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I don't quite understand the humour but frankly the world is filled with boorish twits. It would be great if all people took on a human face and civility when they mount a bicycle but they don't. Twits remain twits, Palookas remain palookas.

The take-off runway for the Bakan sound in the West:

Underground

USA

I only did mean in terms of colour, in a purely superficial way I like the look of the black/brown which they don't seem to do any more.

Zeitgeist. The new tyres are more graphic: black/black with oversized logos. The older ones, however, are still findable and excellent--- with some tyres such as the Sonderklasse I prefer the old model over the new.
If one wants good old school tyres the best source these days is FMB. They are exceptionally well made and look as if they were made by Dourdoigne. They are easily en par with the old Dugasts.

Aint it Polka?

The Polka is a Bohemien dance once quite popular in Middle Europe. The Balkan sound is a development of the Chochek via Serbian Brass. The base influence is from Ottoman military marching bands (Mehterân). One needs to keep in mind that much of South Eastern Europe was under the influence of the Ottomans if not directly a part of the Ottoman Empire. In the 14th Century Serbia and Greece fell, for example, to the Ottomans. A lot of Serbs moved to Vojvodina which was part of the Hungarian Empire. This territory, in turn, was taken by the Ottomans in the early 16th century after Hungary lost the Battle of Mohač. This brought with it a number of new instruments and music styles.

It's the rules.
Nice bit of Greek ska going on now. This is the band the Specials could have been, had they worked in kebab shops.

Greece did not do Ska but what is collectively known these days as Balkan Pop. Its pretty much the trend these days in various formulation as Balkan Funk (bands like Dubioza Kolektiv) to Gypsy Punk (bands like Gogol Bordello) to Turbo-Folk/Balkan Beat (Serbian folk meets Techno/Dance Floor).

The Tempo is a gumwall, like the back tyre, and the Sprinter is all black, and so wouldn't match. These things matter. Another tick in the 'reuse the old tub' box.

The Tempo is not a gum wall. Its a skinwall nylon tyre just like the Sprinter. The Tempo has 3 plies. The Sprinter has 4 layers: 3 fabric plies and 1 breaker. The newest Competition too is 3 fabric plies and 1 breaker (here Vectran). The new Sonderklasse is 2 plies 160 tpi and the Steher 3 plies--- now polyamid (Nylon) instead of cotton. The Gatorskin and ProTection road tyres use a different formulation for the skin sidewalls using something they call DuraSkin: an anti-cut polyamide fabric weave. Currently ALL Conti tyres come in black/black and that includes the Tempo II. Its just colouring.

It's hard to look beyond Conti tubs (bar the Giro) for everyday use.

The Contis are really good. For ultimate robustness I like the Conti ProTection tyres. They seem to be even more robust than the standard Competitions.
Despite using mainy Conti tyres I do tend to grab for others from time to time.. and have an assortment on rims stretching in the dark...

pitstop

I would not use pitstop or any other latex milk filler (most all the products are latex based with Slime as the main exception) on track tyres. I would instead suggest that one patches then according to the age old tradition. They don't decrease faults on the track, add mass and the spray can make an antisocial mess-- most of the solutions are even alkaline.

Shimano hubs are all forged

While Shimano (as other Japanese premiere vendors) are big on cold forging their high end hubs tend to NOT be cold forged but spun. Our favorite NJS Dura Ace 7600 and 7710 track hubs are good examples. With a probable few exceptions--- such as the Campagnolo C-Record--- most all NJS certified hubs, I think, were spun.

Other methods of forming round metal parts include hydroforming, stamping, forging and casting. These other methods generally have a higher fixed cost, but a lower variable cost than metal spinning. As machinery for commercial applications has improved, parts are being spun with thicker materials in excess of 25mm thick steel. Conventional spinning also wastes a considerably smaller amount of material than other methods.
Objects can be built using one piece of material to produce parts without seams. Without seams, a part can withstand higher internal or external pressure exerted on it. For example: scuba tanks and CO2 cartridges.
One disadvantage of metal spinning is that if a crack forms or the object is dented, it must be scrapped. Repairing the object is not cost-effective.

Spinning results in stronger more failure resistant hubs.

The final price drop bump! £80 + shipping.

Awesome hub! Someone must want it!

Make it 80 incl. and its sold...

Still more or less relevant: Rambling About Light Wheels
(an update should, I think, address the developments over the last fews years: single speed road, availability of tubular rims, price development of old alloy rims, carbon rims, wooden rims, new spokes such as the Sapim Superspoke,...)

Be aware that anything you buy new...will depreciate like crazy and will be worth half the money in 6 months,

Depreciation should never be an issue. One needs to, however, distinguish between consumables and durables in bicycles.. A number of components should be replaced on used bicycles.. handlebars for example.. But we are talking about frames.. The new and used market are not really connected so sometimes one can get a new frame for a price that is hardly more than what a used one might cost.. The main reason to get a used frame is to get something that one wants that is no longer available...

A classic steel frame will be infinitely more enjoyable to tour on than anything new and aluminium, and will last about 30 years longer as well. Alu frames are prone to stress failure, and do this far more regularly than steel ever does. Steel is far more forgiving when touring too, as the material stretches and flexes in ways that Alu never does...which makes for a far more enjoyable ride.

This is horribly absurd. While a mild steel frame as common to Indian and Chinese roadsters can indeed last longer than any comtemporary racing frame, a properly made steel won't last longer than properly made alu or ti. The big difference between steel and alu is not the failure but the modus of failure. Steel fails more gracefully.
The problem we have seen with some Alu frames is not the material but the use of the material. A number of frames were quite simply "stupid light". Stupid light is not restricted to alloy but can be done with steel just as with carbon--- and there is a lot of "stupid light" carbon out there.

And old steel? During the bike boom of the 1970s a lot of very poorly made frames were thrown onto the market. The main reason that many of these frames are still around is that they were not ridden but spent most of their life in people's basement. Quality control of lower cost alu frames, by contrast, is typically much better many of cheap mass produced lightweight steel frames that one found in the 1970s and 1980s.

Does an old frame ride better? Again.. the opposite is probably the case.. A lot has advanced since the 1960s and 1970s.. This is especially true for larger frame sizes. Back when I started riding being tall was a big disadvantage as big frames were quite noodles. On my old 531DB steel frame my wife used to be shocked watching the bottom bracket sway when I pushed. First time she saw it she thought it looked dangerous and was scared as if the frame was going to buckle under during my sprint. Then came OS steel frames. My Merckx MXL does not sway! These days its no longer a disadvantage to have long legs. Riders are taller. Today's alu frames offer not only stiffness en par with my Merckx MXL but also lower weight. Don't get me wrong, I like steel and can give a number of arguments for a number of steel tubesets but in the early Y2K some of the most interesting frames were alu and not steel.

In the vertical there is hardly any difference btween my 531 frame and any of my modern steel and alu bikes. The difference is in the lateral stiffness.

I waited 24 hours too as per the WW guide. Oh well, cant do any damage

or maybe it can, if you live in a dust pit like I do

Unless you live in the Sahara and its a sand storm... Normal house dust does not matter.. Mastic is not like normal household contact cement. Its sticky, gummy and elastic when dry and flows when warm.

Waiting 24 hours between glue layers is never necessary.

necessary? No. Does it hurt? *NO*.

How long should one wait?
I wrote in my instructions "Let Dry (between 15 minutes and 12 hours depending upon mastic used)".

It's not a Giro, I just happened to be reading one and was amused at how Continental could seem to have two conflicting sets of instructions.

Its good that its not the Giro. The Giro is NOT made by Conti but OEMd from, I think, Lion Tyres (Thailand). Its a heavy, puncture prone tyre without merits. A friend, meaning well, gave me a case of them and they did not last. My sample was large enough to dismiss any "bad karma".

They're Conti Tempo, which probably means they will puncture while I'm riding the mile to the velodrome and all of this discussion will be moot anyway.

Tempos are OK. They are like Sprinters but with less rubber. Not the longest lasting tyre for the road but more reliable than the Giro... a lot of Pros use them in TT and mountain stages. Tempos are quite common on the track. They are, I think, Contis most popular track tyre.

they are. even 1000archangels agrees.. ;-)

But are they any better than any of the other companies that also make gloves using Cabretta leather.. even probably all sourcing them from the same place (I venture to think its Pittards)? I've had a number of Pittards gloves.. all fine.. Real disadvantage over modern synthetics is that Cabretta does not wear as well.. an issue with road cycling gloves..
I can understand 100 EURO tyres but 120 EURO (135 for the Team Sky fan version) half-finger road cycling gloves I can't.. that's even more expensive than very special Tanabe track gloves..

So I had a gift voucher and need new gloves so decided to get the grand tour gloves. Anyone have them? Decent?

The price alone makes them an absurd choice! Love the text... "for the serious cyclist"..
And here is the matching head protection:

My (our) thinking with the adhesive tape residue being left on the rim was that it would serve a similar function to previous layers of glue.

Not really. The old glue is to form a nice bed. This sticky rest and bits of old tape you have is just that: "sticky rest and "old tape"".
Can it hurt? Don't know. I'd remove it with a rub down with a good solvent.. Assuming Alu rims... Which you ask? Xylol is probably a good bet--- use only with good ventilation (outdoors) as the fumes are nasty. No need to get the rim to "as new" but I'd try to remove as much of the old tape as one can.
I don't remove old glue when I change tires but its "my glue"... With a used wheel I'd suggest it might be good to try to remove the old stuff and build a new mastic bed..

You forget 16".

Yes.. Who can forget Alex...

P.S.: The Dunlop 16" where also called 18" by Milremo...

Don't worry, there is only one size tubular rim (Ok, two if you count 650).

There are a whole lot more sizes... 27", 26" (650c like), 24" (used by show cyclists), 22" all the way down to 20" (wheelchair racers)

The tub came off very easily, looks like it was actually taped rather than glued.

The shop then was totally OUT OF THE PICTURE.. (one now knows where not to go in the future)..

Tubulars? Was that not the theme song from the Ex-o-cist... You know from Mike Watduf-ck

The tub came off very easily, looks like it was actually taped rather than glued.

Noticed after I'd peeled it off that it is apparently a 27" tubular tyre...is it possible that these could ever have been successfully fitted to 700c rims?

27" is the size of tubulars that are the equivalent of 700c clinchers..... I know its complicated and confusing.. but its history and history is...

It's too late now, I think.

I think I will have to bite the bullet on the re-gluing/truing cost and hope it's a lasting solution. And ride the mile to Herne Hill twice weekly praying the roads don't eat my tubs.

I'd Reglue! The sound is probably from the cement which has become brittle and no longer correctly bonding. Basetape seperation is also a possibility and not wholly unhead of. The bond between tire and rim is complex as its a bond between tire and basetape and basetape and rim. The weakest bond is the limiting factor. The tire is held onto the rim by the inflated tire itself and not really the glue. The glue is to prevent elastic tire movements and as a contraint against lateral forces--- tire "roll off". Tubular mastic is generally sticky. Basetape cement is generally quite strong and non-elastic. Tubular mastic must be a sacrificial bond, e.g. break when needed. If the mastic is too strong rather than having slight tire movements the basetape bond can break. Since the basetape bond is not sticky it can't "re-attach" itself. The tire is free to squirm or even roll-off. Squirming leads to wear down the casing and this can result in cacatastrophic failure ("boom").

The Tempo is a robust tire and well-suited to being reglued--- unless they used shellac (then one won't be able to remove the tire without extreme force). In removing the tire the basetape may seperate--- if it has not already. One needs to glue it back on. With cotton and silk tyres something like Renia Gummilösung (liquified rubber) is a good choice. With Conti tyres I have used Kövulfix Record glue (used to cement rubber soles on shoes)-- Patex and other contract cements will probably also work fine. The important parameters are the need for strength, elasticity and resistance to solvents (water, oil, gasoline etc.).

The codes stamped on this Merckx Alu team don't correspond to the regular steel frame coding system.

Its hardly possible beyond simply comparing it with catalogs. Not all Merckx frames where made in Eddy's barn. A lot of non-steel frames got subcontracted to a number of other builders. There were also a number of variations possible as Merckx did also made-to-order (finishing and braze-on options) and made-to-measure alongside "ready to ride". The Alu team frames I think were done from around 1999 until 2001. In the 2002 catalogs its position was replaced with the Elite (EM Extralight 7005 tubes). Its a bit confusing since some frames seemed to get 7005 and others 7020. I think I also recall a change of tube suppliers from Columbus to Easton....