Re: [CR]Pye tires

(Example: Framebuilders:Dario Pegoretti)

From: "ternst" <ternst1@cox.net>
To: "Tony & Shellie Welch" <tswelch@indy.net>, <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
References: <002401c626c9$cd49ddd0$e763e004@the8doe2g2uhf1>
Subject: Re: [CR]Pye tires
Date: Tue, 31 Jan 2006 18:33:57 -0800
reply-type=original

About Ted from Ted. Nostalgia goes a long way. The best prewar American tires were Pye and Mitten. Pye had a great tire that rode well and was a little better than the Mittens especially on the track. Very popular were the Continentals which for a while prewar were called Continental / Polack. After the war it was Continental only. As much as I remember, the Italians and French didn't have too many common brands used over here. I recall seeing D'Allesandro and Pirelli when I was a kid. Silk was not the best for massed start and sprints on the boards. It gave in it's fabric so that the feel was not as good as cotton for 6-days etc. Cotton on boards for better more direct feel and silk on the road for more comfort. Blowouts were not all that common as suggested. They happened when the trainers didn't check tires after spills and when over inflated a pop was going to occur. It was critical to always rub the tires off and check for cuts when coming off the track. When riders spilled and scraped the track, splinters were a distinct possibility, and so blowouts could happen, but it wasn't like the 4th of July by any means. We often rode tires so long that the tread was down to the casing and that's why checking the tires was so important. I also seem to remember that Pye had an arrangement with the promoters, so that all the guys would ride on similar tires, thereby having some control over the quality and safety of the racers. Ted Ernst Palos Verdes Estates, CA


----- Original Message -----
From: Tony & Shellie Welch
To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
Sent: Tuesday, January 31, 2006 4:52 PM
Subject: [CR]Pye tires



>I just finished the book Six Days of Madness by Ted Harper. In the book
> he said that he has yet (1993) to see a tire to compare to the old Pye
> track tires. He also said blowouts were common then.
>
> Anyone know why there were so many blowouts if the tires were so good?
>
> Tony Welch
> Indianapolis, IN
> USA