n.
slang for a tubular
bicycle tire commonly used by professional road racers and
track riding specialists.
A tubular tire is constructed by completely enclosing the inflatable inner tube within the rubberized tire casing, and then
literally sewing the casing together around it with an industrial sewing machine (hence the term "sewup"). A protective strip is then bonded to the tire to protect the stitching from abrasion. The tire is physically attached to the
wheel rim by gluing it in place with contact cement.
This design is somewhat archaic, and has been replaced for the most part by the more modern, beaded tire, or "clincher", which utilize a separate inner tube and open-style casing held in place by
air pressure
alone, much like an automobile tire.
Sewups, or tubular, tires are best suited to high-performance applications, because of their inherent lighter weight. However, due to the labor-intensive mounting procedure and higher manufacturing cost, the popularity of this design has diminished in recent years.
