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How hard is it to glue tubulars?
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Have been riding clinchers for a long time. How difficult is it to learn to glue them? Are they less likely to flat? How hard are they to change in a race? Do all the major pro's ride them? Do alot of the pro teams in the peloton ride them?

Thanks for the info.
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Re: How hard is it to glue tubulars? [Matt Berner] [ In reply to ]
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Oh, Matt! They are easy to glue. You can glue them to your hands, your spokes, your garage floor, just about anywhere!

Actually, they're not all that bad. Either follow the directions carefully (different glues have different set-up times), get someone locally to show you how, or just keep on riding clinchers like most people do. There's just not as much difference between the tubular vs. clinchers nowadays that there was 20 years ago. I always loved the way tubulars felt back then, but, now...I don't know. I used to even repair my tubulars...you can just sew them back up after patching the inner tube. Tubulars don't seem to flat as often, and when they do, you might be able to continue to ride on the flat, unlike a clincher. Tubular wheelsets are still a bit lighter. Hmmm...why is it that I ride clinchers? I can't really remember.....



Quid quid latine dictum sit altum videtur
(That which is said in Latin sounds profound)
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Re: How hard is it to glue tubulars? [Matt Berner] [ In reply to ]
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Like anything else you have to do it a couple of times to work out the bugs but it's worth it. John Cobb's bikesport website had some pros and cons on tubulars under their technical department here:

http://www.bicyclesports.com/...ge/index.html#111299

Here's a good article from the Vittoria site on how to glue tubulars:

http://www.bicyclesports.com/...ge/index.html#111299

I use "Vittoria Mastik 1" and pretty much do as the Vittoria method suggests. Everybody has a little different spin on the procedure. A couple of things I like to do are wear disposable latex gloves and apply the glue to the rim with my finger. Also I like to mask the braking surface of my rims with electrical tape to make cleaning any little glue blobs easier. If you do need to clean up any blobs from the rim, try 3M Adhesive remover. I checked with Hed and thet's what they suggested for the Hed3's .

I don't subscribe to the "many coats of glue method" that the TDF or USPS riders do. They don't have to try to remove a tire from the rim if they flat during a race!

Oh yeah, don't wear your favorite shirt the first time you mount your tire.
Last edited by: R Isgrigg: Feb 1, 03 11:42
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Re: How hard is it to glue tubulars? [Matt Berner] [ In reply to ]
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Find my post on gluing tubulars. I am even switching back to training on them for atleast 2/3 of my bikes.

Tubs roll better, are lighter, flat less often, are easier to change in a race, make you into a cooler guy. The lightest clincher may beat the weight of a tubular, but you still need a tube, and the hook on the rim quickly negates the "weight advantage". Besides, the ultra-light weight clincher is severely compromised, as a lot needs to be taken away to get it as light as a tub. Most pros still prefer to ride tubs, and most of the teams are still on tubs and will be for a very long time. It is super easy to glue them, as all you need is a turbo trainer or a truing stand to help you out.

There is some guy in Texas who repairs tubulars for $10 each (new tube). I gotta find his number. Generally, however, they are worn out long before they flat (for me).
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Re: How hard is it to glue tubulars? [bunnyman] [ In reply to ]
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No truing stand or no turbo trainer no problem. I use 2 chairs back to back and hook the skewer over the chairs and presto a gluing stand. Bad bad idea if the wife is home and you happen to be using the brand new wooden chairs that go with the brand new dining table. I 2nd the latex glove idea. If you have a hairy chest try gluing w/no shirt. Grab a piece of cloth and while the glue is still sticky press on rip off! Beats shaving for fun everytime!
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