On Tuesday, December 17, 2002, at 03:04 PM, Paul Williams wrote:
> I know that they were low end and relatively inexpensive. But what
> date? I remember a thread a while back about inexpensive tyres - I
> remember Brandon Ives talking about these them. Any help Brandon or
> others?
Looks like I'm getting called out. I'll tell you what I know which isn't much and mostly objective favoritism for the best sew-up for the money you used to be able to get. I discovered them in the early 90s because the shop I was working for bought a huge batch for a really good price and I picked up 5 or 6 for "training" tires. I usually rode Corsa CXs and still compare all tires to them, but I needed something cheaper. After a Seattle winter with only one flat I was impressed.
During this time I discovered this about the tires: -Easy to repair for a tubular. -Retail was 1/4th to 1/5th the price of Corsa CXs. -Ride was harsher than the CX, but smoother than clinchers. -Not quite as grippy as the best tires in really tight corners. -They were more flat resistant and seemed to last longer then most other sew-ups. -They were quite round and free of defects.
They were a machine made in Asia tire and seemed quite well made. They don't have the "mojo" of the better Italian tires, but if you spend more time riding them than looking at them you'll never notice. I've ridden these tires in the best and worst of conditions with great results. Sure I could get Corsa CXs at $75 each but why? The Mondiales allow me to buy an extra pair and still take my wife out for a nice dinner. I'm not a racer, nor do I feel the need to look cool by buying expensive tires. I'm a sensible, reasonable cyclist who would rather buy pitchers of a fine microbrew for my friends then spend lots of money on something that's going to be tossed in the trash in a couple of months.
If you're like me then the Mondiales are the tire for you. Alas, these tires are no longer made and I don't know anything about the tires that replaced them. I haven't found an inexpensive tire that can even touch these and I've tried most of them. I wanted to like the Continental Giros but they're not round and flat easily, they're also almost twice the price. I hope this answers some of your questions. enjoy, Brandon"monkeyman"Ives Santa Barbara, Calif.