Tubular Repair

Wheels, Tires, Tubes, Tubeless, Tubs, Spokes, Hookless, Hubs, and more!

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The spirit of this board is to compile and organize wheels and tires related discussions.

If a new wheel tech is released, (say for example, TPU tubes, a brand new tire, or a new rim standard), feel free to start the discussion in the popular "Road". Your topic will eventually be moved here!
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hockinsk
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by hockinsk

You only open up enough basetape and unpick enough stitches to repair the tube. After patching, it's just the reverse. Stitch back up using the same holes and similar cross stitch pattern, then put a coat of latex on basetape and one on the tubular, wait for it to dry off a bit and then stick together. Job done.

This page shoes essentially the individual steps you take:

http://www.yellowjersey.org/tubfix.html

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fdegrove
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by fdegrove

Hi,

Nope. The other way around.

You patch the inner tube, let it dry, put it back where it belongs, put the protective strip under stitches back as much as you can, then you start stitching the patient up.

After you finish the stitching you inflate the tyre to say 60 psi to see if you've done a good job at it and if the patch holds as it's supposed to.

Only then can you start applying the cement and align the base tape.
I also remove the base tape from the valve to wherever the puncture is. Some people just cut it, I don't as it is an integral part of the stucture that protects the stitching.

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

Bridgeman
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by Bridgeman

Hey, this info is very helpful, as it addresses the newer tubular designs that were not mentioned in the sited references. As I mentioned I did do a search before asking about the subject.

I just removed my punctured tubular and found that the base tape is pretty much fused to the tire. This is the new Vittoria CX 320TPI. I have tried pulling them apart with needle nose pliers and cannot get them to separate without deforming and stretching the base tape. It seems that if I pull any harder I will damage them beyond repair.

These are the kinds of issues I was concerned about. Thankfully, people have responded.

I'm going to go ahead mount a new CX320 to the wheel, and when I have all the facts I'll get back to having a go with this punctured tire repair. Oh, I also tried heating the base tape with a heat gun and they still wouldn't separate.

I know back when I was using the older CX 290 TPI the base tape was separating while on the rim and I heard others complain about this as well. Makes me think Vittoria has gone to a different process of joining the two with a more robust glue. That's not carpet latex they are using in the 320!

My bet is there's a lot riders out there wanting to get their stuff ready for spring, including repairing and recycling tubulars.

Thanks again for all your help!

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HammerTime2
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by HammerTime2

The best way to repair tubulars is to never get flats. Then, replace the tire either when it's worn out or you need new tires to match your latest saddle/bartape.

fdegrove
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by fdegrove

Hi,

HammerTime2 wrote:The best way to repair tubulars is to never get flats. Then, replace the tire either when it's worn out or you need new tires to match your latest saddle/bartape.


The only way I know to not get flats is to not ride in the first place.
Not very helpful, is it?

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

fdegrove
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by fdegrove

Hi,

I just removed my punctured tubular and found that the base tape is pretty much fused to the tire. This is the new Vittoria CX 320TPI. I have tried pulling them apart with needle nose pliers and cannot get them to separate without deforming and stretching the base tape. It seems that if I pull any harder I will damage them beyond repair.


Why doesn't this surprise me...

Repairing tyres in the past was relatively easy.
Nowadays chemical formulae are used that are a bit tougher to crack.
Hey, if I were a tyre manufacturer I'd take steps to make it tough on you to repair my stuff too.

Anywho, Vitto apparently discovered the miraculous benefits of using sealants such as Aquasure and such. The polycotton casing is sealed as is the basetape. Humidity, fungi all covered.

Repair? Not their concern. Buy a new one, it's cheaper.
Economically speaking it probably is..... for now. How green are you?

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

The Stig
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by The Stig

@bridgeman....do you have a big puncture? If its very small, just use vittoria pit stop or tufo sealant, and save yourself the time and hassle of repairing it. Either works for me as long as it's a small puncture.....
Sempre Ferrari

Bridgeman
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by Bridgeman

I've tried almost all sealants, and none have worked. The last sealant was Tufo Extreme. Here's been my experience. I get a puncture. Most all of them are tiny. Most sealants just blow out at 120psi. Some of the higher viscosity ones exhibit this sort of rising blister thing over time. What I think happens is; while the hole may be blocked by the sealant the hole gets larger because the tube is no longer continuous. So from a strength of material perspective the latex tube is yielding and when the hole gets bigger the blister protrudes more and more outward and getting larger in diameter over time. It happen just this way again recently and the blister became so larger that you could see the green latex tube starting to emerge, just like an aneurysm that's ready to blow! I also think the casing is yielding as well.

The only time I've had success fixing a puncture is when in a fit of anger I injected a small volume of superglue through the puncture hole. I wanted the super glue to pool over the hole using gravity and form an internal patch, so I did this by rotating the wheel so the hole is positioned bottom dead center and let it cure for 24 hours. Then just for added assurance I put in some sealant the next day. This has wok maybe half the time. 2 out of 4 times that I tried this method. No rising blister. In fact one time the tire looks completely continuous, like you would never know there was a puncture there.

An internal patch method is needed here. Something that can be injected with enough volume to create about a 10 to 20 mm diameter puddle or patch and then heat and cure. The injected material should bond to the latex and have enough strength when cured to withstand 200 psi. Completely doable.

Fdegrove, I agree that the manufacturers do not want their products to be repaired!

Herb5998
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by Herb5998

CafeLatex and Joes Super Sealant are excellent and I have used them in the past to fix/repair small punctures in tubulars, normally the repair would last until the tread was done on the tire.

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Frankie - B
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by Frankie - B

This thread holds a lot of good info. I'll sticky it for a while.
'Tape was made to wrap your GF's gifts, NOT hold a freakin tire on.'
If you want to see 'meh' content of me and my bike you can follow my life in pictures here!

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hockinsk
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by hockinsk

We've discussed it before, but once you've put Tufo sealant or any other latex sealant into a Vittoria CX, unless you keep the tyre inflated, when it fully deflates, the latex sealant coating the interior of the inner tube often causes them to bond to each other (latex is used as an adhesive after-all). You then go to inflate your tubulars several days later, but just hear a sudden whoosh of air coming out the tyre and can't understand why?

Well, the innertube has just ripped a big hole in itself as the pressure increased because the inner walls were stuck together with latex. The air you hear whooshing out comes from the nearest exit hole which is at the base of valve stem. Don't be fooled into thinking it's a dodgy valve or the valve stem - it won't be that. The tubular is probably not repairable unless you replace the entire inner tube.

As for removing Vittoria CX basetape. Use a blunt stanley blade to just break the seal on the edge and then keep scoring it between basetape and tubular to separate the two. Once you get a few mm clear it gets easier. Try not to use pliers because the pinching action can damage/squash and stretch the basetape twill. It does take a while to get the basetape removed without damaging it, but the tortoise wins the race on this one!
Last edited by hockinsk on Thu Mar 04, 2010 5:40 pm, edited 1 time in total.

fdegrove
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by fdegrove

Hi,

We've discussed it before, but once you've put Tufo sealant or any other latex sealant into a Vittoria CX, unless you keep the tyre inflated, when it fully deflates, the latex sealant coating the interior of the inner tube often causes them to bond to each other (latex is used as an adhesive after-all). You then go to inflate your tubulars several days later, but just hear a sudden whoosh of air coming out the tyre and can't understand why?


Actually, that's true for any tubular. Ones with a latex inner tube in particular.
Do not deflate them abruptly either as the airpressure will send the liquid latex to, and probably through, the valve core.
When this hardens you're going to have a tough time reinflating the tyre until you remove the core and clean it with some White Spirit or similar solvent.

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

Bridgeman
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by Bridgeman

hockinsk wrote:As for removing Vittoria CX basetape. Use a blunt stanley blade to just break the seal on the edge and then keep scoring it between basetape and tubular to separate the two. Once you get a few mm clear it gets easier. Try not to use pliers because the pinching action can damage and stretch the basetape. It does take a while to get the basetape removed without damaging it. Tortoise wins the race on this one!


I have tried doing this with an exacto knife but again, the rubber on the tire has fused with the basetape. As I am trying to separate the two the rubber is actually separating from the casing of the tire instead. The very small section of basetape that I was able to separate has the rubber fused to it. Vittoria has used a different glue/method for joining the basetape to the tire, this I'm sure. There ain't no latex being used there now.

If anyone has successfully removed the base tape from the new Vittoria CX 320TPI we would all benefit from learning your method.

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hockinsk
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by hockinsk

I agree, the Vittoria basetape is glued very strongly, but it does come off with persistence. With a CX you'll always get some of the black latex rubber coming away from the casing with the basetape. This is normal - just leave it. The fresh latex you'll apply at the end will stick it all back in place.

If you are very fussy, you can get black latex solution from some places. I believe you can also dye it yourself with black powder paint from an art shop?

Next puncture I get with a CX i'm gonna do a a video tutorial from start to finish in detail so you see the techniques instead of just reading words next to a static photo. Unfortunately i repaired my last CX a few days ago, but racing season coming up and i'm skint, so lots of repairs this year for me!

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dgasmd
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by dgasmd

Good info here. BTW, tirealert will put any type of tube you want. Just tell what you want, and you don't even have to send it in. Same with valve length to accommodate deeper rims. It my charge a couple of dollars more, but in the end you get exactly what you want.

Also, there is no way under the sun I would even bother to repair a tubular these days unless I was retired and had nothing to do. Even then, I don't think I have the patience anymore. My time and sanity is far more costly and valuable than the money it will cost me to send several tubulars at once to get them repaired. :beerchug:

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