think they are S**T.
I'll have lots more questions soon, but these are things I want to address asap.
Thanks,
Grumpy

lofter

ride the sew ups ,enjoy what u like. i prefer sewups but ride alot of clinchers. sure they rode alot of clinchers . but probably not alot in the peleton. but cost wise , would rather replace a tube than the whole sew up.

grumpyphil

lofter

[quote="grumpyphilI always wonder about that you know...When I was racing as a junior (around '64) I had no money. I fixed my sew ups and so did everyone I knew. We sure as hell didn't throw 'em out.
Grumpy[/quote]
around 64? we live in a throw away society man. cost of doing buisness or riding i guess. i cant imagine riding down a fast hill on patched up tubes or sewups on your nice road bike . wondering if it will hold or blow and make u crash . worth the price of a new tube or sew up?i think so .at least for makes me feel safer .i dont flat alot and im 213lbs . i guess its how u r on the bike i guess? wwhat do you think?

greyhundguy

I have a nearby Bicycle Dealer (high end, quality bikes, ex-racer, and very knowledgable[still rides them himself]) who won't install Sew-ups for customers because of Liability issues. It's getting to be a complicated World.

Jay (No issues riding either)

verktyg

The headset and bottom bracket on you bike have British threads and dimensions. It takes a 22.2mm stem which has became the de facto for quill style road bikes. I have the original stem and bars from my 1984 Tour de France in almost new condition. PM me if you are interested in them.

When I lived in New Mexico during the 1970s we rode sewups most of the time . That was the goat head capital of the world. We got very few flats for a number of reasons:

1. we used "sticker flickers"

http://www.bikeman.com/content/view/307/47/

2. we didn't pump our tires over 90-95 Lbs.

3. we road out in the traffic lanes not the gutter.

Here's a picture of an old circa 1972 Clement 50 sewup that someone gave me to use as a spare when I was a starving student in the early 70s. I patched it and used as a training tire and for bad weather riding for 2-3 years. Notice the patches to cover up sidewall nicks - six of them!. It still holds air! It's mounted on a Zeus wheel.

From the late 70s on clinchers and clincher rims became lighter and better riding. Today, there is a myriad of different high performance clinchers and rim styles on the market.

I ride clinchers most of the time these days but I still ride sewups in areas where there's less of a chance of picking up a goathead.

There's something about the feel of sewups, sort of a bouncy, skippy feeling and climbing with sewups is great. I'm having a set of sewup wheels built right now for my latest bike.

I'm going on a local Classic Rendezvous ride tomorrow and I'm trying to figure out which bike to ride. Only one of my bikes with sewups is ready to ride but it's not geared for the hills we'll be riding.

Chas.

scozim

At 43 about all I've ever known is clinchers. My dad ran sew ups for awhile but to me, as a kid, they seemed like a real pain. Although, my TdF still has sew ups and I may ride for awhile on them to compare the difference in the ride.

These days convenience rules when you can walk into just about any bike shop and buy a tire and tube for 700C, usually with a lot of different options on the tires.

Gtane

I've ridden tubs since the very late '70s and, for me, the ride is far superior to high pressures. I have bikes with both but predominantly with tubs of varying qualities. I just prefer the ride quality and the fact that you can still ride on a flat, if needs be. Not something you can do on high pressures. I rode time trials in the early '80s and tubs were way better. I also mended them, Grumpy.

Tubs also go to higher pressures than high pressures. For example, the tubs on my Gitane, Continental Sprinters, are rated at 170psi and when they're up to 150psi plus the bike rolls along very easily indeed. I've also been lucky (so far) with very few punctures or blow outs.

I've never heard of liability issues regards tubs, Jay. That's a first for me.

I would go for tubs Grumpy.

Tim

grumpyphil

All of this has been very interesting. I was ESPECIALLY enthralled with the "sticker flickers.!!" It was like deja vu all over again! I had forgotten them completely but now remember never riding without them! However, even though I grew up in S. Calif. I NEVER heard of a goathead.
I'm definitely going to put sewups on all my bikes but it's going to be a long process. clinchers have their place....I found some that I actually kinda like. BUT....for me, I think I'll always feel like they are for touristas. And besides, patching and sewing my tires all winter beats the s**T outta time on the trainer.
Grumpy

grumpyphil

sandranian · Site Admin

Tubulars are a pain in the arse. They ride better...sure...but clinchers are easier to maintain. I have never had one 'roll' on me after a flat (knock on wood).

verktyg

I only ride sewups in areas where there is less likelihood of running over goatheads such as in the hills on the SF Peninsula and Marin County. Out towards Livermore and other hotter and drier locations there's more goatheads. I ride clinchers in those locals.

Chas.

Gtane