realskiers

Jim: I have followed road tubeless wheels/tires with some interest. Other riders, that I trust, find them on a par with good clincher wheels with an open clincher tire. Due to few manufacturers for the wheels and basically only Hutchinson for the tires, I am afraid the technology and development may die due to rider apathy.

Lynn: Glad the bike picture that Jim posted is not your bike. If it was, your bike fitter needs to be shot  or you have grown (a lot) since I last saw you  .

Changing a tubular on the road is much simpler than changing a clincher tire. Just rip the old one off, put the the new one on with the rim tape oriented to the rim and inflate. Old glue and the tire pressure will hold on the tire to get you home. Just plan to slow down for any corners so you do not roll the tire  .

Svend: I agree that a well made Ti or steel tubed frame can be a work of art. Richard Sachs, Tom Kellogg, Dario Pegoretti and many others make truly beautiful bikes. Even semi-custom bikes by Seven and Independent Fab can be great bikes. I would love to find a California built Masi Gran Criterium from ~'80 in my frame size (remember the movie "Breaking Away"?) I do have a Trek from that era that I had made up for me with Reynold's 531 fully double butted. Nice bike but nothing special (should have spent the couple hundred dollars more for the Masi and had a classic -my bad).

Jim: Where is your man-pride? How can you let Lynn beat you to the top of hills? Although your comment about drafting her up a hill does make some sense. I am on record as saying "I have never found a wheel that I will not suck!" I suspect if you found someone a little bit bigger, the wheel sucking would be better (speaking of getting up the hill, not necessarily the scenery). Just find the bike and rider of the photo you posted, that would be a nice wheel to suck  .