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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@frank
@Oli I was willing before hand if there were going to be recognition problems. For the arcane, I was waiting for someone to ask if I rocket bikes in development. I have even had enquiries about the Nineteen Richter frameset - an alloy TT frame. In the end it will keep "brand recognition" easy with the studio and the website.
The best way to get used to riding in the drops
is by riding in the drops.
@Oli
On the deeper carbon rims I will put the logo at the valve hole and "café roubaix" on the other side. I am still workign on the alloy rim design. Like many builders on the internet, I will be using KinLin's line of road rims. There are a few guys that "name" their builds and I will be doing the same. But I think what will distingush my builds will be finished product. But that is just the general offering. I will be building to suit as well - that is where we will really step away from other "internet" wheelbuilders. I would like to think a "Gerd Schraner" for the select. (not the masses!)
Oh Oli, some ofyour more recent builds - butter!
@Dan_R I love the idea of the logo on the deeper rims, a great touch. (I also as per Oli, liked Richter as a name, but for the simple fact it rang true in my non-bike life as a geologist). I wish you all the best and will live vicariously through your experiences as, basically, you're embarking on my dream job...
@Oli
Heh, for months I thought @Cyclops' frame business name was "Decagon", and I couldn't figure out why the fuck he had named it after that particular shape...
Also, at some point someone is going to need to start a list of all the bike-based businesses that folks on here run/are starting. It's pretty inspiring to see people take charge of their future so directly, really.
I'm current sitting in my cubicle and can feel my soul dying a little more each day.
@mcsqueak
I feel your pain, my job involves herding cats. Or dealing with 300 employees worth of schedules and revenue files. soul sucking to say the least.
@brett Great piece and gorgeous bike! This Spring I bought my #1 some Veloflex Masters, my eye having been caught by tan walls some time earlier. Like Ron, I think the classic look of the tire really complements a modern bike. The feel of the Veloflex was amazing to me (I've never ridden tubulars) but the one problem I had was the extremely tight fit to my Campa Scirocco wheels. The packet said not to use tire levers to install them, but this was absolutely out of the question, and at the Seattle Summer Cogal I even managed to cut my hand when I flatted and tried to get the tire on and off (thanks to Frank for helping and waiting). So does anyone know of a similar but larger tire that would alleviate this problem? Are Vittorias any different?
@James In my experience Vittoria Open Corsas of various varieties go on pretty easy, but I don't have Campagnolo rims. The SC is gum wall.
@Dan_R Nice one, mate. I wish you and Cafe Roubaix Bicycles every success! Chapeau!