There are lost crafts in cycling. A few days ago Peter Steven's came over to my house to show Seth Forman and I his skills of gluing a tubular (or sew up) onto my track bike. Seth did not really know what sew ups were. Hardly anyone does nowadays even though they are still in use. You see, back in the 70s you could not buy a skinny road clincher like you can today. Mountain bikes were still a decade away from hitting the market. Those who rode back then had to tackle the fine art of gluing the tire onto the rim. Any flat tire required this. I rode sew ups for about five years before getting a pair of road clincher wheels. I did glue tires on but never mastered this skill like Peter. I was in my early teens and could make a very big mess every time. The glue has got to be one of the stickiest substances known to man. To make matters worse one company colored their glue red. I can remember going to school with so much red glue on my hands that people thought I had a skin disease. This mess, along with a constant problem of bike grease everywhere, surely drove my mother crazy. Peter said that he had lots of practice gluing tires on for kids. He has a long history of working with kids who raced. I can now remember several senior members of our road pack gluing tires on for me and even giving me tires. I would have never been able to ride without the help of these men. Do we help young cyclist like this today?

Peter can glue a tire quickly with the style and grace of a master craftsman. No mess either. He explained the history of the tires and various other components. Did you know that the first thing Campy made were hubs. Derailers and freewheels (now cassettes) were not even invented yet. After gluing the tire on and inflating it, we set off on a track bike ride. Seth recently has become interested in track racing and has been dying to try out the fixed gear. My track bike had a flat for a decade so he could only look at it. Peter fixed my bike and loaned Seth one of his 1950s track bikes. I have ridden countless miles on a velodrome but rarely on the road. Peters bike has a hand brake but mine, like most track bikes, does not even have a place for one. NO BRAKES. We road around Indian Hill for about an hour. Indian Hill is a nearly flat loop about a half-mile long close to my house. It was like going back in time for me. Thank you Peter for passing down some cycling lore. Road cycling is a very old and established sport. It is full of tradition and etiquette that will never be captured in a book or movie. Only the telling of stories around the repair stand will continue this.