If you’ve been paying attention, you may have noticed that ‘useful’ things like practicality and functionality can often take a back seat to more basic pursuit of aesthetics and taste. If you haven’t, then your name might just be Paul.
You may have also become aware that there is occasional flagrant flouting of certain guidelines by curators and purveyors alike. Long black socks, red bar tape and big bidons, facial and leg hair, some have even been known to experiment with the much-maligned and socially destructive drug EPMS. Some things shouldn’t be tampered with, while others are prone to some manipulation as seen fit by circumstance. And some things will always be ‘just the way it is’.
Take tyres for example. Rule #8 was one of the first decreed (it was the eighth, if memory serves) and is one of the more complex in its simplicity. To put it in layman’s terms, tyres are a simple thing to get right. Black. They match any bike regardless of colour and will always look good no matter how much abuse they receive. But look more closely and a myriad of options are offered; match this to that or that to the other bit, and the other bit back to that. Or just go black. See, told you it was simple.
So why should choosing a new set of rubber be a cause of consternation? I needed to replace my trusty Pavé CG’s as they’d seen better days, from the cobbles of Belgium and France in April through a winter of more off-road detours than any road bike should be subjected to. Punctures became a feature of almost every ride, two at a time on a couple of outings. The green tread was worn and cut up and my mates were getting sick of waiting and probably wanted to strangle me with a tube as I attempted to get aired up and mobile yet again. Hang on, green? Surely not compliant…
Well yeah, the hue that is ubiquitous with Pro bikes in the European spring is the one color of tread that gets an automatic pass due to that other great cornerstone of the dual pursuits of Cycling and Looking Fantastic: heritage. From Malteni orange to Lampre pink, green goes with anything and everything in Spring. Vittoria’s Pavés and FMB’s Paris Roubaixs have seen more action on more bikes on more cobbles than Mother Theresa has seen sick kids, and thus get almost as many blessings as she gives out on a mission to Africa. But go back further still, and the sidewall colour of choice to set off any steed is the gumwall. Or skinwall. Maybe tanwall, depending on your diocese.
It should’ve been easy to choose a new tyre due to my spate of flats. Thick, heavy rubber with all kinds of Kevlar reinforcement, varying TPI counts and tread patterns all were mulled over, for about five minutes. I wanted gumwalls. To hell with practicality and functionality, not to mention cost. I made the call to my rubber pusher Graeme and he administered the goods stat. Thinner, lighter, faster, probably less durable; my new Corsa SC’s may not solve any puncture issues, but damned if they don’t look the business. Fantastic, even.
The gumwall is back, and there’s no going black.
[dmalbum path=”/velominati.com/content/Photo Galleries/brettok@velominati.com/gummy/”/]
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@Pedale.Forchetta And it looks like he is choosing not the enter TdF in 2013
http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/sanchez-likely-to-race-giro-ditalia-vuelta-a-espana-in-2013
Great pic!
Also interesting that he thinks Wiggo will not ride the tour whereas I had read in to the reports that Bradley would ride in support of Froomedog....maybe he knows something I don't I had not seen any confirmation that Wiggins would not even enter TdF...that one hell of a statement for a current winner to make, but I guess if anyone is stubborn and focused enough to do it then Brad is...
@Deakus, @DerHoggz I suffer from issues of flexibility and strength so my routine is a mix of muscle building and stretching, mainly pilates type stuff. Too many years playing rugby in the front row followed by too many bone idle years left me inflexible, especially in the lower back and without the strength to prevent some of the muscles going into spasm if I didn't look after my back properly. So far it would seem that flexibility will come back, it's better than it has been for years. I was worried that some of the damage would be permanent.
Now I just need to sort my knee out.
@Pedale.Forchetta
Fantastic photo - as always! LOVE the B&W.
I read that Wiggo was going 100% for the Giro but in support of Froome in the Tour. I just finished reading the Wiggo auto biography and there was some thinly veiled problems with Froome in there. CF signed on to help but seemed to strain at the leash a bit and had to have it yanked.
@Marko
Even the COTHO had an ad with Radio Shack talking about emoticons, I think...
Thanks Marko. In an email, Frank mentioned that people were asking and commenting on the "Ritchey" wheels. That laid the name and logo to rest.
@Pedale.Forchetta
Quite the photo! If you ever find yourself in the Canadian Rockies with a camera, I could use a sports photographer!
@Dan_R Fuck, people are lame sometimes. How hard is it if you're interested in something to take an extra second to read the name properly? Nothing at all against the new name but I thought Richter was a great name, what a shame for you.
@Oli
In the "lame" people's defense, those wheels were always moving pretty fucking fast with me on the bike.
I'll let @Dan_R share the logo if he wants to, but there is no question its a cooler concept and logo than the Richter, despite Richter being a good name in itself.
And the typeset for the wheels...
@Dan_R Yes, it's a cool name and a nice logo for sure. I just thought Richter was personal and unique, whereas Roubaix is great but a bit more generic. Will the wheels be called Cafe Roubaix Bicycles wheels? Will the wheel decals be the same as this one?
@Dan_R Okay, question answered while I was typing. Nice, although I still prefer Richter.