F**K no. Tell your LBS to suck your nut sack and eat shit. This is why LBS's have the general reputation of being a waste of money. Are you in Florida by chance?

The Zipp video on youtube is a great one. Some people vary how many coats and I do not believe there is a steadfast rule. I do 3 and 1, but it's not the law. The only real difference is if you want them sewn up 'easy off' style so you can strip it on the side of the road or old school. I'm of the old school with lowest crr possible.

Aluminum acid brushes at the local hardware store, Mastik One and you are on your way.

Do me a favor, tell your LBS to eat MY ass hole while you are at it. $100?? ftw

Go to the hobby shop and get some disposable paint brushes, wide enough that you don't have to make a ton of strokes to cover the width of the rim. Get Vittoria Mastik Glue and then do it yourself. its not hard and you will be laughing and getting pissed when you see how easy it is, and that they wanted to charge you 100 for it. If it was me, that would be the last time I shopped there, for trying to rip me off...

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They are nuts I paid 30.00 for two tires glued on. Tell them in a nice way to go pound sand. Question is though have you had a working relationship with the shop before? That is kind of like Joe Schmoo walking into mom and dads corner cafe and saying "I have two eggs and some bacon can you cook them for me?". But if you freaqent the place and buy and or use them regularly it should not be that high.

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I'm not in the shop all the time, but I've certainly bought
thousands of dollars of equipment there and many hundreds
of dollars of tune-ups, repairs, etc. They did pretty good by
me when I broke my front fork and got me a replacement
at pretty close to cost.

I'm guessing that maybe they just don't do much with tubies
and might just have one guy that knows what he is doing. Doesn't
install much faith in the job they will do if that is really the
case. I do realize that I didn't buy the wheels and tires there,
but it's not like they actually stock high end tubular wheelsets
or tubular tires.

Gotcha you have spent enough money there so they should not rape you like that, coupled also that they do not carry high end stuff . It would be different if you were Joe Schmoo showing up for the first time and they sold the stuff you asked them to install there. A lot of places will order something for you. They do not stock it because it is just to expensive for the small guy to stock.

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Thanks much for the pointers. I really appreciate the specifics as a
beginner (my follow up was going to be what glue to buy).
How much glue do I need to do both wheels? Is one tube of the vittoria
mastik glue per wheel sufficient?

I'll do it for $50.

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One other question now that I'm the do it yourself path.
Any suggestions about how to remove the old tires? I'd like
to keep them around as spares. Is there any trick to removing
them without causing any damage? Or is it pretty much
trivial?

If you make house calls, sold!

Holy Crap. That is ridiculous, especially considering the "pro" at the bike shop is likely to be a 19yr old kid who has never seen a tubular tire before.


Like the others have said go to the hardware store and buy some acid brushes (get a bunch, my local guy usually just grabs a handfull and asks me for about three bucks). Use Mastik One -get the jar, it is only a couple bucks more and I think it is easier to work with than the tubes.


On the way home form the hardware store stop and get a six pack of Belgian Beer.


I brush on a layer on the wheels and the tires, let it dry - drink a couple beers (some say over night but a good few hours is OK if it is warm and not too humid) Repeat on the wheels x2 and on the tires x1 for a really solid bond. make sure they are thin layers and they will dry faster and have a better bond. put the final layer on the wheels and let it get a little tacky and get ready to pull on the tire (make sure you have pre stretched the tire or it will be a real bugger)
Make sure you line the tire up straight and inflate the tire to riding psi to secure the bond and go riding the next day. use the money you saved to buy your wife/girlfriend flowers for allowing you to buy new wheels.

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I think maybe the LBS was going to take apart the stem, forks, cranks, repack everything and tune it up also. You know the "spring special" ;0)

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Go to Nimble .com they have a whole page that walks you through glueing, if it doesnt sink you can even call them and they will setup a teleconfrence call and walk you through it. But you say I don't have their wheels, they will still help you.



No I don't work for them or ride their wheels, great people though.

I would buy 3 tubes, its better to have to much then not enough… =]

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One tube is enough to do both rims. look around online for various gluing methods so you can understand the important points that everyone pays attention to.

More glue is not always better.
Make sure that the lip of the rim is covered all the way around. The tires are held on by the lip, not by the center.
Removing tires it rather hit or miss depending on how strong the previous glue job. Try your hardest not to rip the cloth tape off the tire.
Goo Gone and a large supply of rags and patience can clean the glue off rims nicely.
You don't need any special paint brushes to apply the glue. I just use a ziplock sandwich bag stretched across the tip of my index finger to apply the glue. When you're waiting in between coats, screw the top on the glue then zip it up in said bag.
Apply the glue to your plasticed finger in small dots then spread on rim. I find that using my finger allows me to get glue EXACTLY where I want it and not all over my rim.

Make sure your tires are stretched enough before gluing the on.

$100 is insane, it's their way of saying they don't want to deal with it.

One note on the tubies; put them on the rims w/o glue overnight to let them pre-stretch. It will make installation easier.

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hell no. two options:
1) web tutorials
2) ask someone on craigslist if they'll trade a six pack of beer to show you how to glue tubies

if the used h3 tubies have glue residue that they will have to spend an hour peeling off it isn't that unreasonable.

you can peel it off yourself to reduce the price probably

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QFT. That's easily my least favorite thing to do.

I am pretty much completely ignorant in regard to bike maintainance but I refuse to pay a bike shop to swap out a cassette or gluing tires. My lbs wanted 30 to change out a cassette and 75 for tubulars. these are two things any idiot can do....I am proof.

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Kat Hunter reports on the San Dimas Stage Race from inside the GC winning team
Aeroweenie.com -Compendium of Aero Data and Knowledge
Freelance sports & outdoors writer Kathryn Hunter

I don't do much wrenching myself, but I can certainly change a cassette
myself. That's like a two minute job. So if gluing tires falls in that same
bucket, I guess I ought to figure it out.

I like the plastic bag idea. The nimble.net tubular tire advice page
suggests that you usually don't need to clean the old glue off the rim
if you are replacing a tire (as I will be doing). Many of the reply posts
here (such as yours) mention the time required to clean the glue off.
What's the deal? Do most folks here always clean off the old glue?
And if you don't, do you apply more glue to the rim, or just apply glue
to the tire?

My LBS charges $8.00 per tire and does a top job. It would be cheaper for you to mail me your rims, have me bring it to them and have them glued and mail them back to you...

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Might be a bit high but not outrageous. I would make sure the guy who is doing it knows what he is doing. Gluing a tubular on is not something you want a half-assed job on - your personal safety is on the line. Seriously!

That being said I have always been DIY with this - learned how to do it long ago from a guy who really knew what he was doing.

Think about it this way - you pay $100 and you have piece of mind that something really important is done right ( again assuming a real tubular guru has done the work). Yet, I see all kinds of triathletes throwing way more money at stuff that really does not matter and is in no way making them better/faster/safer - not that there is anything wrong with that!

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Steve Fleck @stevefleck | Blog

Thanks for the perspective. When I originally posted, I wondered a bit about
whether this was the case. Reminds me of some old advice about not skimping
on car tires. So how do I figure out whether the LBS actually has a tubular guru
or some 19 year old who will be looking it up on youtube how to videos like I do?
Assuming I go the DIY path, any tips on how to make sure I am safe?

The problem I see here is that a high price doesn't guarantee a good job. I'd trust the guy who can do them quickly enough and does enough of them to charge 10 bucks a tire rather than the guy who charges 50 bucks and may not get the most tubular gluing business.

Although I'd personally just learn to glue them yourself, so you know you have a safe tire (it's what I did, and it's easy with online info).

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Reminds me of some old advice about not skimping
on car tires.

Same - it's always a pay me now or pay me later. Plus good car tires really do improve how the car drive and gas mileage. Even on the beaters that I have owned, I have always put the best rubber that I can afford on them. Bike tires are very similar - I always ride, be it clincher or tubular, on the best rubber I can get.

So how do I figure out whether the LBS actually has a tubular guru
or some 19 year old who will be looking it up on youtube how to videos like I do?

Ask.

Assuming I go the DIY path, any tips on how to make sure I am safe?

There's all kind of info online anf if you have questions, come back here and ask. Sure there are some who will make fun of you, but there are just as many really knowledgeable and helpful people on the board.

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Steve Fleck @stevefleck | Blog

The problem I see here is that a high price doesn't guarantee a good job. I'd trust the guy who can do them quickly enough and does enough of them to charge 10 bucks a tire rather than the guy who charges 50 bucks and may not get the most tubular gluing business.

Agreed on the first point.

As for time though, to do this right, does take some time. If I am having some dude glue my tires on, I don't want him trying to set a world record doing it!

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Steve Fleck @stevefleck | Blog

If you do it yourself, make sure the tires are pre stretched. Other then that, its a pretty ez job using the small acid brush and brushing it on the wheel and tire. When you do put the tire on, make sure its centered on the rim before filling it with air.

I decided to call up a couple of other area shops. I got quotes for: $50/wheel, $60/wheel and $20/wheel.
Can't really tell on the phone how good a job they will do, although the $60/wheel guy felt the need to
justify the high price by saying how important it is to do a good job. $20/wheel actually seems reasonable
enough that I'll consider it (although it is a bit far from me).

That's true, I should have worded that I would want the one who has enough experience that it's a 10 dollar job to him rather than the one who thinks it's a legitimate 100 dollar job.

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Please do it yourself.

Honest, it's not that hard to do yourself. After you do it you will feel better and confident about your skills and the wheels you purchased. Seeing that you own tubular wheels you should bite the bullet and learn from the get go and get it done. Remember to pre-stretch them 1st, that is in my opinion the most important step of the whole process. I have seen and laughed as people tried to get tubies on without stretching them 1st and it's rather fun from a spectators point of view but not so much from the installers view. I have a couple of old tubular hoops I keep around just for stretching purposes, but that is not necessary, just a left over practice from years past and knowledge handed down from old timers.
As far as the LBS I don't know if I would trust them to glue up my wheels. Maybe they are charging that much to keep people away from bringing their wheels because they DON'T have someone they feel comfortable gluing up tubulars. I know of a LBS that sells tons of high end bikes and wheels but will refer you down the road to the little LBS where all the guys still ride tubulars because the little shop actually knows what they are doing. One of the mechanics told me in the 5 years he has been at the shop he has NEVER glued a tubular on, and he has only done it once in his life and that was to see if he could do it.
Save yourself lots of money, as with most things with bike maintenance learn to do it yourself and you will be much happier. There are tons of resources out there to help you out, take your time and plan ahead. It's not like a clincher where you can throw it on. I might be conservative, but I always plan about 2-3 days total when planning on gluing up new wheels. 24 hours for stretching and another 1-2 days for the gluing and setting, but I also usually forget I have coats drying.

I disagree. It is not the same case. The LBS offers that service; the corner cafe does not. It should not matter if I have spent thousands or if it's my first time. It's like if you go to your corner cafe for the first time and you only order a cup of coffee and they want to charge you 20 bucks and the next costumer that eats there every day they charge them 2 bucks.

Now, if LBSs don't like to do that kind of services, they should post it somewhere visible in the store "The following services only available for regular costumers that have spent $XXX"

The only person you shoukd trust to glue your tires is yourself. It is easy if not a bit messy the first time. Just keep some booze handy and make sure the room is ventilated...but not that well ventilated. Fwiw, For cross I easily use five tubes for a pair of clean rims and fresh tires.

before you start slopping glue around, practice mounting the tires on the wheels and inflate them to ensure they are OK. Wheem sits on floor, valve hole on top, as you put the tire on when you get to 3 and 9 o clock position, place a lot of your weight on your hands to stretch the tire downward or you will make a mess getting the last bit on.

couple thin coats on the wheel, dry between coats, coat on the basetape of the tire. Last coat on the wheel goes on nice and thin and let it dry a little maybe 30 mins so it's not messy then glue the tire, add a little air, center it and inflate. Clean up the braking surface and let cure overnight and go ride.

Some people like to roll the uninflated tire hard on a broom handle to really stick it on good. Check the glue joint often with an uninflated tire, especially after racing in the rain

I would recommend:
1. toes over rim method (google it!)
and/or
2. Ask around your local ride groups and have someone show you how to do it. Watching videos online isn't really the same as having someone standing next to you showing you how to do it.
After someone shows you once, you'll wonder why so many people make a big deal of it, because it is actually so easy!

i'm new to tubulars this year and too the DIY approach. part of it is that i like to do all my own wrenching (100% builds of my own bikes), as i like to be confident in my bikes when descending at 50+ mph (i live at the base of a mountain pass).

while many bike shops employ highly competent people, the way i see it is that no one out there cares as much about YOUR bike as YOU. also, sometimes there are distractions in shops.

as far as tubulars go, if you want to (a) learn how it's done and (b) do it right, it's going to take some time.

here's the reality:
1) you're going to need to get all the materials (brushes, tubular glue, a wheel truing stand if you don't already have one (makes things much easier))
2) you'll need to spend time watching tutorials and reading info on the web and deciding who you trust (i believe in mastik 1, 3 light coats on rim & tire)
3) you'll need to spend time stretching your tires. this isn't much active time, but it will require you to mount the tires and then wait....days.
4) you'll need to apply that first coat and have a proper spot to store both tires and rims (separately) for 24h. you're new, so you'll be cautious. it might take you 15 minutes per tire and rim (when you consider setup and everything). you'll have to clean up. you might get glue on some clothing.
5) you'll need to repeat #4 for your 2nd coat.
6) on your 3rd coat, you'll feel confident with quickly applying the glue, but you're mounting the tires. you'll probably make a mess. you'll be waiting 24 more hours before riding them. depending on how much glue got on your hands, you'll have to touch up the job (or maybe re-do it).

so....is $100 worth it for the above? you decide.

maybe your shop doesn't want to deal with it, so they quoted you an f-u price. maybe it's a nuisance for them, too.

for me, i had no problem doing it myself (mounted 2 sets and have raced on them a bunch already). part of it for me is that shops around me probably don't have much more experience with tubies than i do. the other part is that future gluings will be much easier/less effort.

i'd say plan on at least one tube per tire/tube combo. i think i wound up using about 3 tubes per wheel set. (more is not necessarily better--depends on the quality of the gluing job.)

i'm not portraying myself as an expect but rather trying to give you a sense of what is involved and help you make a better decision.

i think the first part of a decision of whether to use a shop or DIY is really whether the shop will do an AWESOME job that you would not second guess at 50mph. if the answer to that is no, then the price doesn't matter. if yes, then decide how much is too much when you consider the time and effort for the above steps.

good luck!

$50 wouldn't be enough for me to do it (for someone else). On the other hand, I wouldn't pay $50 to have someone else do it. Figure that one out.

There's a saying that goes...

If you can afford what you would charge your price is too low.

As for the $50, of course there is shipping and handling charges....

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Yeah, everybody bitching about the 100 bucks charges, for shops who charge this.

First, I'll grant you that might be a bit steep.

But put these on, alot, like a lot of us do, all the time. Its not a problem, MOST OF THE TIME, but like people coming into an ER room, every case, and rim and tire, is just a little bit different. Hopefully, you dont' have to take off the old glue and tape.

But do I want to go glue on some tires? Hell no.

I'd charge 68 bucks.

And if I have to scrape the old glue and tape shit off and breath all of that toxic glue remover, and put on rubber gloves, $200. And sweat and feve over it, How about that? 200!

Agree 100 percent. I wouldn't pay anyone to do it, but it damned sure is worth at least 50 bucks.

Especially if I was a merchant and have this person coming back to possibly bitch about little, minute hops and wriggles in it he sees when he's riding on it.

As a recent convert to tubulars I can highly recommend this site for how to glue them, gives a particularly good description of how to check your glueing job once finished. I have found that like most things the more I do the better I get at it. Can also highly recommend the pre-stretching by putting them unglued on the rim and pumping up for 24 hours or so.

A heat gun and cotton rags.
I can clean up a tub rim in <5 minutes, w/o chemicals.