I recently remounted some tubulars, but had the darndest time getting the suckers off. If I flatted in a race I’d be worried I would waste at least 30 minutes just trying to get the damn tire off the rim let alone place a new one on.
Any tips on how to get the tire off quickly?
Also anyone have a cheap dry rim to sell me so I can stretch some spare tires?
Cut it with a razor blade.
Yep…carry a single edge razor blade, or a small one made especially for cycling (has a little thumb latch). Cut across the tire…stick a finger in the tubular and rip it clean off. takes about 30 seconds. The tire is “toast” anyway.
The tire is “toast” anyway.
I used to think so as well, but a guy in our cycling group gave me some info on a guy who will re-tube your tubular. He does not do Tufo obviously, and the tubes he uses are not the removable core, but you can request it, and whatever stem length. You could request a latex tube as well, or just send one with the tire.
I just sent off a new Vittoria that I flatted last weekend (less than 100 miles) I will post a new thread with the info when it returns.
He is reasonable $20 he covers return shipping.
Here is the link. Ron is a nice guy on the phone.
Oh and for the original post, many will disagree, but you can leave a small area opposite the valve hole unglued or very thinly glued to help. I do not corner like a crit rider so it is not an issue for me.
Soooo in a race you would take the time to pull off the tire ?? Not me.
Thom
I have changed a tubbie in a race stop to start in under 3 minutes, most of the time went to the C02 thing. I leave about 2" with out glue 180 from the valve stem…pre-glue your spare, blow it up.
So does one literally cut the tire in half and then just peel off each half so at the end one has a straight line as opposed to a circle of a tire?
Also, what is the best way to stretch one’s spare?
and, as one who races without a spare 'cause I have no experience changing one in the field…
I ride Zipp 404’s and Conti Podium which are taped on with Tufo Extreme tape. Do I need to bring a spare set of Tufo Tape or prep the spare?
carry a steak knife and cut it like it’s hot.
Another question:
I just got a new set of wheels, so I decided to mount the tubulars myself as opposed to going to the LBS as usual. Anyway, I chose to use glue Mastik Glue. It was really a pain in the arse to glue (really messy).
How does glue compare to TUFO Extreme tape. Any negatives from the tape?
I ride Conti Competitions 19 front, 22 rear. Can I use the TUFO tape with them if I wanted.
Tufo Tape is waaay easier than glue. Well, actually I’ve never glued a wheel, but the tufo tape was pretty straight forward and much cleaner.
My Conti Podiums have worked great with the tape… Competitions should have no problem either.
No, the extreme tape generally leaves the clear portion of the tape on the rim, or at the very least the sticky part of the tape stays on the wheel. There was plenty of stick to get me home 25 miles last weekend, and the tire was actually stuck pretty well when I was removing it, I would feel quite confident with about anything but a serious mountain descent.
As for the other poster, yes I would take the tire off unless it was just thrashed. The extreme tape comes off so much easier once you get the center white portion to release. The old tape I spent 20 minutes in my living room pissed off, that stuff and I would just cut the tire off.
You can cut the tire but if you leave a nice 2" gap unglued opposite the valve stem (as record10 suggested) it’s pretty easy, well I shouldn’t say easy, but doable and quick to peel off the tire in a race. 2-4 min total change time. If the tire is really really tight carrying a tire lever to help get it started helps, actually if you are worried about getting it off a larger tire lever like a Pedros lever (big yellow plastic) can be slipped under the unglued portion and then pulled around the rim stripping the tire off the rim as you go. Or yeah, you can cut it and then peel it off so you get a “straight line” instead of a circe. If it’s a pretty old tire this is probably worth it but if say you are running pretty new $110 Continental competitions or newish Tufos you can have them repaired (conti and others) or use some sealant to fix them later (tufo). If the tire is still pretty new I’d rather not cut it off, just peel and peel hard.
Gluing, use a ziplock bag or plastic over your finger so you don’t get glue on it. run a bead of glue around the rim bed maybe 1/3 of the way around at a time and then spread with your finger. Do the same for the tire makin gsure to fully saturate the base tape. Probably do this twice on a new tire. I like Conti, Panaracer, the Mastik stuff but definetely not Hutchinson, Hutchinson glue is crap imo.
Your spare should ideally be an old tire so it’s aleady prestretched and glued. If not, you need to mount it on a rim unglued for a while to stretch it.
gently use a screwdriver to pry the tire off - insert it between the base tape and the rim, and be careful. especially if the tires are on carbon wheels costing many thousands of dollars.
you can actually stretch tubulars on a clincher rim. of course, if you try to glue a tubular to a clincher rim and ride it, you deserve what you get.
Carrying a razor and cutting it will work. Also, if you ride it flat for a little bit, it will loosen it up.