[CR]latex tubes in tubulars - when were they introduced??

hi gang,

The posting of the 1976 Palo Alto catalog caused a question to pop up: When were latex tubes introduced to tubular tires??

If you believe the Clement marketing, these puncture resistant latex tubes were brand new. Now, does this mean that latex was new, or does it mean that they had some special formulation of latex that was incredibly stretchy?

My position is that latex was the standard for the day (for good tires), since I owned some Imperforabile Setas with latex tubes back before the catalog was published (kinda wish I still had the tires too...). A friend holds the opposite viewpoint, and interprets the catalog as clearly stating that latex was a new product.

Can anyone offer evidence one way or another? Or maybe just make a stirring speech supporting your viewpoint, despite being devoid of any actual facts? :-)

for review, the catalog is at: http://bulgier.net/pics/bike/Catalogs/PaloAlto-76/ (makes you nostalgic for the pre-ebay days, eh?)

thanks,

Steve Kurt
Peoria, IL