If it's flax based, it would be some sort of linnen. It should be possible to figure out the thread size, count, and weave from a fairly small sample, probably even an old used piece.
I just got one of these bikes from Matteo, and it has some interesting things done to make it more durable. The cloth on this one is attached to the sidewall, and wraps around the rim. Pretty slick setup, and neat enough that I thought it was made as part of the tire.
Steve Birmingham Lowell,Ma USA
Date: Tue, 28 Jun 2005 21:02:11 EDT From: Newag@aol.com To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org Subject: [CR]Shellac and Steher rim preparation Message-ID: <196.4203fcd7.2ff34d13@aol.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="ISO-8859-1" MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Precedence: list Message: 3
There are member(s) of this list who have first hand knowledge and were trained in the art of preparing wheels using shellac and fabric, (aka "Banda gen" in German) for purposes of Steher track racing, In brief, Steher racing involves some form of motorcycle with a roller apparatus at the rear, and ag ainst this roller rests the front wheel of the cyclist. My comments here are addressed only to Steher racing and not to any other uses of shellac.
I have a proximate reason for bringing up the subject: I would like to locat e a supply of, or a source for, the fabric or "Bandagen" that are used for thi s purpose, on behalf of an acquaintance in Europe who is an active Steher race r on the circuit there. Yes, Steher racing is still being practiced in Europe.
Old supplies of the fabric are disappearing.and to the best of his knowledge
it is no longer being manufactured. It is a cross-woven flax fabric (not canvas). Any help in locating old supplies or current manufacturers would be appreciated. I think I recall that Conti may have been the last manufactu rer or supplier of the fabric. Given the stresses on the tires of Steher riders, the speeds and the risks involved, experimentation with possible alternative
fabrics is not especially desireable!
It is worth noting that in the German language, a track rider could be referred to as being either a "Flieger" or a "Steher," which very crudely translate to "Flyer" (i.e. unattached) and "Stayer" (stays attached), a taxonomy that begin to suggest how important Steher riding was in the early/middle days of
track riding and even well into the 50's and 60's. As another measure of this, related to the current topic of shellac, in some circles, notably in Chicago , it was part of the training of a young rider in the late 50's to learn how t o prepare a Steher rim, whether or not the rider was good enough to achieve th e status of being chosen as a Steher rider. Steher racing, with its special ly fitted bikes (e.g. rear-arcing forks, smaller diameter front rims, heavily braced stems), motors (i.e. the motorcycles, either "heavy" with a captain a nd a stoker, or light), and related topics are a fascinating subject that is rapidly becoming lost to memory.
So: does anyone have a supply of the fabric for a worthy cause?
Jonathan Agnew
Darien, CT