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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@Deakus The 3T stuff is indeed drool worthy. The Ergonovas fit perfectly and the red and black matches my Fizik saddle beautifully - it's just a shame that I now need to change my frame to match. Apparently Cannondale's otherwise excellent warranty doesn't cover colour clashes with upgraded equipment, can't think why not.
Roadslave's bike are indeed beautiful. I should have a Pearson joining my stable in the next month, which I'm even more exitied about now. Won't be in pumpkin, but i may have to see about a customised headtube badge...
@Deakus
I've got the FSA compact wing pros as well, and while I definitely prefer the look of a traditional bar, I do enjoy the shape and feel of the FSA compacts and find that I spend more time in the drops now than I did before I got them.
@roadslave
I have one of those saddle bags too - they are just the wrong size for everything. It's infuriating.
Nice setup on the Pearson, but Speedplays on a retro fixie ?
It's like executing a triple back somersault with pike and then tucking into a bomb at the end.
@ChrisO
And what is so wrong about the good old fashioned bomb? I am a past master at it, it is the one dive (I use the word dive in its broadest sense) where size makes a real difference!
I would rather see a quality bomb any day rather than all this cliff diving rubbish that redbull seem to sponsor these days....
having lived through the 70's, and having been FORCED to wear the crap that we had to back then, as a boy, i out grew big bell-bottom pants/courderoy, big buckles everywhere, big hair, big collar shrits...and yes, gumwall colored tyres.
I may be the exception here, but I just bought a pair of gumwalled tubie challenge's, and took a permanent marker and colored it black...and simply made it right. Black is right everytime.
Except when the tyres are like mentioned, Vittoria Pave', green goes with anything! and everything.
Frank: thanks for the hoop shot, will be googling that in a moment
@Chris
If you can get to a gym, the most helpful thing is where you hang over this thing and pull yourself up, no clue what it is called. I've been doing it with a 25lb plate. Being in the drops is nothing now.
@Deakus
Have you seen the new Tornova, its like a compact round drop:
@DerHoggz Gym? No thank you. Off bike fitness work should adhere strictly to the masturbation principle and be conducted in the confines of your own home, with the curtains drawn and while the kids are at school or asleep. What thing should I be hanging over though?
I thought the Tournova was essentially a Rotundo with a flat top? That Integra stem is ugly beyond words.
@DerHoggz That sounds like a core strength excercise...core strength will certainly help you feel more comfortable in the drops and enable you to sustain it for longer...I think the issue for Chris was one of flexibility from what he said so although core excercises might help, it might also tighten things up a bit...I am no physio but I would imagine some sort of stretches (without weights) would most likely be in order....
Mine on the other hand is an issue of the guns bouncing off my very large engine on each pedal stroke!
Samuel Sanchez,
photo by me