tubulars, what do you do when they go flat?

[marijnvdoorn]

Hi,

Maybe this is a silly question but i am thinking of buying some tubular wheels.

But what do you guys do when you have a flat tire?

Just call your mama to pick you up, or is there another solution?

I dont want to go out riding with a spare tube around my neck.

Any suggestions?

marijn

[Superlite]

Ride with a spare. Thats what jersy pockets are for.

[tobias]

you could also use some kind of quick repair gel made by tufo.
it really works well with small punctures.

[martin]

you could also use some kind of quick repair gel made by tufo.
it really works well with small punctures.

i ruined a nice new Veloflex Servicio Corse with it. That stuff works only with Tufo's own tyres which have the inner Tube vulcanized with the outer tyre.
Other tubulars have a separate inner tube (Latex on the better ones) that loose air if not inflated frequently, and then the Tufo repair fluid will glue the inner tube walls together.
I use a spare tyre attache to the saddle rails - thats what toestraps are for

Martl

[spytech]

heh, since i live in new york, i ride with a metro card, i catch a flat and i walk to the train station which leaves me 3 blocks from my house

but i have been lucky no flats yet. tufo has been good to me.

[tommasini]

I carry a 200 gram panasonic brand sewup rolled up in my back pocket next to my mini pump in the same pocket. It isn't much bigger or heavier than a spare tube. Not the kind of tire you want to run all the time as it has a small cross section - but like a space saver spare in your car it's good enough for the few times it might be needed. World Class Cycles has them and so do mail order outlets that cater to wheel chair racers (try yahoo).

[asphaltdude]

Ride with a spare. Thats what jersy pockets are for.

And say goodbye to the weight advantage gained by riding tubulars

[tobias]

Ride with a spare. Thats what jersy pockets are for.

And say goodbye to the weight advantage gained by riding tubulars

i always carry a spare tube when i go riding without tubulars. that´s pretty much the same. if i take tubulars, i fetch an xtra tire (folded!!) and
a small air gun...that´s all. there is no other way unless you like to walk...

[Geoff]

I have raced and trained exclusively on tubular tires since the early 80's. In all of the kilometres I have ridden (training and racing) I have only ever had four punctures and on two events, with consecutive punctures of two tires within a 200m section of road . In both cases, the punctures occurred while training and in the rain or sleet. Since I only had one spare in each occasion, I was SOL. When it happened last season, I just had my wife drive out to get me, as I was still 80km out.

My point is, one of the main reasons that you ride tubulars is that they don't get flats. Having said that, for training rides I always take an old, well-worn tubular (you will get lots of those, as they invariably get retired due to the tread being worn off because they never flat ), fold it by rolling it around the valve stem in 10-12cm increments, wrap it with a paper bag (to keep sun and junk off it) and secure it under your saddle with an old toe clip strap (if you are old enough to remeber those).

Oh, don't forget a pump. I like the alloy Toppeak ones, as they fit neatly between the rear quickrelease and the junction of the seattube and seatstays. Don't be swayed into buying a tiny 'mini-pump'. If you ever do get a flat in inclement weather, you will hate your life trying to inflate to pressure with one of those things.

[Ye Olde Balde One]

I have raced and trained exclusively on tubular tires since the early 80's. In all of the kilometres I have ridden (training and racing) I have only ever had four punctures and on two events, with consecutive punctures of two tires within a 200m section of road . In both cases, the punctures occurred while training and in the rain or sleet. Since I only had one spare in each occasion, I was SOL. When it happened last season, I just had my wife drive out to get me, as I was still 80km out.

My point is, one of the main reasons that you ride tubulars is that they don't get flats. Having said that, for training rides I always take an old, well-worn tubular (you will get lots of those, as they invariably get retired due to the tread being worn off because they never flat ), fold it by rolling it around the valve stem in 10-12cm increments, wrap it with a paper bag (to keep sun and junk off it) and secure it under your saddle with an old toe clip strap (if you are old enough to remeber those).

Oh, don't forget a pump. I like the alloy Toppeak ones, as they fit neatly between the rear quickrelease and the junction of the seattube and seatstays. Don't be swayed into buying a tiny 'mini-pump'. If you ever do get a flat in inclement weather, you will hate your life trying to inflate to pressure with one of those things.

Here's an old trick I read Robert Millar used to do.

For the nasty weather training miles he would put old tubulars INSIDE a clincher tire. This way he had two layers of tread before anything would even hit the tube. He then went on to say he could run his clinchers down to the thread without problems.

I used to do this in my racing days, I can't recall ever having a puncture, and when you put normal wheels on you flew

[tobias]

Here's an old trick I read Robert Millar used to do.

For the nasty weather training miles he would put old tubulars INSIDE a clincher tire. This way he had two layers of tread before anything would even hit the tube. He then went on to say he could run his clinchers down to the thread without problems.

I used to do this in my racing days, I can't recall ever having a puncture, and when you put normal wheels on you flew

...did you mount them on a standard tubular rim? i thought, the clincher tire could move because it´s not really fixed. it would be great if you would explain this in detail...next winter will surely come
thanks

tobias.

[Ye Olde Balde One]

Here's an old trick I read Robert Millar used to do.

For the nasty weather training miles he would put old tubulars INSIDE a clincher tire. This way he had two layers of tread before anything would even hit the tube. He then went on to say he could run his clinchers down to the thread without problems.

I used to do this in my racing days, I can't recall ever having a puncture, and when you put normal wheels on you flew

...did you mount them on a standard tubular rim? i thought, the clincher tire could move because it´s not really fixed. it would be great if you would explain this in detail...next winter will surely come
thanks

tobias.

You mount them on a clincher rim, the tubular takes the place of an inner tube.

[tobias]

You mount them on a clincher rim, the tubular takes the place of an inner tube.

no trick, just pressure to keep it fixed. thanks - i´ll try that next winter!

[mrowkoob]

You mount them on a clincher rim, the tubular takes the place of an inner tube.

no trick, just pressure to keep it fixed. thanks - i´ll try that next winter!

Sounds like a neat winter trick never though of that.... I use those flatprotection rubber thingies "antiplatt" to line the inside of the tires on the winter bike. Makes me go from 10 punctures pr winter to 1 or 2.
Next winter I´ll try the tubes inside for sure.

[kite flyer]

I switched to latex tubes (in clinchers) when I re-started cycling Dec '03 and so far no punctures.

However, I was put off of tubulars many years ago by my LBS because I was told:

- tubs are stuck onto the rim and need time for the glue to set, so if you stick one onto a rim out on the road it will not stick properly requiring very careful riding.

- a wet tub (and it rains in the UK - alot) will not stick for love nor money.

Are things the same or has tyre tech moved on?

p.s. I remember toe straps - I still use them. Tried clipless once and didn't get on with them. Must try again some day.