2 Questions on Tubulars

PeterF said:

I am new to tubulars this spring and am trying to learn all I can. I love how they ride but my first glue job was a bit of an adventure. Anyhow I have the following questions:

1. I just bought a spare tubular to keep in my pocket for emergencies. What should I do to prepare the spare? Mind you my only 2 tubular rims already have tires glued to them and i don't want to remove them. Can I pre-stretch a tubie by mounting it to a clincher rims, or will this be impossible?

Yes, you can pre-stretch your sew-up tires on a clincher.

PeterF said:

2. I train on rollers and always use old clincher tires on them. Would there be any harm in using the tubies for a ride or two on the rollers (30-45 minutes)? I am about ready to retire the rollers for the summer and it would really be just for one or 2 rides. Will the heat present any problems?

You probably can, but I wouldn't.

alfeng said:

Yes, you can pre-stretch your sew-up tires on a clincher.

You probably can, but I wouldn't.

Thank you. I'll take your advice on the rollers. I have plenty of old clinchers for that. I will use rollers to warm up before some crits, but no need to put more roller mileage than I need to..

PeterF said:

I am new to tubulars this spring and am trying to learn all I can. I love how they ride but my first glue job was a bit of an adventure. Anyhow I have the following questions:

1. I just bought a spare tubular to keep in my pocket for emergencies. What should I do to prepare the spare? Mind you my only 2 tubular rims already have tires glued to them and i don't want to remove them. Can I pre-stretch a tubie by mounting it to a clincher rims, or will this be impossible?

Yep, stretch it on a clincher rim and then preglue it when you carry it for a spare. The residual glue on the rim plus the glue on the spare will keep it stuck for the rest of the ride.

2. I train on rollers and always use old clincher tires on them. Would there be any harm in using the tubies for a ride or two on the rollers (30-45 minutes)? I am about ready to retire the rollers for the summer and it would really be just for one or 2 rides. Will the heat present any problems?

Thank you.

Nope

Peter@vecchios said:

... preglue it when you carry it for a spare. The residual glue on the rim plus the glue on the spare will keep it stuck for the rest of the ride.

I don't pre-glue my spare ... but, I don't over-stretch my new sew-ups & they are fairly snug when I mount them. I only carry a new tire as my spare.

As I've said before, 'I' cannot roll a new, pre-stretched tire off of a tubular rim when it is inflated even if it is not glued. So, unless you flat your spare while you are taking a high speed turn, a dry tire will stay on the rim without glue. Of course, if you flat while you are taking a turn while riding sew-ups, it is my understanding that bad things apparently happen, anyway!

The problem with NOT gluing the tire on the rim is that it will slip when you accelerate ... so, some adhesive IS needed ...

When I glue up a tire, now, I apparently use a lot less than other people do ... a dab between each spoke hole on a 36h rim (no glue on the tire) ... a heavier dab on a 32h rim -- it works for me since all 'I' want the glue to do is to keep the tire from rotating on the rim -- but, you may want to follow what seems to be the common practice of a-tube-per-wheel.

The WORST thing that has happened when I flatted was realizing AFTER I changed the tire that the pump was on another frame!

alfeng said:

I don't pre-glue my spare ... but, I don't over-stretch my new sew-ups & they are fairly snug when I mount them. I only carry a new tire as my spare.

Quote... I also used to carry a bit of glue to use it on the new tubular (then: 10 minutes of rest, then: go home) 🙂

i used to repair tubular flats myself at home... it was a nice artisan-like task

one question.. i understand that for road cycling you can run slick tires on dry or wet conditions, so why manufacturers keep selling us treaded ones ??

youhaditcoming said:

i used to repair tubular flats myself at home... it was a nice artisan-like task

one question.. i understand that for road cycling you can run slick tires on dry or wet conditions, so why manufacturers keep selling us treaded ones ??

Marketing.

youhaditcoming said:

i used to repair tubular flats myself at home... it was a nice artisan-like task

one question.. i understand that for road cycling you can run slick tires on dry or wet conditions, so why manufacturers keep selling us treaded ones ??

Marketing 😉

To the OP: You can try Alfeng's method if you feel so inclined, but I, personally, wouldn't want to ride home on an unglued tire. True, the chances of rolling it off the rim are low if it's inflated properly (and you've probably still got a nice bed of glue on the rim itself), but why take the chance? When I rode tubies, I did the traditional thing: my spare tire was always one which I had used previously and so still had glue residue on it. fold it up and lash it under your saddle (preferably in a tubie case to keep it dry), so it doesn't stick to the insides of your pocket :eek: You can then ride home with a little more peace of mind (esp on downhills or corners).

alfeng said:

I don't pre-glue my spare ... but, I don't over-stretch my new sew-ups & they are fairly snug when I mount them. I only carry a new tire as my spare.

As I've said before, 'I' cannot roll a new, pre-stretched tire off of a tubular rim when it is inflated even if it is not glued. So, unless you flat your spare while you are taking a high speed turn, a dry tire will stay on the rim without glue. Of course, if you flat while you are taking a turn while riding sew-ups, it is my understanding that bad things apparently happen, anyway!

The problem with NOT gluing the tire on the rim is that it will slip when you accelerate ... so, some adhesive IS needed ...

When I glue up a tire, now, I apparently use a lot less than other people do ... a dab between each spoke hole on a 36h rim (no glue on the tire) ... a heavier dab on a 32h rim -- it works for me since all 'I' want the glue to do is to keep the tire from rotating on the rim -- but, you may want to follow what seems to be the common practice of a-tube-per-wheel.

The WORST thing that has happened when I flatted was realizing AFTER I changed the tire that the pump was on another frame!

Well, I have been asked to 'test' tubular gluing at races when I did neutral support and if I can roll a tire off a rim when inflated with my fingers, it may roll when riding.

BUT what ever blows yer skirt up. NO reason to not glue 'well', rim and tire.
No reason to not pre glue a spare either but.... I use a little solvent brush and can of glue, not messy at all.

For another poster farther down this thread, I still repair my own sewups. Easy to do. BUT I get very few flats(knock on wood), so more often than not, the tire wears out before I puncture.

Peter@vecchios said:

Well, I have been asked to 'test' tubular gluing at races when I did neutral support and if I can roll a tire off a rim when inflated with my fingers, it may roll when riding.

BUT what ever blows yer skirt up. NO reason to not glue 'well', rim and tire.
No reason to not pre glue a spare either but.... I use a little solvent brush and can of glue, not messy at all.

A glued-and-used tire is not as snug as a new, pre-streteched tubular UNLESS it is (subjectively, IMO) over-inflated when it is being pre-stretched ...

Geez, Peter, if you can roll a properly inflated tire off a rim, then I would say it wasn't properly inflated OR you have REALLY STRONG hands ... OR, there is something about your technique that possibly exceeds a real-world situation.

TRY THIS, kids -- take a "properly inflated" UNGLUED tubular & lean the wheel-or-bike at ANY angle, and see if you can roll it off the rim when you apply the angular "force" ... roll the wheel/bike, too ... either do this on pavement or a rug (i.e., a surface on which the tire won't slip). Reduce the air pressure on the unglued tire to see at which point it actually can be rolled ... I think you will be amazed; but, maybe not!?!

Regardless, while I am indicating how 'I' choose to glue up a sew-up tire (and, in a previous thread I believe I indicated that CRIT riders should err on the side of "over"-gluing as is the common fashion), let my qualify my explanation of how I choose to glue up a sew-up on a tubular rim by saying that someone else should only glue up their tires as I do IF they can come to the same conclusion with regard to how hard it is to actually roll a properly inflated tire off the rim when it is being ridden. Ride (the spare), accordingly.

Ultimately, I guess it could be suggested that at the two ends of the spectrum with regard to tire gluing are ME vs. Tufo tape, or vice-versa.

Oh well, I guess that it could be further suggested that in a few years this may be a moot point as more tubeless rims/wheels become available which can be successfully used with tubeless tires ...

Especially, AFTER someone wins the Tour on a set of tubeless tires! THAT is inevitable, sooner-rather-than-later.

HMMmm. I've got some MATRIX clincher rims which have MORE hook (11.5mm bead-to-bead vs. 13mm ... these are really tedious to use with regular tubes & tires, BTW) than a typical clincher rim which I should probably test with some STAN'S + a pair of Hutchinson tubeless tires at some point!

alfeng said:

A glued-and-used tire is not as snug as a new, pre-streteched tubular UNLESS it is (subjectively, IMO) over-inflated when it is being pre-stretched ...

Geez, Peter, if you can roll a properly inflated tire off a rim, then I would say it wasn't properly inflated OR you have REALLY STRONG hands ... OR, there is something about your technique that possibly exceeds a real-world situation.

TRY THIS, kids -- take a "properly inflated" UNGLUED tubular & lean the wheel-or-bike at ANY angle, and see if you can roll it off the rim when you apply the angular "force" ... roll the wheel/bike, too ... either do this on pavement or a rug (i.e., a surface on which the tire won't slip). Reduce the air pressure on the unglued tire to see at which point it actually can be rolled ... I think you will be amazed; but, maybe not!?!

Regardless, while I am indicating how 'I' choose to glue up a sew-up tire (and, in a previous thread I believe I indicated that CRIT riders should err on the side of "over"-gluing as is the common fashion), let my qualify my explanation of how I choose to glue up a sew-up on a tubular rim by saying that someone else should only glue up their tires as I do IF they can come to the same conclusion with regard to how hard it is to actually roll a properly inflated tire off the rim when it is being ridden. Ride (the spare), accordingly.

Ultimately, I guess it could be suggested that at the two ends of the spectrum with regard to tire gluing are ME vs. Tufo tape, or vice-versa.

Oh well, I guess that it could be further suggested that in a few years this may be a moot point as more tubeless rims/wheels become available which can be successfully used with tubeless tires ...

Especially, AFTER someone wins the Tour on a set of tubeless tires! THAT is inevitable, sooner-rather-than-later.

HMMmm. I've got some MATRIX clincher rims which have MORE hook (11.5mm bead-to-bead vs. 13mm ... these are really tedious to use with regular tubes & tires, BTW) than a typical clincher rim which I should probably test with some STAN'S + a pair of Hutchinson tubeless tires at some point!

I love tubulars and use to repair them at home. I put glue on both tubular and rim, I don't use a tube per wheel, I use a tube for around two or three wheels. When I need to remove them I notice they are really well glued since I need quite an effort to begin, so I don't expect them to suddenly come off the rim. The spare is a new one with a little glue on it but I've also carried a used (repaired) one, I don't carry glue so when riding the spare one I ride it with care eventhough when I later remove it it is well attached to the tire, not as strong as when fitting it with new glue but well enough for it not to come off.

Back in the early 80's when clinchers were truely terrible and offered the grip of a hard turd on greaseproof paper and weighed the same as a fat man with a donut habbit, it almost made sense to ride on tubular tyres most of the time but now, I don't see why one would want to go through the hastle unless they need an ultra lightweight wheel/tyre combination for a real hilly event or something with more strength where the roads are pretty brutal like Paris Roubaix.

There's no longer a massive order of magnitude off difference in performance and ride quality between a good tubular and a high quality clincher but each to his own I guess. Maybe in the bench racing stakes, a set of tubs is worth a million kudos points...