OK, my least loved part of mounting a tubular, getting it on to the rim
I am using a Conti Comp 22mm onto a 909 disc, an was mounting it to pre-stretch it before I glue it
What a freakin’ pain, is it just me?
I have mounted them on Corima, HED, Renn and now Zipp discs, but it seems like these contis are beasts to mount compared to the Tufo S3’s I had years ago
Any advice is appreciated. Do you have a special trick?
Also, having never changed a tubular during a race (TT) and doing some relay tris this year, do you pre stretch the spare prior to your race, to have it at the ready, just in case of a flat?
Yeah, basically just step on one side of the tire and pull up on the opposite side as hard as you can to pre-pre-stretch the tire.
As for a spare tire, best approach is to take a good tire that has already been properly mounted and use that as the spare. It will already have a layer of glue, so only one additional thin layer will need to go on the tire before folding it up and strapping under your seat, and will be stretched to the proper size.
I’ve had the same experience as you. I’d always used S3’s and then decided to try a Conti Comp on my disc. I never had any problems mounting my S3’s but by the time I finally got my Conti mounted, I was bleeding from where I’d separated my fingernail from my thumb and there was a visible ‘bump’ in the tire when inflated.
As far as pre-stretching, I do the same thing others have mentioned. Use an old tubie for your spare. As mentioned, it will be easy to mount quickly and already will have a layer of glue.
FWIW, I will probably never buy the Conti’s again, unless I decide to let someone else mount them. W/o a doubt the most frustrating and painful experience I’ve had working on a bike.
Contis and Vittorias benefit from about a two week stretching period. If I were racing at the frequency I used to race, I would have about three pair on rims stretching (and fully inflated) until I needed them.
Sometimes a tyre lever can help with installing a bratty tubular.
I’ve never used anything but conti’s, but have never had the problems that everyone is talking about. I have a set of tubular 404’s, so the rim profile should be the same as your 909’s. Anyway, pick up a set of tubular rims somewhere. I got mine on ebay, both for 16 bucks. These, even without spokes, will be perfect for stretching tubes. The biggest piece of advice I could give you on the mounting process is to start the tire on the rim right. The first step is to put the valve stem through the hole in the rim. Now, grab the tire about 10 - 12 inches from the stem on each side and make sure you stretch the tire on the rim as much as possible. The more stretch you get at this point, the less you’ll need at the end. When you get the tire mounted, before inflating, keep moving the tube around on the rim until it tracks straight, and without bumps. Good luck - E
I tried to put a new, out-of-the-box Conti Comp 22 on a disk wheel. I couldn’t get a good enough hold on the wheel to get the tire on and gave up. I had an unglued, new one that had been stretched on another wheel. I decided to try it and had no problem getting it on the disk wheel.