Re: [CR] Tubular tyre diameter

Ken- Back in the day we thought that velox tape was for roadside repairs only. I've gone through many rolls (the second half of one is in my Sunday bike's bag). The common understanding was that the tape was not strong enough to secure a tire that wasn't already glued, if used for really hard or aggressive cornering. As a spare tire mounting method though the rim has residual glue and, using old tires for the spare, the tire would also have old glue on it. Still we would remount the tire with "proper" glue when we got home.

Some older rims were made with a shallower bed (made for a wider tire) then are common today. A narrow tire will not sit well on these rims and might suffer more of the "shttck" sounds of the casing being pressed against still tacky glue then pulling back with each revolution. Heavy applications of glue reduce this but a better match between the rim and tire is a far better solution. Unfortunately sew ups in 24 to 28mm widths are not common, or inexpensive, these days.

Sew ups will grow a small bit in width with inflation. Maybe only a couple of mm. Much more might suggest the construction is not too good or the casing and threading are slowly failing. The tire should remain at it's inflated size for a long time with only minimal growth as the casing ages. Keeping the tire inflated for a long period won't make too much of a size difference but will wear the casing prematurely.

Vittoria has made a couple of tires in a 23 or 24mm width. As I like a magic carpet ride I like to use these wider tires. I'm only 145lbs so I can run 100psi, have great cornering traction and enjoy the smooth ride.