At the 1981 World Track Cycling Championships in Brno, Czechoslovakia I traded a very cool Brooklyn wool jersey to a Czech sprinter for four Barum sew-up tires. Fast forward to me riding up the Gavia Pass in Italy two weeks later, and KA-BLOOOOOOOM! That Barum tire...she BLEW! Then the other one..and another one. Then the last remaining tire. All four in one day. That's when I swore off Czech tubulars.
When I arrived Stateside, my wise boyfriend at the time, PJ, informed me of Barum's reputation and their nickname. That Czech dude is probably still chuckling over that trade he made with the stoopid American girl.
Jan Johnson
Portola Valley, CA