I have a set of tubulars that I taped two years ago. No issues and still no budging. Supposedly, tape has higher rolling resistance to glue, but is easy and quick.

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Ryan
Practical Coaching

How fast do you want to go?

As fast as possible with the least amount of energy?

As mentioned, the current thinking is that the tape has higher rolling resistance.

I would certainly glue any new tires, but it's up to you whether or not to pull off the currently taped tire and re-glue it.

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Yes. so I guess my question is, is the difference between the two noteworthy?

I guess I could just use tubular tape and save the energy difference by drafting off someone in my next Ironman race

AFM tested the difference and it was pretty noteworthy. Check out his data for specifics.

If I had spent $2K+ on wheels and tires (Oh crxp, I have) I would also be doing everything I could to save every watt possible.

2 watts here, 3 watts there...pretty soon you're up to 10 watts and that's significant.

Drafting is another option made more difficult by outlawing mirrors :)

When I first got my tubular wheels, the bike shop used tape to set them up. Never again. The effort to remove the tape from the wheels is not worth it.

great, thanks for the responses. I was hoping to add some drama to my morning with the drafting comment -- no such luck.

x2 tape pain in the axx

True, but if you can get your hands on Tufo Rim Cleaner, it becomes a *lot* easier.

What on Earth do you guys use for glue if you think Tufo tape is more of a mess than glue??

I have used tape a couple times out of curiousity and found it cleans up way, way easier than Mastik One. Mastik One takes at least 5x longer to clean off the rim. Goo Gone, Acetone, rounded butter knife/scraper and a healthy dose of foul language is my removal method if the glue is coming all the way off.

Why are you scraping the glue off the rim?

After removing a tire, there is typically a fairly uniform layer of glue left behind. Way easier to glue a tire to a used rim than a new one.

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/kj

http://kjmcawesome.tumblr.com/

Notice the "if" the glue is coming off. It should be done after a few sets of tires as the layers of glue are no longer very uniform.

agreed, there's no need to clean a rim back down to the metal, the new glue "wakes up" the old stuff with the solvent.

I have had to remove tape that was glued onto the rim for cyclocross, it required floor adhesive stripper over multiple days with heavy rubber gloves and a paintbrush. Throwing the wheels over the back fence is also an option.

In terms of the op's question i'd just leave the tape and not fret over it and when the tire goes bad remove the tape. It will be stuck to your existing rim cement and may come off in chunks, so keep a list of curse words handy

As an aside, if i were in a race and was offered neutral support like this, I'd just mount the spare tire without any glue, blow it up nice and hard and go. People who train on tubulars do this all the time, you just can't bomb the turns, but otherwise the tire stays put. Using a spare with leftover glue on it is even better.

I'd be hesitant to mount a spare that had no glue, meaning it also should be easily mountable. After that, no hard corners or high speed descents.

I recently changed a flat tubular out on a training ride. The tire got a slash in the sidewall, but it was old and ready to be replaced anyways.

My spare used to be a race tire that still has glue on the base tape. I haven't bothered to remove it after the roadside swap and will only do it because I want a wider tire on the back rim, not because I am concerned about adhesion. It is amazing how strong the bond is even with a dry layer of glue on the tire and the rim.

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/kj

http://kjmcawesome.tumblr.com/

when i get home, i just put the spare back under the saddle and glue on a fresh tire. My present spare is a decent gatorskin with some sealant, it's still got a lot of life. I would not hesitate to ride home on a tire without glue, using common sense.

Training on tubulars is great, i'm surprised I did not discover it earlier in life

Why would you have to remove the tape in the first place (any more than glue)?

Regarding the rolling remember that the AFM's comparison of 2-3w is against meticulously glued tube. When it comes to typical light gluing, you'd be better of using tape.

I thought I would jump in here to say that for removing old mastic from rims, Effetto Mariposa makes a great mastic remover called Carogna Remover. You simply apply it to the mess on your rims, let it sit 2-24 hours and then....voila. Here are a few details.

• Carogna Remover, thanks to its high viscosity, can be spread on the rim gluing surface with a brush;
• Once you've covered all the old mastic with Remover, hang the wheel somewhere and allow the Remover time to work;
• Check the wheel from time to time (it can take between 2 to 24 hours, depending on how old the mastic traces are), trying to scrape the mastic away using a plastic tire lever or an old rag:
• When the old mastic is "cooked", Carogna Remover will have it softened and turned it into gel: it will be easy to remove with a cloth or with a plastic tire lever.

Considering it doesn't smell bad and isn't toxic nor dangerous, the additional time you have to wait compared to Acetone shouldn't be a problem. The final result will also be better, a the rim will look like new.

For tape fans, considering checking out Effetto Mariposa's new Carogna tubular gluing tape. Trying to get Dan and Herbert to check it out ; )
Many cheers,
Suzette

I've used both glue [continental] and tape [tufo], I'm a tape man moving forward.
Easier to install, easier to change a tire, less clean-up and fumes; I can live with a marginally higher Crr.

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res, non verba

Do you have any numbers on the Crr vs glue?

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/kj

http://kjmcawesome.tumblr.com/

Hi from Effetto Mariposa here in Switzerland!
We've just scheduled a full comparative Crr test of our Carogna and other tapes/mastics.
We'll use the same (carbon) rim and the same brand/model/size tubular, making all other test parameters equal (inflating pressure, speed, weight etc). Testing will be done at an independent testing facility (Wheel Energy in Finland: http://www.wheelenergy.com/). Results will normally be available before Interbike this year.
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Effetto Mariposa Sagl, Lugano - Cadro, Switzerland

What brand oftape did you use?

Hi effettomariposa,
Could you show me your crr testing result ?