chune

What are the odds you could get away with running tubeless wheels/tires for l'eroica? I have a set of Challenge Stradia Biancas mounted to relatively unassuming WTB dual duty tubeless ready wheels. The style seems on point but as with most consumables they are never going to be truly "period correct"

ThermionicScott 

Technically, nope:

Soody

just tell people you have a tube in there

chune

I have a feeling the rules haven't been updated since the proliferation of tubeless road tires. If you can run a tube filled with sealant I don't see any unfair advantage from running tubeless tires. Then again it's not really a "race". I've heard of people running modern drivetrains linked to friction shifters and it's fine, you would think this falls in the same category.

Andy_K 

I don't think whether or not you can get away with it is the right question, at least not to start with. I hear the California edition is looser than the others, but even there the questions I would ask are "Do you want to do this?" and "Why?"

I used modern (Tektro) dual pivot brakes at ECA. They aren't allowed by the rules. I used them because I didn't feel safe on one of the descents with vintage brakes. Not a single person commented on them.

My point is, if not using this equipment will keep you from doing the ride, maybe try to sneak it in. But if not, I think you'd enjoy the event more with a stricter adherence to the rules. Once you've settled that in your own mind (and for all I know you already have), then you can ask about local enforcement of the rules

chune

I have settled in my own mind that I will be using an 11-36 9 speed cassette which requires an HG freehub body. All of my HG freehub bodies are currently attached to modern tubeless ready wheels. I was hoping to avoid building another wheelset just for this event. This vintage dura ace crap is costing me an arm and a leg the way it is.

Andy_K 

Yeah, I kind of figured it would be something like that. You’re all kinds of modern there already. Believe me, I understand. I used a triple with a 24T granny gear at ECA this year, but even though I was using 5600-series Shimano hubs I fitted them with a 7-speed cassette with no shift ramps, which both looked the part and gave me the vintage shifting experience (which is to say, perfectly fine but not silky smooth).

Your Strada Bianca tires are a great choice. Running them tubeless shouldn’t be an issue. The rims won’t blend in, but I’d be surprised if anyone said anything, especially if you’re riding an 80’s bike that might have had dark rims. Maybe ask people who have ridden the event at the location you’re riding to see if controls are tight. But also, think about the spirit of the event and decide if you want to go more vintage to enhance your experience.

Oldsteeler

none of the Eroica officials on the starting line will actually have a look at your wheelset. But......fat 30-622 tires on an old racing bike?
No, it's not a contemporary style for 70's bikes. Choose narrower tires and you are the king of the old roads.

btw: I use this Challenge tire in 30-622 on one of my gravel bikes.

chune

most of the 27” wheelsets my bikes came with had 1.25” wide aka 32mm wide tires. I actually have the 36c model of these I was planning on using

iab

I can't imagine anyone will notice, or even care for that matter. Do what you want.

But then that begs the question, why do you want to do this ride? The objective of this ride is to experience things the way they were, not the way they are. You can take your current setup and ride any of the thousands of other organized rides. Yes, it is inconvenient to get a flat. Yes, you can't bomb down hills because your brake suck. Yes you have to grind/walk up hills because your gears suck. That's the entire point of the ride. So if you want to use modern conveniences, why do that ride instead of the countless others?

chune

it’s not so much about modern conveniences but the happy coincidence that my personal preferences align well with the L’eroica ethos. Vintage 70s/80s steel frames. No index shifters, brifters, spandex, clipless pedals, disc brakes or carbon anything. Aside from this departure on wheels/tires, I just happen to have built 6 bikes that would be perfect for this event.

DiabloScott

Well that's one objective... but people ride with modern helmets, modern lighting systems, GPS computers, cell phones, ClifBars, electrolytes, and sunscreen; I'd contend any of those is further from your objective than tubeless tires. Of course one should want the old-timey experience, but a concession here or there to make it safer or cheaper won't spoil that. @chune could drop a few hundred dollars on a legit wheel set and tires, but it wouldn't make his experience much different, and he might be the only one who even notices... unless he got some sew-ups, which would totally be worth it.

ThermionicScott 

I have my doubts that l'Eroica is merely behind in updating their rules to include modern tech like tubeless tires.

But if the question is whether you'd get away with it... most likely. Especially if the wheels and tires look the part from a few strides away. You do you.

chune

Here are the wheels/tires in question. Only a year old but they have taken on a good patina haha

Andy_K 

You've got the Italian Tricolore on the tires, so they're definitely OK. You need to relace the wheels with silver spokes though.

bamboobike4

...people have been kvetching about the rules. I'm sure they have their reasons.

When people tell me they "did L'Eroica," I always ask if they followed the rules completely.
If they didn't, then I simply mention they rode the L'Eroica course, but they did not "do L'Eroica."
They either did or they didn't, and I, too, wonder why bother unless you get the total experience?

A person can ride the L'Eroica course any time they want. "Doing L'Eroica" is different.
I met a guy in Kentucky with a L'Eroica jersey, in all it's merino wool fineness.
Of course I asked. Of course he didn't. He said "they didn't check."
Of course I stated my point. He was not amused.
How dare I !! He had the jersey!
Righteous Indignation Ensued.

bamboobike4

Would you not be able to just swap tires/tubes for the tubeless?

If that's the only deviation, I suggest doing that.
Then, you'd know you did it right.
That's a thing, in some places.
Mostly a personal thing.
But you'd know.

chune

If I used a dura ace 7400 groupset with a modern 11-34 9-speed cassette, 52/39 cranks, on a Miyata 310 with those wheels/tires running tubes would that be considered "doing it right"?

If anyone has had the pleasure of mounting Challenge's "hand made tubeless tubulars" you will understand my reluctance to pop the bead off. They essentially ship you a flat piece of rubber and make you to finish the last part of the manufacturing process. Who ever named that company has a really good sense of humor.

79pmooney

That's not far off a Clement Del Mondo and that tire certainly qualifies. It doesn't even look all that different. Granted, I haven't seen a Del Mondo in four decades.

chune

When you did L'Eroica did you use brake pads and tires manufactured on or before 1987? Or did you buy modern production brake pads and tires that match the period look?

One cannot say they have truly "Done L'Eroica" until they have cast away all modern materials manufactured after December 31st 1987.

79pmooney

I tried the pre-tubeless version. OMG hard to seat that bead properly. Blew one off after spending ridiculous time getting it right. A couple of weeks later I blew both latex tubes in about a 5 mile stretch - at the junction of the tube proper and the 8" valve portion. Took 'em all off and just considered that venture a waste of a couple of presidents because there was no way I was going to trust those tires on a mountain descent - the whole reason I bought them.

By contrast, the Vittoria Open Corsa/Pave/G+ (haven't used many G2.0s yet) tires are just about as flat, mount easily and run trouble free

79pmooney

The Mafac brake pads BITD were stoppers. Not far off Koolstops, wet or dry. (Yes, somewhat different audio signature.) But requiring us to ride a 35 year old, dried and hard brake pad? That's not what we did back then.

Electrolytes? Can we use the same ones we raced with 45 years ago? (And 45 years ago I spent hours on my bike dreaming of a system that would allow me to drape my palms over the brake hoods. No way will I ever go back to the old non-aero cable runs.)

iab

And again, same question to them. Why do that particular ride? Why not the way it was and not the way it is? (Let's leave helmets out, the hands of time for litigation cannot be reversed).

And I'll disagree about increasing puncture resistance as minor compared to the others you listed, all of which have their vintage counterparts.

iab

False equivalency. Consumables deteriorate at a high rate. Cork brake pads are cork brake pads, whether used in 1922 or 2022. Use of equivalent technology is the idea. No one used 35-year-old brake pads in 1987.

rccardr 

We both know you’ve never been to Eroica.
You could, but you won’t.
We also both know I’ve done it five times, from every possible direction and interpretation of the rulebook.
Once you’ve ridden the course you’re allowed to have an opinion.
Until then it’s just more armchair hot air.