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.