[CR]Cycle Confessional

(Example: Component Manufacturers:Campagnolo)

From: <"kohl57@starpower.net">
To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
Date: Mon, 2 Feb 2004 17:00:35 -0500
Subject: [CR]Cycle Confessional

I have two terrible confessions to make…

I, arch British bike buff, bought... well I bought a... a French bicycle yesterday on eBay. I don’t know what got hold of me but I now own a Peugeot PX-10 circa 1973. I know... how boring and pedestrian can you get? But looks in sweet shape, original components and it seemed an awful good value:

http://ebay.com/<blah> spagename=STRK%3AMEBWN%3AIT&rd=1

I guess 30 years after I bought a UE-8, I just got that urge to buy a Peugeot again. But I feel ‘orrible about it. I mean.. it’s French!! I won’t even be able to keep it the same room as my Raleighs and Rudges.. which is hard as I live in a one-bedroom apartment with all of them…

Anyway, second and more pressing confession. This machine has Super Champion rims with... Tubular tyres. Now this is really embarrassing, especially with this crowd... but I have never, ever owned a bike or even ridden one with these things. Frankly, they scare the death out of me. That recent exchange about just the right materials and methods of gluing them on was daunting enough! The NASA report on the Challenger disaster I could follow but this...

Now I know real men ride on sew-ups or tubs or whatever you call them. And I want to keep this machine as original as possible. So any suggestions out there as to a good tubular tyre that a) looks traditional... not yellow and orange thanks, b) doesn’t cost a bomb (why are these things SO expensive?) and c) perchance has some wonderful material to ward off punctures. For a rank novice like me, I think the Tufu tape seems sensible.

Or should I realize I am a Philistine and chuck in the original rims and find a suitable vintage set of clincher rims??

Or wish I hadn’t bought this machine in the first place...

Peter Kohler, way out of his depth Washington DC USA

--------------------------------------------------------------------
mail2web - Check your email from the web at
http://mail2web.com/ .