Biker Pete 

Possibly. I’ve inquired with FMB.

pastorbobnlnh 

It is interesting that the FMB website describes their tires as "...hand built in France...," and not "hand made." Of course, they can source supplies and materials internationally, which we can now assume the tread originates in Thailand. This is not surprising.

What is your impression of the quality and "build" of the FMB tires compared to other tubulars you have owned?

Aubergine 

I am using a set of 28 mm wide FMB tubulars on my ~1975 Gitane Fédéral. Lovely tires, seem comparable to old Clément silk Campionato del Mondo tires.

Biker Pete 

I did hear back from FMB and it turns out the tread on the tire model I ordered is in fact sourced from Thailand, with the assembly being done by hand in FMB’s shop. And coincidentally the treads used on all of their other models are manufactured in-house.

The FMB tires look to be very nicely made. The silk casing threads look to be very fine compared to one other silk tire I’ve used (Challenge ‘Criterium’), just as described on the René Herse website for FMB tires. I look forward to getting these new tires mounted and going on my first ride! (the bike is a 1975 Motobecane Grand Record with Super Champion ‘Competition’ rims)

equinoxranch

The tread is made in Thailand, shipped to Herse, where they then apply same to their assembly. I miss silk (Del Mondos), but have found a more than adequate (cotton) marque to ride, now for over thirty years..... One blessing - and not because of the cotton casing, they are highly puncture/cut resistant due to a layer of kevlar under the v. grippy non existent tread. Have not had a flat in nearly thirty years........ I can live with that.......

Force 

What tires are you using?

Atlas Shrugged

Wow! I am lucky if I made it 30 days.

bykemike 

I had a rear flat on my Riite cross bike the other day and decided to finally go tubeless. I had tubeless ready rims and tires so the swap was just a couple of Stans valves and 4 oz of Stan's liquid, Went very quick and easy.

The tires are Bontrager 40's so they are not really street tires despite the fact I have come to prefer this bike for most of my general riding and use it as a street bike. Max pressure in the tires is 60 psi.

I get the look from some of my riding friends, Not everyone is thinking this is a good idea I can tell.

Am I in for issues I am not anticipating? I have tubeless on my Scott Scale and have had zero issues with them over years of riding it, the tires self heal all the time and don;t think about flats on that bike. Is there a big difference between the 18 psi I run in the Scott and the 60 psi I run in the Ritte?

I'm thinking I will carry a mini plug kit and a couple of larger size co2 cartridges and be fine.

hazetguy 

this thread is for tubular tire discussions, not about tubeless. you can probably find the answers you are looking for in the multitude of tubeless tire threads.

equinoxranch

Responding to FORCE :

I try to avoid mentioning any brand (marque) of anything......, any product whenever possible. I v. much have my preferences based on years of exposure, experience and am intransigent regarding same....... But I again try to avoid making brand suggestion of anything..... That said. Given my background, I only know sew ups when it comes to tires and I will never change for all the right reasons...... So much BS is being forced upon the public now. Case in point : They're claiming that clinchers are better than sew ups. [moderator edit]

I ran Clement for so many years. Phenomenal tires and always with Clement "Red" mastic. Well, both, alas, are gone. But....... Many years ago, starting with track, rotating over to road, also....., I acquainted myself with Continental tires. They are exceptional. Really well designed, made. Their road "Sprinter" in "Black Chili" compound is to die for. They ride v. well and with the protective kevlar strip, as I alluded, I have not had a flat in over twenty plus/thirty years with them. I run them at 80psi/6bar. No higher on road. I only use Vittoria Mastik One as glue (as same IS measurably superior to Continental glue which IS junk) and employ the age old European track method of application........ This IS superior to the wayward "glue the tire, glue the rim, wait for several hours THEN mount" method. I will be more than happy to explain that (European track/road) method if anyone wants to go the superior and quicker aforementioned route........

Fredo76

I'll bite.

What is the European track/road method?

79pmooney

I duck-ducked "tubular european track/road method". Among other useful hits, I got "Finite element analysis of tubular track system". Everything you ever wanted to know about:

The Tubular Track (TT) railway system is a twin beam modular railway system consisting of two

reinforced concrete (RC) beams on which steel rails are continuously supported.

Yes, trains are the other super efficient transportation system but I really just want to know how to stick my tires on right.

Biker Pete 

Got the FMB silks installed. Great impression from my first 20 mile ride!

SJX426 

Good looking Moto!
Like the crank too! Geared for Florida.

Biker Pete 

Yes, swapped out the original 14-26 Maillard freewheel for an NOS 13-21 Regina Oro. Works great here in the flatlands of Florida!

79pmooney

My old mountain FW! I rode Mt Washing on that 5-speed. Running 1X. Not kidding. 28 tooth front. Worked superbly. (Well the 1/4 mile from the toll gate to the beginning of the climb was a little ridiculous.) I bolted the 28 straight onto a cut down TA outer ring. Simply bypassed (underneath) the FD completely. That was when everyone else ran 52-42 and a 28 tooth FW. I had far superior gearing (but not legs).

Takes me back a few years! Thanks.

spclark 

Please do, yes!

I'm a Continental fan as well, at least for their tires. No fan of their tire glue either.

WGB 

I now have Vittoria Corsa 700 x 30mm on my Miele. They were scheduled for my Batavus but the rear rubbed against the brake so now they reside on the Miele. Mounted on an NOS set of Mavic GP4s.

At first they seemed to be really soft when i rode but that was because I was jumping from 25s. They retain pressure well while riding but do seem to loose air when sitting faster than Continental Competitions. I just have to remember to pump up every day before riding.

I got them on sale from Excel last August for half price. Very impressive ride. My only regret is not buying two sets or more!

Edit: I'll get a close up in daylight of the labelling

SJX426 

@WGB - They have latex tubes which is why they lose air. They are my go to tired and nearly all my rides have them.

Fredo76

My first spare sew-up of the geezer era!

Removed my 23mm Rally from the front wheel and strapped it to my seat for a spare, then mounted a 21mm Rally to take its place. I bought the 21mm to have a smaller spare, but it needs to break in first.

pastorbobnlnh 

I experienced my first tubular flat--- well actually a blow-out--- since deciding to run tubulars in 2015. I was rolling along at 15 mph on level ground--- and BANG! 90 PSI deflated in under a second and the Mariposa Caffe Latex didn't stand a chance.

BANG! Schwalbe One Tubular Blow-Out!

After mounting my spare Rally for the ride back home.

I really have nothing to complain about.

79pmooney

Went for a magic 50 miles yesterday on my new to me and certified spiffy Pro Miyata. (A re-paint I bought from a forum member. The local framebuilder found a BB crack. (While facing, aligning, a little post-paint re-tapping ...) He stripped the BB area paint and slobbered plenty of braze on. (Knew exactly what he was looking at. In his shop/pre-framebuilding days, a local racer used to regularly crack his Pro BB exactly the same. Miyata ran the tubes a shade short so not enough mitering and fit. BB shell being asked to do too much. Dave Levy (Ti Cycles) has ridden with me a few times and knows I don't tear BBs apart so he's pretty sure I can get away with the slobber approach.)

So - everything below the ST and DT panels is new paint. Almost matches the rest of the bike. A little darker, less matte, but striking. (Went to a DIY auto body paint store. They almost got the color match right and everything else was A1-first class. I had the perfect 6 day dry, sunny window in March! Painted it outdoors in perfect light, temp, no wind. And being March, no going back, re-paints, etc. That weather window wasn't happening again.

Yesterday, first ride. On the rear wheel and tire I rode Cycle Oregon last Sept. Old shallow NOS GP4, 7-speed 13-26 FW hub. Vittoria 23C G+ tire pumped hard. Front, NOS GEL33O rim, new +Veloflex Protour 25c tire. I pumped to 119 psi rear, 102 front but I don't believe the gauge. My squeeze says 110, 97. The rest of the parts are a mish-mash, but a really good mish-mash! Superbe FD and those sexy DiaComp brakes made for the Pros. Cyclone DT rear to accommodate a later Chorus 52-42-30 triple. (I'm 30 years older than the bike and the best of the PNW isn't flat.) SunTour 2-bolt post. Ritchie -10 degree 140 quill stem, welded and gorgeous SS stem. Post and stem are light! Seat is a Specialized Body-Geo Comp. Hard as nails. Does nothing for me except- it works so well it disappears. Funky long reach bars with Cinelli 65-like semi-pista shoulders. Bars I absolutely love!

And the ride? The old magic carpet! Perfect bike, perfect wheels, perfect tires. Perfect race fit for this body. Yes, arms were tired. It's a race bike. Only sit-up is no-hands where the bike steers perfectly. Perhaps benefiting from a little Ti Cycles tweak. (With all this hype about fat cushy tires, blah, blah, blah, the best of those old skinny tired bikes with the first class sew-ups they were conceived around are as good as it gets. Well, yes, you do have to observe the road surface and steer accordingly. Parallel cracks are not your friend.)

spclark 

Attaboy 79mooney! I'm with you in spirit if not in tandem.

(I'm 23 years older than my 52-year old Motobecane but we both still work well enough together to enjoy ourselves, weather-permitting!)

IdahoBrett 

My first bike with tubular tires. Not sure if it was the idea that they would be different feeling. But it felt different. More “solid” around corners. And when leaning the bike side to side at speed on a straightaway. It was just a short 3 mile ride to check some derailleur adjustments.

smontanaro 

It depends a lot on the tire profile. Without knowing what you're used to, tubular tires often are more circular in Cross section, so there's not a dramatic of a change in how big a patch of rubber is on the road going from straight to a turn.

That said, that's just a general rule of thumb. I have some high quality clinchers which are very round in profile, and at least one set of tubulars (Maxxis) which are fairly unround.