why age tubulars

[rustychisel]

in a nutshell. Why? Reasons please, not some arcane Belgian lore.

[Frank]

in a nutshell. Why? Reasons please, not some arcane Belgian lore.

according to ancient Belgian lore...oh, sorry, nevermind ;)

[swoop]

today, the tubulars you buy at the local shop are made from synthetic rubber compounds. they don't change for the better by aging them.


the tubular tires that require aging were the ones made from real rubber. that's not the standard anymore and those aren't the one's you're buying in the shop.
as i recall, dugast would suggest 6 months... i suppose for the oils to seep out and make the tires less prone to picking up debris and cutting.

[rwsaunders]

I can't find the video...when the link is open, click continue, then click on the tire.

http://science.discovery.com/convergence/lance/explore/explore.html

[shinomaster]

http://youtube.com/watch?v=aziOgYTGNmU

[Too Tall]

in a nutshell. Why? Reasons please, not some arcane Belgian lore.
Things have changed. A very concise answer can be found in the Archives. Maybe it was BigMac who answered? Bottom line, I don't think that any modern tubulars are made which benefit from aging. Things were diff. back innaday.

[dbrk]

Things have changed. A very concise answer can be found in the Archives. Maybe it was BigMac who answered? Bottom line, I don't think that any modern tubulars are made which benefit from aging. Things were diff. back innaday.

Swoop and Too Tall are, of course, correct since they are Nabobs of Nonclinchers and Nnow. But there's nothing like some goodol' Belgian lore to make a fine chilly spring morning look better. FYI, I have some of those sew ups of the Old Sort from A. Dugast in my rafters aging like a fine Merlot. They look like tires but they are fine examples of arcane tubie lore.

dbrk

[benb]

What was the real reason way back in the day?

Was it to dry "mold release compounds" off the tires?

That's the only thing I can think of that would be based in reality.. you hear the same thing with motorcycle tires. Not true anymore (for most manufacturers) but the "logic" remains and if you buy a new bike or new tires they will definitely tell you to take it easy for the first 50 miles to "scrub the tires in". They used to spray something in the mold.. then make the tire.. leaving this slippery stuff on the tire.

It's the opposite there though now.. the tires have a "born on date" and the rush is to get the tires with the most recent date.. and not accept them if a dealer tries to give you tires over a year or two old.

Did "aging" bicycle tires serve the same purpose since it would have taken hundreds and hundreds of miles to wear that initial slick coating off the tire when you're on a bicycle?

[Too Tall]

Yeh bastids be to lazy to type a search? hehehe kidding.

http://forums.thepaceline.net/showpost.php?p=159678&postcount=15

Good reply from the unsinkable 11.4pedia

[sspielman]

As a data point......I find that Veloflex Criteriums (or any of their other tires) are *somewhat* better after a year or so of aging. As 11.4 postulated, I believe that the effects that I am experiencing are related to a slight hardening of the natural rubber treads used on these tires. Aged this way, the treads seem to be more cut resistant. I also believe that the treads may be less tacky...and therefore, less likely to stick to glass shards giving them fewer opportunities to penetrate the tread. The end result is that the aged tires seem more resistant to puncturing. I also belive ethat the aged tread is a little more resistant to wear. I will also invoke the 11.4 disclaimer for disappointing any a.r. engineers who are upset that I don't have any numbers.

[Louis]

Because it's part of the clincher ritual. Don't forget the incense and the holy words ;)

[J.Greene]

Only reasoon to do it is that they are cheaper in bulk. It's also a good reason to keep old rims too.

JG

[jimp1234]

When I rode tubulars 25 years ago, it definitely seemed that puncture resistance improved significantly with a year or two of aging. It was not just the rubber tred that hardened but also the casing (remember silk for the best tubulars). And though it was financially painful to have to plan your tire purchases a year or two in advance, it was kinda cool to have your tire "wine cellar". You'd have to find a dark dry place in the basement or up in the rafters in the gararge, scrounge up "stretcher" rims (bad form to age them folded), keep them labeled so you know which "vintage" was which, and when you got a dark rainy winter weekend, you'd climb the ladder and check em out.. feel the casing for that kind of glaze you'd get after a year or two.. Oh to be young again...

:)

[catulle]

This has nothing to do with "aging" as such, but to keep tubulars on a rim for a certain period of time will stretch the tubular, which in turn makes life nice and groovy when the time of installation arrives.

[vaxn8r]

From Bike Snob:

As any old mechanic will tell you, a tire needs to be properly aged to insure maximum puncture resistance. Ideally, this should involve storing it in a musty basement for no less than a year. However, few of us have that kind of time. If you simply must use your tire sooner rather than later, save up a week’s worth of dirty cycling shorts. Then, place the tire along with the shorts, two cups of vinegar, and three teaspoons of mayonnaise in a plastic garbage bag and leave it under the sink for a week. By the end of the week you should have a properly aged tire as well as an infestation of some kind.

[MilanoTom]

in a nutshell. Why? Reasons please, not some arcane Belgian lore.

To give those who already feel superior for riding tubulars can feel even more so and gain an edge in superiority to the other superior tubular riders?

and/or

So those who do can feel as though they really have something in common with Eddy Mercx (or is that too close to arcane Belgian lore)?

Regards,
Tom

PS - I ride slow as crapmo whether on clinchers or tubulars (aged or not).

[rustychisel]

Yup, I've read most of this (except searched 11.4's excellent explanation) and was just asking the question with a speculative eye on the supplementary question. In a nutshell, little real reason any longer.

Which brings me to the sup: if there was any valid and persuasive reason for aging tyres, wouldn't it apply to clincher tyres equally?

(says he who 'aged' an Avocet 20c Criterium for damn near 20 years 'cause he forgot it was there)

[capybaras]

it enhances the flavor

[sspielman]

The main reason that I maintain a stash of "aging" tubulars (particulary Veloflexes) is that the suplly can sometimes be spotty. There have been seasons where the entire country's supply is exhausted in June...a decent stash can get me over the hump, so to speak...

[pavel]

resurrecting old thread.




Any reason to age veloflex master clincher tires for any period of time, or just mount and ride?

[happycampyer]

I would just mount and ride (I have a set of the 25's that I got a few weeks back and am planning to install so I can ride them next weekend).

[FlashUNC]

Just mount and ride.

Some advice I've seen elsewhere. Companies spend a lot of money on R&D and production QC. Why would they leave supposedly the most important part of the process to users with a limitless number of variables (conditions in the wine cellar, parent's basement, etc etc) that could affect the quality of the product?

Just ride it and be happy.

[christian]

Some advice I've seen elsewhere. Companies spend a lot of money on R&D and production QC. Why would they leave supposedly the most important part of the process to users with a limitless number of variables (conditions in the wine cellar, parent's basement, etc etc) that could affect the quality of the product?vsalon me says hello!

[FlashUNC]

vsalon me says hello!

I knew it was someone from around this neck of the woods or there.

I've gotta stop sniffing tubular glue.

[oldpotatoe]

resurrecting old thread.




Any reason to age veloflex master clincher tires for any period of time, or just mount and ride?

None, stretch, clean, glue, ride..and I ride tubies everyday. Old cyclist's tale..'Maybe' silks but probably not even then. It's a bicycle tire afterall...rolling around at generally around 20 MPH..it's not like the things are at 175 MPH with gazillions of pounds of downforce or anything.

[Dave B]

today, the tubulars you buy at the local shop are made from synthetic rubber compounds. they don't change for the better by aging them.


the tubular tires that require aging were the ones made from real rubber. that's not the standard anymore and those aren't the one's you're buying in the shop.
as i recall, dugast would suggest 6 months... i suppose for the oils to seep out and make the tires less prone to picking up debris and cutting.

Swoop said it perfecftly once. Why not simply repeat.

[tmf]

I usually have a few extra tires to make sure I have them when/if I need them, and because I have a tendency to build up new sets of wheels for no particular reason when I don't really need to. It saves me from that awkward "now I have new wheels but no tires to mount on them" phase.

I like having them sitting on a rim instead of folded up most likely just because of old habits - it's sort of comforting to me. I've been doing it for 30 years and I like it!

[cfox]

Just mount and ride.

Some advice I've seen elsewhere. Companies spend a lot of money on R&D and production QC. Why would they leave supposedly the most important part of the process to users with a limitless number of variables (conditions in the wine cellar, parent's basement, etc etc) that could affect the quality of the product?

Just ride it and be happy.

Fine wine makers spent endless hours/dollars on production quality only to release their product years before its optimal utility.

I'm kidding. Age them, ride them either is fine. I will say I seem to get fewer cuts with tires that have sat around for 6 months or so. This is for tires with glued-on natural rubber treads, not vulcanized tires which is what swoop was referring to. The rubber and glue are supposed to dry out a bit more and harden up a bit, which makes sense to me. The "controversy" surrounding this innocuous subject is hilarious. In practice, anyone who buys more than a single pair of tires at one time will be "aging" some of them anyway.

[Z3c]

Anyone looking to buy a musty Belgian cellar?? I hope the market has rebounded or I'm gonna' take a loss; burned by technology once again..

[redir]

I just mounted a set of Veloflex tires that are about 30 years old on my old Guerciotti. I'll never get a flat on those suka's :D