Tube wise, keep looking, but many self destructed BITD and no doubt even more prone to self destructing some 30 years on. I had some and reserved them for racing only and eventually gave up on them, but kept the dust caps so I can pretend I have them fitted!!!
Specialized did ultralight butyl tubes back then, but I know you know what you’re after and it’s them Air-B beauties! Good luck!
Perhaps someone will have a pair of the red Air-B schraeder caps in a drawer that they'd part with, which, to the purist-in-the-know, might indicate to them that vintage latex tubes are contained therein!?
People have put wanted ads up for any peculiar bike-related thing you can think of!
I had this monolouge typed out with pictures on how I screwed up and how the Marwi titanium spokes will not work with the Nossler hubs due to the flanges being too wide. Took some photos to show you all what I was working with, with possible remedial options to move forward in life.
Found myself scratching my head before posting. Went and measured the flanges on some m900 XTR hubs... only real issue if you want to call it that is that the Nossler flanges are 'maybe' 0.15 mm thicker. Spokes are 2 mm in diameter and spoke holes in the flanges are approx. 2.5 mm. No issues there. Perhaps the J Bend was too tight?
Working on the front hub first, straight lace pattern. Tried lacing a spoke to the J bend- no luck. Tried another with a bit of wiggling- POP! Spoke popped into place. Tried another; too tight. Tried another, popped into place. After doing maybe a dozen spokes I have determined the tollerances of the J bends were not exact so I persuaded the remaider into place without (what I think is too much) fatigue of the titanium.
As it stands now, the front wheel is mocked up before dishing, spoke tension and application of the supplied Marwi nipple lubicant to myself and the parts.
First I wanted to mock up the wheel to see if the spokes were sufficient length before disassembly, cleaning/degreasing and titanium anodization of an undetermined color. But! I am positively worried about over stressing the spokes back out of the flanges, then back in making the ol' in-and-out three times. I aaaaaaactually like the current look of the nude titanium matching the hubs and tying in the color of the Atek rims. Maybe red anodized nipples can be cool, or torquoise or Rasta, but I like the all-naked look just as well. Change my mind?
Preliminary weights w/o nipple lube & rim tape: 606 grams
By comparison weighing my own front XTR m900/ Sun Chinook 'Race Use Only' wheelset, front: 720 grams (rear: 985).
Other XTR m900 front wheel weights via the internet are anywhere from 720 - 780 grams.
Has this all paid off in spades for weight savings? I guess? Over 100 grams alone for the front wheel is massive savings. This front wheel (rim, hub, spokes only) was about $280 - $300 in parts & shipping over two years ago. Additionally to get at the spokes I had to buy a massive Lot of around 18 sets of Marwi Ti spokes in various lengths. Around a $700 purchase in spokes. That was a painful purchase at the time, but what are you going to do when you clearly have an addiction issue? Well, you addict. I suppose if I don't constantly break spokes with moderate trail riding and they stay true then I suppose it works out and I am an absolutely awesome wheel builder beyond measure of space and time (and titanium spokes as old as dirt are a viable option).
The Marwi directions call for using a Wheelsmith-brand Tensiometer. I have the Park Tool TM-1. The former has an actual scale, the later uses consecutive numbers...which requires checking on Park Tool for wtf it all means; a minor inconvenience, but stupid nontheless. Marwi wants 125 kg which is about a C-hair over "24" on TM-1, in case any of you lose sleep over this.
Perhaps someone will have a pair of the red Air-B schraeder caps in a drawer that they'd part with, which, to the purist-in-the-know, might indicate to them that vintage latex tubes are contained therein!?
People have put wanted ads up for any peculiar bike-related thing you can think of!
I think too many coloured nipples would take away from that undeniable classy look.
For my Catalyst I tried to pick up the colours of the rim decals with the nipples.
It’s just one colour for here, so maybe just two coloured nipples either side of the valve hole?
But it might prove tricky to get brown-ish spoke nipples…
I think too many coloured nipples would take away from that undeniable classy look.
For my Catalyst I tried to pick up the colours of the rim decals with the nipples.
It’s just one colour for here, so maybe just two coloured nipples either side of the valve hole?
But it might prove tricky to get brown-ish spoke nipples…
I mean, nude aluminum caaaaaaan be anodized brown (I would have to order the pigment from the USA) but that would be an absolute pain to do 64 tiny pieces with etching and cleaning then boiling/heat soaking the pigpment. Another option that may very well not work, but might work is to take red anodized nipples then throw them in etchant and hope for a faded look. Killing the etchant with distilled water to dilute the process and hope it doesn't run away on you.
Gosh I may just leave these suckers as-is. I usually do anodized valve stems for a splash of color anywho.
