Why are Conti tubs made that way?
Moderator: robbosmans
Ok as per the subject why do Conti continue to make their tubs "short" surely if there is enough angst to stop people from buying their product [who otherwise would] because of an extra few mm's of rubber they would alter their sizing?? They must have their reasons, maybe I am missing something?
Steve
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They sit tighter and are much less likely to roll off
I use Conti tubs and to be honest I don't know why everybody is complaining so much. Yes the first fit is a tighter than Vittoria or Veloflex but it's not that hard! Then pump to pressure and leave them overnight or as long as possible. Then your ready to remove and fit, no real issues after that. As the quote above says your unlikely to roll them.
Don't get me wrong I ride Conti tubs and am very happy. Yes they do seem to be a bit of a struggle to fit [after prestretching] but it's far from a problem. Just trying to see what people thought was Conti's reasoning. Victor's thoughts certainly have merit but whether Conti's roll off less than other brands I have no idea.
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Harmitc wrote:I use Conti tubs and to be honest I don't know why everybody is complaining so much. Yes the first fit is a tighter than Vittoria or Veloflex but it's not that hard! Then pump to pressure and leave them overnight or as long as possible. Then your ready to remove and fit, no real issues after that. As the quote above says your unlikely to roll them.
+1 Tight and round
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Continental Sprinter tubulars are OK to mount. They stretch enough after mounting to allow remounting on the side of the road. As already mentioned, stretching them on a clean dry rim without glue is important. That stretches them enough to mount with glue. They never stretch enough to be easy to mount. They require pulling and grunting and such. But as mentioned, a tighter tubular is better than a looser tubular.
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On Oct 22, 2008 in problem mounting conti's on my new cosmic carbones, HammerTime2 wrote:Someone should produce a slightly undersized rim - that would make it easier to get Conti's on for stretching. Sometimes, Conti tubulars can be a "bear" to get on a rim for stretching.
For tubular, put tubular on undersized rim, inflate and let stretch; then put tubular on full-sized rim, then inflate and let do final stretching. Similarly for clincher.
On April 8, 2011 in Glueing tubulars [the tubular thread], HammerTime2 wrote:There may be a real market opportunity (even if not very large) for someone to manufacture an el cheapo slightly undersized "pre-stretching" rim, which would be easy to get a Conti Comp, Dugast, etc. tire onto for initiial "pre-" stretching (inflate once on the pre-stretching rim), and then after pre-stretching, you would then put the tire on a full sized rim for final stretching.
On May 28, 2014 in Making the transition to tubularsHammerTime2 wrote:I say once again, someone should produce a slightly undersized "pre-stretching" rim, which would have a small enough diameter to make it easy to initially mount a (tubular) tire without glue. The tire would then be inflated for an initial (pre-)stretching. Then the tire would be removed and placed on a full-sized rim, and inflated for final stretching. The pre-stretching rim should be big enough to allow enough stretching when the tire is inflated so as to make placing the tire on the full-sized rim easy.Geoff wrote:Yeah, well, that is the way we dealt with 'difficult' tires back 'in the day'.
I still remember 'Old' George teaching me how to do a stirrup-stretch when I was 12 or 13 years old, or so. We raced and trained on Czech-made Barum tires (incidentally, now Tufo). I was suprised to see the amount of force he applied, resulting in a series of loud, 'snapping' sounds as the basetape threads separated. The tires went on much easier, and I never had a problem mounting the tire using his technique. Also, I never had a problem with tires adhereing or flats as a result.
Today, a lot of manufactures specifically warn against using a stirrup-stretch on their tires to avoid damaging them. Today, almost everybody recommends stretching tires by leaving them on s rim (which doesn't help getting them on a rim in the first place, which can actually be harder than getting them on a rim having glue on already, due to slippage). Though I don't advise that you do it yourself, lest you damage a tire, I have been known, on occasion, to revert to my old ways for a difficult tire (Dugast seta 27's, for instance)
Anyway, once a tire is nicely stretched-out (however you get there) you should not have any problem mounting it.
Unnecessary. If I really do want to use a Conti tubular, I want to stretch it as much as possible from the get go. I'll fight with it to get it on the regular rim since I want the stretch. I'd rather do it once than in stages. And if I really want a good stretch, I'd wrap a regular rim with thick rim tape to make the stretching circumference larger, not smaller.
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I got a new conti rally tire to carry as a space. That thing was a bear to get on the stretching rim. But after a couple days it was fine. I use the Bontrager R4 tubs and they slip on with about half the effort needed. Not worried about rolling on though.
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Actually after gluing a lot of Continental Gatorskin tubbies, I ve learned how it is done. First tip, always have your spare stretching on a broken rim for a while prior to installing it, that makes it easier. When you install it, as you have it on your lap, first put the valve and like Calnago says, stretch it as much as possible since the beggining. If you let it seat first without stretching it it is going to be really hard to place the tubular in its position at the end without destroying your hands.
That being said, I dont know why you ride Conti tubulars, they are awful!!! Very though but you lose a lot of the "tubular" feeling from other brands
That being said, I dont know why you ride Conti tubulars, they are awful!!! Very though but you lose a lot of the "tubular" feeling from other brands
I'am a typically weedy cyclist! Legs are OK but arms are like sticks! I just can't understand the fuss! Plop the valve in the hole, hands either side, start pulling equally and work it on, last 200mm can be harder than a Vittoria but it's not that hard! Pump up, leave over night or longer and fit properly.
If you ride Tubs a lot you'll have at least one old rim for stretching. If not just do it on your road rim?
With regard to why do you ride Continental? Yes they are a little less flexible than a Velo' or Vittoria but there still better than clinchers? But puncture resistance is in a different league.
If you ride Tubs a lot you'll have at least one old rim for stretching. If not just do it on your road rim?
With regard to why do you ride Continental? Yes they are a little less flexible than a Velo' or Vittoria but there still better than clinchers? But puncture resistance is in a different league.
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I am wish the other poster who says what is all the fuss about. I do worry about the new vittoria corsa on my old mavics rims. The fit was very easy without stretching the tubs. Rolling might happen with these. With a conti tub I think you could ride with no glue and be of if you were careful. They are also very round.
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What I am advocating, presuming I could get an undersized "first stage" stretching rim, is twp easy stages, rather than one very difficult stage. If my hands and fingers were as relatively strong compared to other people as my glutes, quads, hamstrings, and calves are, I'd probably get them on a full-sized rim just fine. But my hands and fingers are weak, and i apparently don't have good enough technique to overcome that weakness, hence, it's tough for me to get Conti's on a stretching rim for the first time., although I eventually manage to do it. Once I've stretched them, mounting with glue is no problem.Calnago wrote:Unnecessary. If I really do want to use a Conti tubular, I want to stretch it as much as possible from the get go. I'll fight with it to get it on the regular rim since I want the stretch. I'd rather do it once than in stages. And if I really want a good stretch, I'd wrap a regular rim with thick rim tape to make the stretching circumference larger, not smaller.
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