[CR]Tire Supplies , Adhesives , Rema Tip Top , etc .

(Example: Racing)

From: "Raoul Delmare" <R.Delmare@Charter.net>
To: "C.R. List" <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
Subject: [CR]Tire Supplies , Adhesives , Rema Tip Top , etc .
Date: Wed, 1 Jan 2003 01:20:13 -0600

Hello All ,

Happy New Year ! ,

Happy Ought Three ! ,

Earlier I mentioned a couple of places that seemed to have good selections of tire supplies listed on the World Wide Web .

But now Richard Cielec has asked about the availability of Rema Tip Top Glue !

Ahhhhh , the fond memories of the big can of Rema adhesive , sitting on the old workbench , at the bicycle shop . One of my favorite jobs at any bicycle shop was patching a tube while the customer waited . Seriously ! They arrived helpless . They left fully empowered . And , this is your chance to show your professionalism ! Did you feel the entire inside of the tire for anything sharp ? Did you install the tire so that the pressure recommendations are right next to the valve stem ? Did you use plenty of talcum powder ? Did you explain to the customer what you were doing , as you did it ? Did you sell the customer a patch kit and some tire levers , so that they too could experience the simple joy of re-animating a bicycle which was rendered lifeless by a simple puncture ?

But seriously ,

Rema still sells the cans of adhesive . They are not all that huge , or all that expensive . My recommendation is to buy a can , and buy some patch kits ( do they still sell the kits in two sizes ? ) . Use the can for any repairs done at home . Save the little tubes for use on the road . And yes , those little tubes should be thought of as "single use" items .

You can also buy bulk quantities of the patches . But , it's always the glue that's in short supply . I'd only recommend buying bulk patches if you repair many , many , flats . Want to look REALLY professional ? Buy one of those little rollers with the wooden handle , for making sure the patch is REALLY stuck down tight ! You can buy them in big hardware stores for making sure that wallpaper & floor tiles are well stuck . But , just about 6 months ago , I was shocked and pleased to see some for sale ( new ones - no dust on them ) in the "tire patch" area , at my local farm & ranch supply store ! Hey ! Some folks still remember the OLD tools , and how to use them ! Put the patch-roller right next to your sewing-awl , and your little cake of bee's wax . You are now a professional !

As far as whose products are best , we all knew that Velox was far and away the best , until Rema Tip Top came along . Is there anything better , for normal inner tubes ?

If your local bicycle shop is not willing to sell you what you want , you might try these two FINE ESTABLISHMENTS ( I hear that they are extremely "vintage bicycle friendly" ! ) :

http://www.cyclesdeoro.com/

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/harris/index.html

Cheers ,
Raoul Delmare
Marysville Kansas
U.S.A.