Changing Tubular tires (quickly)

Peter Verdesi said:

Here's the deal; I've got a dedicated race bike that I've built up to race triathlons on. It's a Litespeed Saber and over all I'm really happy with it. I built it up using only the internet as a source of parts. I've got a set of Zipp 909 tubulars on the bike. I use clinchers on my training bike and I know how to change a flat on the road with the clinchers (lots of practice) but I've never had to change a flat with the tubulars. I've read posts on having the tires preglued/stretched and, in that condition, the tires can be changed in about two minutes. It all seems like a very messy difficult thing to do on the side of the road. Does anyone have any suggestions in simple terms on how to change the tires. I was thinking about buying a ruined rim (tubular) just to practice. I've not had a flat with the Zipp's yet but it'll happen someday. Thanks.

Changing a preglued/stretched tubular is way faster than changing a clincher and requires no tools. It is not messy because the glue will be pretty dry. A BIG caution though is that the bond between rim and tire is NOT ideal and for the rest of the race you should be careful on turns. The tire will need to be reglued/remounted afterwards with more ideal technique.

I used to race a lot of triathlons and interestingly the only flat I ever got in a race was about 2 miles into the first race that I ever used tubulars in. I changed that rear tire with my prestretched/preglued spare, pumped it (this was the pre-CO2 days) and was back on the road in less than 4 minutes-although I admit settling for about 75 PSI as I couldn't take seeing all the people passing me by as I was pumping with my little frame pump.

John M said:

Changing a preglued/stretched tubular is way faster than changing a clincher and requires no tools...

Definitely faster than changing a clincher - roll it off, roll it on, pump it up, go. I never had a problem with rolling tub's on corners during my racing years. It's good to have an old rim or two hanging up in the shed so that you can pre-stretch your spare tub's while you're out winning races.

Try getting some tub tape for your spare. If you use cement(glue) on the rim the spare could be pre streched with the tape applied. It seems that few people on this forum ever mention tub tape as a method of securing tubulars. I have not used cement since the 80s. Velox make the double sided tape, but only know suppliers in the UK. The tape is less messy and I have never had any issues with roll etc even after puncturing at 60+ kph going downhill.

Peter Verdesi said:

Here's the deal; I've got a dedicated race bike that I've built up to race triathlons on. It's a Litespeed Saber and over all I'm really happy with it. I built it up using only the internet as a source of parts. I've got a set of Zipp 909 tubulars on the bike. I use clinchers on my training bike and I know how to change a flat on the road with the clinchers (lots of practice) but I've never had to change a flat with the tubulars. I've read posts on having the tires preglued/stretched and, in that condition, the tires can be changed in about two minutes. It all seems like a very messy difficult thing to do on the side of the road. Does anyone have any suggestions in simple terms on how to change the tires. I was thinking about buying a ruined rim (tubular) just to practice. I've not had a flat with the Zipp's yet but it'll happen someday. Thanks.

Tufo glue tape. Once you make the change there is no waiting and no worry on turns. Simply go back to full speed ahead. The tape is kinda pricy but it is quick clean adn no need to wait overnight for glue to cure...just go. Good luck

mark higgins said:

Try getting some tub tape for your spare. If you use cement(glue) on the rim the spare could be pre streched with the tape applied. It seems that few people on this forum ever mention tub tape as a method of securing tubulars. I have not used cement since the 80s. Velox make the double sided tape, but only know suppliers in the UK. The tape is less messy and I have never had any issues with roll etc even after puncturing at 60+ kph going downhill.

Mark, this idea is new to me - can you clarify it a little? Are you saying that you stretch the spare, put the tape on it and fold it up until it's needed? Will the tape be OK if the tub is folded for long periods? And when you mount the tub you put it on the rim (as usual) then pull the tub up a little at a time (as usual) but you remove the backing paper from the tub rather than the rim?

I don't see how these other guys say changing a tubular is way easier or faster than changing a clincher. I didn't time it but it seemed like it took me forever to get a tubular off of a rear zipp disk. I don't know if the wheel being carbon makes a difference but the bond of the glue was tough to break. I used TUFO tape to place the new tubular and it was a breeze to put on.

Nick, keep the TUFO tape in the box until you need it. It's double sided and you adhere to the rim first, then just start to peel away the top layer a few inches either side of the valve hole, mount the tire, inflate a tad and then pull the rest of the top layer off by pulling it to the side. Lastly, inflate to max and off you go. The tape is about $6 or $7 but well worth it.

I have a super simple solution for emergency removal of a flatted tubular. In my toolkit I have a small razor knife. Cut thru the old tyre, grab one of the ends and pull. Et voila! Good to go 🙂

No.. really. 🙂

I admit that your idea is good, but I always find it very difficult to achieve, how you want to change the tire, which is a dangerous thing.

thx for information guys