Here in the Northeast I don't like riding in cold weather so I spend a lot of time tinkering in the off season. Winter projects started early with a set of Paul Racers replacing Tektro 559s on my Homer. Then, a rear derailleur swap on my 1972 Paramount, where I also took a bit of wobble out of it's rear wheel. An unplanned adventure happened when I came into a free 650B Velocity/Shimano rear wheel, which I matched with a similar front and then had to decide which bike they would go on. They ended up working best on my PDG OS Series Paramount (big surprise, as it's a racy frame) which led to putting the 559s on that frame, and while I was at it I put a New Albion XDD crankset on it to lower the gearing. Any minute now, a front wheel with a Shimano dynamo hub from Kesler is due to arrive, and I think that's going on the AHH. None of this was planned. What I had planned was general maintenance, cleaning, and polishing my two chrome frames. That hasn't happened yet. With regard to TPU tubes, I jumped in late last season. I never went tubeless, I don't live in thorn country and I have no problem patching tubes,. Tubeless seems like way more fuss and bother, plus I rotate riding between a lot of bikes so I had the idea that the sealant would settle and dry. In the Fall I bought a set of Ride Now tubes with metal valves for one of my Mercians, which rides on Rene Herse tires. To be honest I don't feel any difference between those and butyl tubes when riding. They've held air for months while they wait for the snows to melt. Maybe tomorrow I'll polish those frames!
Andy Scherer Manhattan and Woodstock NY On Friday, February 6, 2026 at 5:26:44 PM UTC-5 lconley wrote: > I have used 700C RH and 20” Tubolito TPU tubes with no failures, > admittedly not a lot of miles yet. I use Velocity VeloPlugs instead of rim > tape. I also bevel the valve stem hole inside the rim slightly with an > abrasive cone from a Dremel, not the Dremel, just the cone turned by hand. > I inflate slowly with a floor pump and deflate every 15-20 psi as per the > RH suggested procedure. > > I have some more RH tires and RH TPU tubes due to arrive next week. I > would have bought more Tubolitos, but they do not have one-piece > extra long valve stems. I am putting all-black 700 x 35 RH Bon Jon Pass > Extralights on my Trek District with the orange Velocity Deep-V rims. I > tried on some old 33.333 Rivendell Jack Brown Blues and they fit with some > room to spare, so I am going to max out the tire size to get a softer ride. > The tan sidewalls of the Jack Browns look hideous against the orange rims, > or I would have used the Jack Browns. Oh, the cost of vanity… > > Laing Conley > > > On Fri, Feb 6, 2026 at 2:32 PM Patrick Moore <[email protected]> wrote: > >> I learned absolutely nothing about TPU tubes from Garth’s post, but I did >> enjoy his description of the winter scenery; in particular, riding over to >> clear snow from around a friend’s yurt. Man, in my world we have exactly >> ZERO yurts. >> >> Garth: where on earth do you live, with yurts and huskies? >> >> Patrick Moore, hoping to do an extended (for me) group dirt ride tomorrow >> in the Village of Corrales, NM bosque, just North of ABQ, NM, where highs >> are forecast in the low 60s after lows about 30. >> >> On Fri, Feb 6, 2026 at 6:22 AM Garth <[email protected]> wrote: >> >>> I've done nothing much in regards to winter projects. Funny how that >>> goes, in Fall I think of all that I'll be able to do over ther winter. Then >>> Winter sets in, Life Happens in unexpected ways that fills my "free" time. >>> I don't think of the bike much except for riding on rollers every other day >>> for 20-30 minutes. Yesterday I rode outside for the first time this year. >>> It was sunny and 15F, little wind. I too a 5 minite ride over to a friends >>> house to clear some snow around her yurt. After that, and all warmed up, I >>> rode some around our hilly and thus invigorating neighborhood, which was >>> wonderful. My favorite stop was a home with a large lot with three doggies, >>> two of which are Hunskies and one in particular and I seem to enoy each >>> others company, merrily wagging his-her tail when he/she sees me and jaunts >>> up the yard to greet me. Despite said doggie keeping a certain distance >>> halfway in the yard, he/she rests in the snow, gazing in curoisity, >>> playfulness and delgiht. I'm not sure if that distance is because >>> electronic collars or what, but it doesn't matter. It's a lovely time, and >>> the communication can't be put into words of course, it's un-spoken-speak, >>> so to speak. Genuine heartwarming quality as Being Itself. >>> >>> There is a distinct loveliness that Winter offers, in the slowing down >>> and appreciating all the things overlooked in the midst of "just passing >>> by" in the warm seasons seeming intention of "getting somewhere" and >>> "accomplishing something". I see now that there is no place like where I'm >>> at, no time but NOW, no place like HERE ! No Gift Like The Present, the >>> Gift that keeps Giving Unconditionally, For-Ever and Ever and Ever. >>> Inexhaustable. Time-less. >>> >>> So, you know, what will be will take care of Itself as It always does. >>> Que Sera Sera. And what-so-ever that may be, it be guaranteed to be Good. >>> So like the Songbird that sings by virtue of being the Songbird, such is >>> Life Itself. >>> >> -- >> > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >> "RBW Owners Bunch" group. >> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an >> email to [email protected]. >> > To view this discussion visit >> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/CALuTfgtj9AaXFtRKgE_JN-AS_n%2BWZe-vVo_aH3_JU%3DwtktScxw%40mail.gmail.com >> >> <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/CALuTfgtj9AaXFtRKgE_JN-AS_n%2BWZe-vVo_aH3_JU%3DwtktScxw%40mail.gmail.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> >> . >> > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/80401fdf-9b02-4967-910e-5222873a4c0cn%40googlegroups.com.
