Glueing tubulars [the tubular thread]

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sungod
Posts: 1702
Joined: Fri Dec 24, 2010 9:37 pm

by sungod

i use the attack/force clinchers

sticky rubber, the wider rear tyre gives a nice ride, but the rubber cuts easily and wears much faster than i'd expected for 25mm

but the rolling resistance isn't good, not sure i'll be getting any more when the current ones wear out

octav
Posts: 299
Joined: Thu Aug 27, 2009 12:40 pm
Location: Bucharest

by octav

fdegrove wrote:Hi,

Tubular glue aka rim cement is fine for a couple of years at least.
A glue job done properly should, and in my experience does, effectively outlast most tyres' life expectancy which would be roughly 5.000 km at best.
In most cases the tyre dies well before the glue does.

Ciao, ;)

Thanks a lot :)

Didn't find too much impressions about Michelin Service Course 21mm? I found them for a good price. Would you get these, Continental Sprinter 22 or for 15 euro plus per tire I can get the Vittoria Evo CX 21 or 23(which one would you recommend)? I am using now Conti Sprinter 22 and they are fine.

by Weenie


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Geoff
Posts: 5395
Joined: Sat Dec 13, 2003 2:25 am
Location: Canada

by Geoff

15 euro for a quality tubular is really good value. You should probably buy everything they have. Any of the Conti Comp, Vittoria CX, etc. would be fine. Don't PM me your source, or I'll buy their whole stock...

OhPinchy
Posts: 80
Joined: Wed Feb 27, 2013 5:38 pm

by OhPinchy

Bummer! In terms of the process, I think I got it pretty much spot on: put a reasonably thick layer of glue on the tire basetape (which already had 1 cured coat, the rim 2 coats), pumped it up just a little, and fitted it keeping pressure to stretch it. The Veloflex Aernberg 25mm tires (prestretched on clinchers) went on quite easily and I was surprised it didn’t get much glue on the rim when stretching the last section, though the top edge of the rim did scrape off some glue which then stuck to the sidewall of the tire. The nitrile gloves I was using also stuck to the glue on the tire sidewall and ripped off – are there other gloves I should be using? I then inflated to 40psi and tried to centre the thread, which was very difficult and then when I felt I had to cut my losses as moving the tire was becoming very difficult, I rolled it along the ground with my weight on it and then inflated to 9bar max pressure and did the same again.

White spirits managed to remove much of the glue on the tire sidewalls and overall I felt it was a reasonably neat job.

All except the important bit: I think the way I glued the basetapes for their first coat came back to haunt me. I had laid the tire on a horizontal surface, inflated to about 30 psi, and then rolled it so the basetape was pointing upwards for easy access for glueing. I then rolled it back inwards, but it may have stayed a bit kinked. Net result is the thread is off centre by a few mm. In most places it’s a couple of mm out, but in one spot is a bit more. I couldn’t see how to attach photos to this post so uploaded some to this folder: http://sdrv.ms/XdPgij . The pics are fairly poor quality but should show what the thread alignment is like for the majority of the tire with one photo showing the worst section of thread alignment. So my process seemed good but my execution was poor.

Given how long this all took to prepare and do, I can’t fathom the idea of doing it all again unless it’s critical as I just don’t have the time or will. I’ll put the wheels on the bike tonight and check that they’re smooth and not bumpy. Should it be fine to ride these tires or will the thread being off centre affect grip (safety), performance, or puncture resistance? If the answer to any of those is a resounding yes, I may come around and think about redoing it. But if it’s more a case of ‘you’ll get away with it, but ideally you’d redo it’ I’ll just leave it be.

The pics don’t do the wheels or tires justice, they look great in the flesh and now I’d really like to just get out there and ride them, with a race this Sunday being their first big outing.

octav
Posts: 299
Joined: Thu Aug 27, 2009 12:40 pm
Location: Bucharest

by octav

Geoff wrote:15 euro for a quality tubular is really good value. You should probably buy everything they have. Any of the Conti Comp, Vittoria CX, etc. would be fine. Don't PM me your source, or I'll buy their whole stock...

Sorry Geoff, maybe I wrote a little bit wrong. The sprinter , Michelin Service Course 21mm are 30 euro. Vittoria EVO Cx is 45 euro.
Conti Sprinter or Service Course? What do you think of them?

sungod
Posts: 1702
Joined: Fri Dec 24, 2010 9:37 pm

by sungod

OhPinchy wrote:<...>I think the way I glued the basetapes for their first coat came back to haunt me. I had laid the tire on a horizontal surface, inflated to about 30 psi, and then rolled it so the basetape was pointing upwards for easy access for glueing. I then rolled it back inwards, but it may have stayed a bit kinked. Net result is the thread is off centre by a few mm<...>


do not see why basetape gluing method would affect it

you 'only', heh heh, have to centre the tyre as you mount it, pay no attention to basetape alignment when doing this, it's all about centreline of the tread, takes practice to eyeball and adjust, i'm slowly getting better, slowly

once i think it's centred i pump up fully and check, if it's off, deflate and adjust, repeat until ok or fingers have had enough, need to be fast while the glue is still forgiving, one tyre i got so far out i just pulled it off immediately, checked the glue was ok, and remounted

the pics look like you are maybe 2mm off, unless you suffer from ocd i think that's perfectly rideable
Last edited by sungod on Wed Mar 27, 2013 7:50 pm, edited 1 time in total.

fdegrove
Tubbie Guru
Posts: 5894
Joined: Tue May 03, 2005 2:20 am
Location: Belgium

by fdegrove

Hi,

for 15 euro plus per tire I can get the Vittoria Evo CX 21 or 23(which one would you recommend)?


The 23mm version provided they're the latest EVO3 ones with Isogrip compound.
Better still, the SC version, but that would come close to the cheapest prices of the Veloflex Carbon/Criterium I think.

Ciao, ;)
Being a snob is an expensive hobby.

OhPinchy
Posts: 80
Joined: Wed Feb 27, 2013 5:38 pm

by OhPinchy

sungod wrote:do not see why basetape gluing method would affect it

you 'only', heh heh, have to centre the tyre as you mount it, pay no attention to basetape alignment when doing this, it's all about centreline of the tread, takes practice to eyeball and adjust, i'm slowly getting better, slowly

once i think it's centred i pump up fully and check, if it's off, deflate and adjust, repeat until ok or fingers have had enough, need to be fast while the glue is still forgiving, one tyre i got so far out i just pulled it off immediately, checked the glue was ok, and remounted

the pics look like you are maybe 2mm off, unless you suffer from ocd i think that's perfectly rideable


Thanks sungod, good to have some peace of mind on it - I'm actually pretty happy with how it all went (thanks to the invaluable help on this thread) though I wouldn't like to try it with a tire that's a lot tighter than the Veloflex ones are, I could imagine it being a lot tougher and messier (I wouldn't put the final installation coat of glue on the base tape in that scenario).

As for OCD, I guess the fact I read this entire thread in order to plan my shopping list and preparation method is evidence enough on that front! That said, as it seems perfectly rideable, I won't be letting those 2mm of misalignment enter my head again!

Thanks all for the fantastic help.

fdegrove
Tubbie Guru
Posts: 5894
Joined: Tue May 03, 2005 2:20 am
Location: Belgium

by fdegrove

Hi,

As for OCD, I guess the fact I read this entire thread in order to plan my shopping list and preparation method is evidence enough on that front! That said, as it seems perfectly rideable, I won't be letting those 2mm of misalignment enter my head again!


As a token of gratitude to all here and for your own peace of mind: perfect and nothing less will do. Rideable just doesn't do it justice son.

2mm of misalignment sound like a 2km detour to me. Not good enough.

O.K. you probably think I'm exaggerating and I admit I am. A little. Just to give you some perspective: I don't race, am 56 years old but I can assure my bikes are better taken care of than the bulk of the pro bikes. Not to mention better tuned and on better tyres running on more wisely chosen pressure...

You want to ride tubulars? Fine. Respect them, love them and in turn they will take care of you.

Sports are all mental games. Nonetheless knowing your bike is perfect gives you an edge....

Ciao, ;)
Being a snob is an expensive hobby.

Geoff
Posts: 5395
Joined: Sat Dec 13, 2003 2:25 am
Location: Canada

by Geoff

:D

@Oh Pinchy, we all strive for perfection, but that only comes with time and practice. I remember the first time I gluesd-up a set on my own (Barum Kriteriun's on Ambrosio Synyhesis Durex Super Professional 36's with Super Record hubs). With Clement 'rouge' glue, it wasn't pretty.

You will not likely get better at putting it on straight, but you will figure-out adjusting it. Over time, you will learn how to 'adjust' a slightly rounded tire by pressing up and across the tubular to straighten the tread.

The reality is that it probably doesn't matter that much. When you consider the forces acting against the rider, does a 1mm wobble really cause a problem? No, of course not. As Frank say, the reason that we seek perfection is in our own minds. The security of the actual glue job, on the other hand, is crucial for the safety of the rider.

On the Service Course tires, I have never tried them...

hattrick
Posts: 7
Joined: Wed Apr 22, 2009 2:24 am

by hattrick

Has anyone used rollers to center the tread and create a stronger bond?

Off the top of my head, it seems like if you rode the rollers for a small amount of time super easy after mounting it would help both center the tread line and bond the glue better due to the increased pressure.

Geoff
Posts: 5395
Joined: Sat Dec 13, 2003 2:25 am
Location: Canada

by Geoff

Wouldn't recommend it, personally. Even if you were reallly smooth, the risk of the tire squirming-around would be huge. Before the glue cures, it really isn't that strong a bond. If you can move the tire with your thumbs, pressing in unison up and across the rim (which you can), then your entire bodyweight on the tire will move it a lot.

Putting 120 psi into the tire should be more than enough pressure to seat the tire onto the rim bed.

fdegrove
Tubbie Guru
Posts: 5894
Joined: Tue May 03, 2005 2:20 am
Location: Belgium

by fdegrove

Hi,

Would not recommend it either.
Use a truing stand and its feelers to spot off centre areas, correct by lifting the tyre upwards and seating it where it should go.
Once that's fine either take the bike for a short ride, you're weight will help the bond, or use the typical method by leaning on the tyre and work around the entire circumference of the rim.

Contact cements work by pressure so the more pressure the better the bond really.

Ciao, ;)
Being a snob is an expensive hobby.

User avatar
mellowJohnny
Posts: 492
Joined: Thu Aug 16, 2012 12:56 am
Location: YYZ

by mellowJohnny

Does anyone have any tips for balancing a wheel after mounting? The rear is easier as I have offset the weight of the valve with the weight of the Garmin magnet. The front wheel on the other hand is noticeably out of balance.

Zipp has a few tips on their site involving sand and glue inside the rim, but that sounds a bit too permanent for me.

Has anyone tried lead adhesive automotive weights or something similar?

by Weenie


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sungod
Posts: 1702
Joined: Fri Dec 24, 2010 9:37 pm

by sungod

miche does stick-on weights, not tried them

http://www.miche.it/en/catalogo/catalog ... zero-point

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