Tubular Tyres Are Go!

Tufo recommend it because it is the only way to repair a puncture in one of their tyres. No stitching in them, they are a complete 'tube'.

I must admit that I can't see the point in using tubs in winter these days with the excellent selection of 700C 'clinchers' (ugh!) available these days. When I was a lad we HAD to use them as their was nothing else except very heavy 27" high pressure tyres. It's not that hard to change a tube (I always carry at least 2 spares in winter along with a VAR lever) and at least the tyre will be secure when refitted. Changing a tubular when it's wet and trying to get it to stick on a damp rim is not easy. Repairing when you get home is a lot easier too!

In good weather I'll agree that they can be a delight to ride on and the sound of an 'old fashioned' 6oz silk at 150psi on smooth tarmac makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up :shock:

Old Ned":3vtwpko9 said:

Tufo recommend it because it is the only way to repair a puncture in one of their tyres. No stitching in them, they are a complete 'tube'.

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Fair point. Apparently as the whole casing/tube assembly is vulcanised as a unit, the ride quality for the cyclo-cross ones can be, erm, "interesting" compared to more supple CX tubs such as Challenge. One rider at a race I rode in recent months described them as "like riding on plywood"....

David

Ned, it's a build the bike with what you have laying about and pretend to the wife it's costing naff all type of build. I'm quite looking forward to it. I have always been a bit of a tyre skinflint and am interested to see what they offer.m I think a mobile phone might be my new puncture kit!

On that note, are you saying when using glue, there is enough residual stickiness to hold a new tyre on to get you home?

Iwasgoodonce":1t1gp4nt said:

Ned, it's a build the bike with what you have laying about and pretend to the wife it's costing naff all type of build. I'm quite looking forward to it. I have always been a bit of a tyre skinflint and am interested to see what they offer.m I think a mobile phone might be my new puncture kit!

On that note, are you saying when using glue, there is enough residual stickiness to hold a new tyre on to get you home?

Click to expand...

Right, I see where you're coming from. However, ringing the missus up to come and collect you miles from home might need some explaining................. :roll: It did with mine..........................

If you use the 'recommended amount' of tyre cement then there should be sufficient still on the rim and spare (provided it's been used before or pre-glued lightly) to get you home. I've always used the late lamented Dunlop (still got some which I use now) which stayed relatively sticky for quite a while. Can't comment on the modern stuff but I remember Clement seemed to go hard.

i find that giving a dry rim a good "slabber" of glue, letting it dry for an hour or two, giving another layer of glue on top, letting it dry for a similar period and then "roughing" it over with the dry brush before fitting the tub is the best bet.
on a rim that's used then skip the first "slabbering" stage.

your tubs are most likely to need replacing before the glue does (esp the rear one) so don't worry about the glue losing it effectiveness over time (unless it's YEARS!). just give the rim another coat when you get a new tub on it.

and if you puncture out there and have to ride a dry rim home then just TAKE IT EASY ON THE BENDS!!

:shock:

Use a used tub as a spare . It will have enough glue on it to stick to a rim with glue on it . Maybe a touch cautious on long 50 mph alpine descents.
I was told to leave an inch or so unglued or at least less glued, somehwere obvious such as by a sticker. That way you can start the rmoval rpecess without cracking fingers.

I use Jantex tape and I can't really see why anyone would want to bother with glue these days. Why make life harder? Its a bit like taking your laundry down to a stream to bash it on some rocks when you have a washing machine at home

To quote Planet X

You don't have to use glue

Things have moved on since the days of Dunlop rim cement (which used to get everywhere … on your hands … in the sink … on your towels … in fact everywhere but where you wanted it!). These days, since the clever men from Tufo and Jantex came up with double sided tape, you can do the job in half the time without having to take out shares in Ajax or Brillo to keep things clean.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=pl ... u7oSEFiYdg

All,

Just for the record I run tubs on my old bikes - 7 of them I think, and love them. I personally find tape difficult to work with and prefer glue.

Check out the 2 most recent editions of the Bike Shop Show podcast for a discussion re applying tubulars - interesting stuff:

http://bikeshopshow.drupalgardens.com/

Paul

Why use glue?
Because its easier and you can do roadside repairs without half the tape staying on the rim and half on the tub.

Thanks all. Tyres and glue ordered.