You've got to wake-up pretty early in the morning to be ahead of Frank...

Like, in ?

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Bianchi-Campagnolo

Hi,



Ciao,

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Being a snob is an expensive hobby.

I've always applied the final layer of glue to the tire, but I've seen a few posters mention they apply the final layer to the rim.

Is it just preference or is there an advantage to one way vs. the other?

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Fear is healthy, panic can be deadly

Personally, I like to glue the tire by pressing down on it from above, stretching the tire down around the rim using my weight. To do this, I have to put the wheel on the ground. I just find it keeps things cleaner to put the last layer on the basetape, rather than the rim.

Hi,

Me OTOH I like to put that final layer on the rim so I can actually put my hands around the tub without having sticky cement on them.
Technically speaking it does not matter one way or the other though.

Ciao,

_________________
Being a snob is an expensive hobby.

Well...that was hard.

Everything went well until it was time to mount the tires. I think I would have had a much easier time had I use my vittorias, which slide on pretty easy. BUt I used gp4000 because its Oregon and there is rain, I thought they would keep traction better and I can use the corsas in summer.

Well, they barely fit. Even after 3 days on stretching wheels they barely fit. I cant emphasize that enough.

I let the glue dry for 15-30 minutes and it was pretty good and dry at that point, then I put another coat on the wheel and immediately began mounting.

The second the tire contacted the wheel it was stuck. I dont know what kind of heman could get these things to slide to the side to straighten thenm, but the blisters on my thumbs say it isnt me.

I had to pry them partially off and remount sections. They are still not perfect, but I'm happy with the job. lt made me feel retty hardcore. Not everyone is glueing their own wheels.

The only problem was that I started, quickly stopped, but started wiping the excess glue off the braking surface. This was one area I was surprised. I thought it would be everywhere, but there really isnt much, however bontrager stickers do not like acetone. I noticed this as a white smearf and to my horror saw half of one of my stickers wiped away.
I think I need a new sticker.

Hi,



That's ecactly the point I've been trying to make right from the beginning.
These bastards just refuse to stretch now, do they?
It must take some technique unknown to me or maybe you could hire my my canadian flee weight brother. Either that or Continental uses some metrics unknown to the rest of the world....

Ciao,

P.S. The worst part of this farce is that once you actually do get them on that rim is that you actually want to leave them there.
You're just too traumatised and do not want to go through this procedure again. Wicked, wicked....

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Being a snob is an expensive hobby.

I like to stretch contis for at least 3-4 days before glue. After they get glue, I let them sit a day fully deflated and then restretch them on a clean rim for another day. Even with these steps, there is still massive cursing and sore arms during installation. For me, unless you really need the protection of a gator skin, there is no reason to run the contis.

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"Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius -- and a lot of courage -- to move in the opposite direction."

Yes I think Conti's are a different beast when it comes to stretching. My thinking is that they stretch and then return to their original shape quite quickly, sort of like a slow elastic.

So I also re-stretch my pre glued Conti's until right before the last coat of glue that goes on right before I mount them. That way I have as little delay as possible between when they were stretched and when they are mounted. Seems to work ok for me.

Cheers

GJ

Wow. I've just finished reading this entire thread...it kinda feels like having done so much study there should be some form of WW Certificate Of All Things Tubular.

First off, THANK YOU to those posters who have provided their phenomenal knowledge to help newbies like myself - fantastically helpful stuff.

I think I have the main points on the glueing process down and I'll be definitely glueing (Mastik One though not sure where I can get it in tubes delivered to me here in Ireland but will look into it) and going with the several thin coats approach. I'll get the Schwalbe glue remover for removing cement from the rim (when needed - I get the point that you can often just put a new layer of glue on to reactivate and go from there).

I can also see the point around using something like acetone to ensure there's no greasy residue on the rim before the first coat but I don't think I saw anyone list a product that's easy to get hold of in the EU (for delivery to Ireland) - if I'm right, Goof Off is more for cement removal, so can anyone recommend a rim preparation substance?

I have a pair of Gigantex 23mm rims on the way to me - I'm 90kg (race weight is 85kg so still quite heavy) and my style involves mashing plenty of power through the pedals on flats/rolling terrain (I don't exactly blaze a trail going uphill!). I was advised those rims would be a good fit for my weight and was all set on getting 23mm Veloflex Carbons until I got to the last 20 pages of the thread in which two concerns were mentioned:

1. Someone had an issue with poor base tape adhesion due to the concave profile of Gigantex rims - the base tape didn't really touch the side walls of the rims. Is this an issue with the 23mm Gigantex rims and Veloflex tubs?

2. It's been mentioned that a 23mm tire may suffer pinch flats on deep rims. With my weight and Gigantex 23mm rims, is this something to be concerned about?

3. It's been mentioned towards the end of the thread that bigger tires have lower rolling resistance though I've seen conflicting views as to whether rolling resistance or aero (where 23mm beats 25mm) have a greater effect on speed. With my weight and riding style, would Veloflex Roubaix 25mm tires be a good idea? Maybe a Roubaix 25mm on the rear and Carbon 23mm on the front? Are Roubaix easy to install like Carbons?

The wheels and tires will be used mainly for racing but such is the poor quality of roads in Ireland (glass from accidents getting brushed to the side of the road and left there is a big problem and cause of punctures), puncture resistance is a high priority - do the Roubaix stand-up well there?

the roubaix will be tougher than carbons, they'll still puncture, but some risk avoidance will help

in london with carbons i've had one puncture and one bad cut, both on wet days, i avoid debris zones such as the edge of the road and bike lanes, they seem tougher than, say, conti force/attack or gp4000s compounds - in an effort to avoid cruel fate visiting a world of punctures upon me for such presumption i'm touching wood as i type

ebay for acetone, for instance http://www.ebay.ie/itm/Pure-Acetone-ind ... 0970151701

you might get small quantities sold as nail varnish remover from a chemist or beauty salon, but make sure it's pure acetone, for cosmetic use it might have oils or other stuff added

tbh i'd just get can of mastik one, wiggle ship to ie, if you seal the lid well and leave it in a cool place it lasts reasonably

for glue removal, white spirit is easy to get and safe - as long as you don't ignite it

otherwise, use schwalbe glue remover, you can buy it from german online stores

This is more of a pre-gluing question, but thought I'd post it in here rather than make a new thread.

Here's the deal: I have a set of Ambrosio Nemesis-wheels with old'ish FMB-tubs (Specialized Paris-Roubaix version from 2010, bought from an ex-mechanic from the Saxo Bank Team) and I can't seem to figure out how to get the valve out. I'm pretty sure I've loosened the glue around the valve hole enough to remove the actual tub, but the valve seems stuck. Or, and I have the feeling this might be the case, some part of the valve needs to be screwed of?

It looks like this:

Thanks sungod, will lookup that acetone on ebay and get some of it.

I've decided to go for the Roubaix but now I've also seen the Arenberg and they look identical spec-wise except they have black sidewalls which I prefer to the tan. I'll go for Arenberg back and front to ensure there's no issues with the tire not reaching the 23mm rim sidewalls to adhere to it - I can always go 23mm on the front next time if I'm comfortable it'll adhere well. Is the Arenberg the same as the Roubaix but for colour?

I'll get a can of Mastik 1 but I'd also seen mention on here of getting a plastic syringe from a pharmacy to quickly apply the glue to the rim and then use fingers wrapped in a thick plastic bag to smooth it out. My pharmacy didn't have plastic syringes but they're easy to get on ebay, like here: http://www.ebay.ie/itm/Lab-10ml-and-20m ... 4601b15dde Do people find this approach works well or does it give too thick layers?

And is this what people mean when they mention glue brushes work well for applying thin layers of glue? http://www.amazon.co.uk/Pioneer-Glue-Br ... 706&sr=8-2 I think when I'm done it'd be handy to put together a list of the materials and accessories recommended for a tub glue job as between the above, valve extensions & cores etc. it's not a very short list so might be useful for other newbies.

sidewall colour is the only difference between roubaix and arenberg (ditto for carbon/criterium, and sprinter/extreme)

i use that type of brush, an alternative is a gloved/bagged finger, both will work it's really a matter of which you prefer

if you're fitting extenders, make sure they and the cores are screwed in *tight*, it's easier to do this before mounting the tyre, especially important if you'll be using a pump with a screw-on head