I'll add that rim quality went up a bit and rim weight, at least for tubular rims, went up considerably. A typical rim in 1974 was 330 grams and that went up to about 420 grams by the early eighties. One big aspect of the quality improvement was heat treated rims. Fiamme Ergals were the earliest heat treated (or at least formed at a a high temper) rims I know of. I think spoke counts have continued to trend down and rim weights up.
Joe Bender-Zanoni
Great Notch, NJ
> I remember that when I started racing in Canada in the mid 70's it
\r?\n> seemed like everyone was riding 36 spoke wheels. There were always
\r?\n> someguys who had 32's and even 28's but, they frequently got razzed
\r?\n> fortaking too many chances. I was small and light and still felt
\r?\n> that 32's
\r?\n> were dangerous. Eventually, by the later 70's I was willing to put
\r?\n> 32'son the front but kept 36's on the rear thinking that's were the
\r?\n> powerwent. Of course by the early 80's I had switched completely
\r?\n> to 32
\r?\n> spoked wheels and wondered what was I ever thinking. On the other
\r?\n> hand,I think rim quality improved markedly.
\r?\n> Edward Albert
\r?\n> Chappaqua, NY
\r?\n>
\r?\n> >>> <greenjersey@ntlworld.com> 01/04/06 8:06 AM >>>
\r?\n> I'd say that until about 1970 36 f & r was normal and then there
\r?\n> was a
\r?\n> gradual change to 32 f & r. Heavy riders and Paris-Roubaix riders
\r?\n> stayedwith 36. I'm looking at a photo of Ercole Baldini riding a
\r?\n> time trial in
\r?\n> 1958, single ring so must have been flat but he is on 36 spoke wheels.
\r?\n> Difficult to understand now even if Ercole was a big guy.
\r?\n> My clubmate Bill Bradley got a pair of 28 spoke wheels for the Rome,
\r?\n> 1960 Olympics. Rims were Fiamme track ! He didn't break spokes but
\r?\n> I'mnot sure if his brakes worked!
\r?\n> They must have seemed fast after his usual 32f, 40r wheels.
\r?\n> Ray Green Brighton England
\r?\n>
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