Run out of patience with tubulars,what clinchers to race on?

[de zwarten]

Maybe it works because the rim is not well-cleaned, so the tubular gets some grip. I guess it would start to slip sooner with a new, clean rim.
I did the same with pave 28mm tubs on nemesis rims: I glued them once (one layer of glue, only on the rim, putting the tubular on directly), and I took them off for some time. When I felt I wanted to try them again (for a cobbled ride), I just mounted them. No extra glue etc. They stayed well in place.

So from my experience, I wanted to say that having a flat and putting on a spare tubular halfway your ride isn't that risky that you immediately should fear for a rolling tubular...

[victorduraace]

^ some carry preglued tubular (will not dry out if stored in ziploc bag with basetapes sticked to each other)
and of course you need 6-7 atm pump to ensure decent pressure holding it in place

[victorduraace]

but usually to come back home ride, a large patch with superglue will deal with everything but biggest tears, I have ridden trashed tubs on alloy rims, would not dare on carbon though

[natefontaine]

The "proper" method seems a bit much for me. Here's my take using a new carbon wheel/tub:
Prepare rim bed with 240 sandpaper and wipe with 90% alcohol, wipe off basetape with 90% alcohol.
Two thin layers on each; starting at the hole/valve go around once, then go around again. This takes all of 10min.
Wait a few hours for the glue to dry, install with ~30psi, adjust round and straight on a truing stand.
Inflate to 140. Deflate to riding pressure and hit the streets.

[jimaizumi]

Back in the old days, when me and all my friends were using tubbies, we would always run over and look at the glue job of anyone who rolled a tire in a crit. Invariably it was that Vittoria gutta stuff. We never saw anyone with a problem with Continental, so of course that is what we always used. Then later I noticed that Vittoria also came out with a type that looked like the Conti, sort of translucent gold color.

With Conti glue, I always had the inverse problem: I can't get the damned tires to come off even when I want to!

I've been having massive hate issues after changing gliue from Panaracer to Conti's carbon cement..

1) Glue gets lumpy while on the brush as it dries way too fast
2) One layer on rim and tire and then finally one later on the TIRE!? This is as per instructed by Conti...(see youtube)
3) Never had an issue NOT sanding carbon rims w/ my Panaracer..went on clean, came off clean but tended to age a bit quicker and became brittle after 1yr of use. However, with Conti, the glue doesn't stick that easy to the rim..resulting in the glue naturally peeling off the rim... The odd part about this is that I redid the tire and all went well..nothing changed in the process.. who knows..

In comparison, my Panaracers (cheaper) held the tire as well as the Conti's.. I do have to admit that peeling the glue off the wheel after tire removal is much easier on the Conti's..its a few hours of cursing and non-stop cigarette sessions to get the Panaracer off using acetone and a spoon..

[OhPinchy]

So the new Continental Competition 25mm tires arrived and I've now had a chance to glue them up. Happy with how they look, think they actually suit the wheels better than the Veloflex I had on them, but in terms of suppleness, there seems to be a big difference. Though on the plus side, the Contis do look a much sturdier tire so I can already see they'll be better for puncture resistance.

I have no spare tubs to put tires stretching on. So I put the Contis on the rims for 30mins at 160psi (max pis on tire is 175psi) to get them stretched a bit but without getting stuck to the glue left on the rims. Also did a bit of brute force stretching them by standing on them and pulling upwards, I know it says not to do that, but there seemed no way I was getting them on without it.

Got the tires on with a fair bit of man-handling after putting one coat on rim and tire. They centred very easily, much easier than the Veloflex Arenbergs. Only problem is it was such a battle to get them on I ended up getting a fair bit of glue onto the rim and the tire. I used acetone to remove the glue from the rim, but it didn't do much on the rubber. So the glue has now dried on the tires and it is an eye sore. Is there any product well suited to removing dried glue from tubs without damaging the bond between the rim and tire or the rubber of the tire?

[HammerTime2]

Is there any product well suited to removing dried glue from tubs without damaging the bond between the rim and tire or the rubber of the tire?

Yes, your thumbnails.

[Getter]

I started using Vittoria Evo CX's when I got my first pair of tubular wheels in 2011. Can't get more than 2 to 300 miles before they puncture...it was getting frustrating and not to mention expensive. Switched to the Sprinter Gatorskins with some Stan's in them. No more punctures...but the ride isn't as good. I recently switched to the Vittoria Cosa Elite. A bit more supple and easier to mount than the Gatorskins.

When I glue my tires, I do it in one sitting. I pre stretch on an old clincher rim for a couple days.

One layer on the rim, one on the tire, let sit until the glue is tacky, one more layer on the rim and mount immediately. Wait 24 hours...ride. I use Continental glue.

[rosenbergemil]

Raced a lot on tubulars over the last three seasons. Punctured once.

[OhPinchy]

Is there any product well suited to removing dried glue from tubs without damaging the bond between the rim and tire or the rubber of the tire?

Yes, your thumbnails.

Thanks. Actually just clipped the fingernails yesterday morning, and left them very short, so there'll be no scratching off glue with them for a few days. So are there any other tips folks have for removing glue from the tire (not the rim, acetone did a great job there)?

It was quite the battle getting the Contis onto the rim, am amazed at how people can get them on without getting glue on the tires (I had to force the rim tape upwards on the stubborn bit at the end, and then the glue on my hands went onto the tire, or 1st attempt to stretch the tire over the rim didn't work and bit of glue went from tire to rim and then hit the tire sidewall during the 2nd attempt). Is it that if you have Contis pre-stretched for a few days, they glide on a lot easier? All my old wheels are clinchers and when I tried, it seemed they were a long way off fitting onto those. So reckon I'll need to pick up a cheap set of tubs to have tires stretching on...but I've not seen too many cheap sets available and the tubs already seem expensive to run so I don't want to add to the cost much.

[weeniesthlm]

5 cents on pure bad luck! I’ve ridden Vittoria SC the last year and only had puncture once. It was easily fixed with Pit Stop. I imagine that the road conditions in Ireland is rougher than here in Sweden tho.

As stated above; Why don’t you look in to alloy rims?

[HammerTime2]

I've never done it because I got several old tubular rims for free back in the 80s, but there have been plenty of posts here saying that you can stretch tubular tires on clincher rims.

Yes, stretch those Contis for at least a few days at high pressure. I usually pump to 160 psi, then after several days, repump to 160, then let it sit without reinflating until I am getting ready to mount soon, then pump again to 160 psi for at least a couple of days if possible. Then remove the tire from the rim, apply first coat of glue, and mount within a few hours. I always get some glue on the tire when mounting, but don't have much difficulty getting the tire mounted. By far the most difficult part of the process for me is getting the tire onto the stretching rim for the first time.

As for using thumbnail to scrape glue off the tire, I always remove all glue from the road contact surface (to include any part which could contact in hard cornering), and I generally put more effort into removing glue from the sidewalls of the front tire than the front, for the simple reason that the aesthetic and weight benefits (yes, not very much) of glue scraping are "amortized" over about 3 times the mileage and calendar time.

As was recently posted here, there is a new product from Vittoria.

Magic Mastik is Vittoria’s newly developed rim glue for tubulars. Several of its features are absolutely unique with significant benefits over alternative glue and cement products in the market. It can be applied easily, by amateurs or professional mechanics alike. Furthermore, it only needs to be applied on the surface of the rim rather than on tubular and rim like other adhesives.

Magic Mastik cuts the industry-standard drying time of 24 hours in half by removing the need for a second layer of adhesive. Instead of having to wait 12 hours before the tire is even mounted, Magic Mastik makes it possible to mount the tire immediately and starting the clock on drying time from the moment wheel and tire are put together satisfactorily. This new application process even reduces the total weight of applied adhesive by roughly 20 grams because of the single layer application.

Magic Mastik is as easy to remove, as it is to apply. This transparent product already offers a much cleaner rim and a simple wet cloth is sufficient to remove any wet glue residues on wheel or tubular. Once Magic Mastik has been dried for 12 hours it is no longer affected by water at all.

Also, because you don't need to apply glue to the tire, I think you could remove the tire from the stretching rim and start mounting within seconds - that should make the mounting even easier, because there will be no (as George Costanza would say) shrinkage. On the other hand, I haven't found anywhere on the internet offering it for sale yet.

[OhPinchy]

Thanks HammerTime2, that Magic Mastik does look very interesting. Wonder if it can be used on a rim that already has other glue on it or does it have to be used on a newly cleaned rim?

Now I've gotten the Contis onto the wheels, I'm happy enough as I can tell they seem way more puncture-resistant than the Veloflex so I'm hoping not to have to change tires for quite a while, but I'm out of glue anyway so will buy some to have on hand when I need it. Will go with normal Vittoria Mastik One unless the Magic Mastik can be used on a previously glued rim - my rims should take one more bout of glue reapplication before they need the hassle of removing all the glue and starting from scratch again.

Have seen online that Goo-off may do a job on removing glue from the tires without damaging the tires, so will pick up some of that and give it a go.

[HammerTime2]

Goof-off, despite the whimsical name, is nasty, nasty stuff, and can damage your health if you're not careful using it. As for whether it is safe for tires?

Vittoria advises to completely clean the rim before applying Magic Mastik. What I am wondering about is on the road mounting of a spare in case of a flat. If I don't get a flat (flats are extremely rare for me), I won't need to glue another tire until late summer at the earliest, so I'll wait to get actual usage reports for Magic Mastik before deciding whether to try it.

[boysa]

I don't know, it sounds like snake-oil to me. The whole process is so easy, and plain old Mastik so proven, I don't see the point in messing with it. As for cleaning a rim, I just ordered some Effetto Mariposa Carogna cleaner on the recommendation of a friend. He said it works like a charm. I don't need to break any rims down in the near future, but figured it would be good to have on hand.