So I finally got around to sticking my tyres on. At first I got a pair of Corsas in tan, which looked crap on my bike, too light. I futzed around having a go at dyeing them darker, which didn't work too well, so that pair are spares now. Got hold of another pair in anthracite, which looks the bomb. Should've been a little more patient in the first place...
So anyway, it turns out that peeling out the backing tape is far more painstaking than advertised. It's strong stuff, but it tends to start tearing from the edges, which is a bastard if you don't catch it straight away; you have to go slow and keep looking at both sides. Anyway, got the tyres on pretty straight (although it seems some degree of irregularity is inherent to tubulars). Now I have to figure out a neat way of curing the valve rattle. And wear in my pads a bit so I have a decent amount of gap; my old brakes are flat out opening far enough...
But damn, the bike is a weapon now. A bloody rocket ship. Haven't tried the aero since I still have to get hold of some lycra, but the acceleration is mental - it's like having another low gear or two. And the bike looks the effing tits.