by Calnago on Fri Jan 25, 2019 10:07 pm
That's an interesting video re using tape vs glue for Tubulars. But he seems to have some different views on a few things that most people might have these days.
For instance... he states the main reason for using tubulars is that simply they are faster. I don't think this is the main reason at all... in fact, there are many who will say that for all out fastest straight line speed performance that a clincher might be faster. I suppose that is debateable, but what is not debateable is the ride quality and handling benefits that a tubular gives over a clincher (tubed or tubeless, doesn't matter) and that is the reason I like them. And I think it's also the reason they're still almost exclusively used at the pro peloton level as well, in addtion to the safety factor of just staying on the rim better in the event of a sudden deflation, which also is much rarer on a tubular as when you do puncture, the escaping air usually is a much slower process.
He also talks about all the "lumps and bumps" you get when gluing. I've certainly seen that, but that's just a bad technique of installing the tubular. No tubular that I have glued is "lumpy and bumpy", and if it was I would do it over. It's all about knowing the even pressure to apply as you stretch the tire around the rim so you don't get any high spots, and that can vary depending on the tire/rim combo you are using. A couple pre-mounting practice sessions with no glue should give you a good idea of what kind of "stretch" you need to apply in order to get a nice even "no lumps, no bumps" kind of result.
And then he goes on about how the "rolling resistance" is much better with a tubular, but that too had been debated quite a bit and in fact Campy, with their new WTO wheels, say that the rolling resistance is less than with tubulars. Still, the tubular isn't going anywhere just yet, since as I just mentioned the handling, ride quality and safety aspects of the tubular are still unsurpassed or even equalled by any clincher application.
And finally he states that when putting on a spare tubular after a puncture on the road, with a glued tubular, it is dry and there is no "adhesion". Hmmm... most people would have a pre-glued spare to put on in the event sealant didn't work, rate as that is. But as far as adhesion goes, it is contact cement, activated by pressure, and there is plenty of adhesion. In fact, it's pretty hard to get that spare off once you get home, so I don't know what he's talking about when he says there's no adhesion, because that is simply an erroneous, even irresponsible statement. Or simply maybe he has never mounted a preglued spare and tried it out.
But speaking of "high spots", here's a little video of one that I rode a couple of weeks ago that had such a high spot that it created a very disconcerting ride as that bump was extremely noticeable on fast descents. So much so, that I've ripped it off and will put some new Veloflex Arrenbergs on, which is good because what is on these wheels are not nice tubulars at all, and rode like loops of flexible cement if there was such a thing...
But I am curious about the tape, so I think I will try it on this set of wheels, since the glue job was so poor in the first place it might just be a good time to clean it all off and "start fresh" so to speak. So, now to figure out what the best tape will be for this experiment. As for my own wheels... I'm sticking to glue for now. But if tape works satisfactorily, I might recommend it to the owner of these wheels so he can do his own a little more easily. We will see.