I recently picked up a good deal on some old rolf tubular wheels. I’ve always had clinchers but thought the deal was worth it. How hard will it be to install the tires?
Can someone point me towards a good guide? Thanks!
anyone?
How “hard” to install tubulars? Not technically hard at all - the “hard” part is getting all the old cement and crud off of the mounting surface of your rims after you remove the old tubulars. Definitely not rocket science. An old credit card, some Goof-Off and odorless mineral spirits are your friends. Do a search on here - its been covered in great detail many times. Once you have the rims prepped, mounting new tubulars is pretty damn easy.
-John
I just did it for the first time. Before I did so, I scoured this forum and the internet to read every opinion, experience, and instruction guide I could. I learned a number of useful things.
- Pre-stretch all tires by letting them sit on rims for a day or so before gluing
- Use Jasco/Bix varnish/stain remover (I found it at Lowe’s) if you need to remove old glue. It worked incredibly well.
- Consider carefully how you are going to glue them – there is the super secure way and the “triathlon” way. The Triathlon way involves leaving a short patch unglued to make it easier to remove them in a race. This kinda scared me so I didn’t do it. Regardless, most guides seem to involve about 3 coats of glue on the wheel and one or two on the tire.
- Pre-glue any spares. Search here and elsewhere for photos on how to fold them.
- Be sure to have a lot of free time, patience, and some beer available before you start gluing.
I learned a lot of other things but these were the most useful. I found guides on the Parktool website as well as video guides on YouTube. Just get handy with Google and you’ll find a wealth of information. Determining a consensus “best” way is another matter…
As a triathlete I always use TUFO Extreme Gluing tape to install tubulars. If you are a crit racer that races on tight/twisty courses you may want to use cement. Hopefully the rims are prep’t and you can use this video to help… http://www.tufo.com/ -----> Installation-----> Installation of Tubular Tire with Gluing Tape.
It is not hard IMO. Just relax and take your time. However whenever I install a tubular I always think to myself that if I flat during a race I would just quit and not try to change it. I think I would be too tired and loose about 10 pounds of sweat in the process of changing it.
you need to be aware that some tubular are really harder to put on the wheel.
Continental competition is way harder than Continental Sprint to install.
Also, I really advice you to install it with the tuffo tape (extreme edition). IT’S REALLY REALLY EASY, to place… and to do… don’t listen to the bike snob that only cement is safe…
there was a really good video on beginnertriathlete.com that showed proper and easy installation.
that’s where I learned.
http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/cms/article-detail.asp?articleid=1460
you need to be aware that some tubular are really harder to put on the wheel.
Continental competition is way harder than Continental Sprint to install.
True
I use Conti Competitions and recently put on a Conti Giro for a friend which was significantly easier to install. Almost too easy.
I followed the instructions on the Park Tool website when I first got my tubbies and have never had a problem, I heard alot of suggestions but felt that going with a reputable non biased source was safest place to start. I do use the trick of leaving about a 1-2inch spot directly opposite the valve unglued in case I need to change a flat, having tried to get the original tires off mine when I got them, I realized how hard it can be if they are glued up the wazoo.
Good Luck http://www.parktool.com/repair/readhowto.asp?id=61
2 words for the gluing: acid brush
The brushes are a few cents each and give a much better coat than plastic bags over fingers, etc…
Chris
Did my first glue job recently. Got some instructions from the Godfather of tubulars, Chip Howat. Followed them precisely and had no problems, despite nearly blowing an O-ring trying to stretch the Conti Competition (which had been pre-strecthed for a month) on the rim. I was probably a little sloppy, but I was happy with my first attempt at gluing. Definately a nice thing to save $35.00.
it’s something you can learn without a lot of fuss. Buy a few tires and practice mounting them without glue.
One thing to bear in mind is this–when you are mounting the tire, wheel sits on the floor w/ the valve hole at the top, start mounting and when you get to about 3 and 9 o clock, grab the tire and give it a mighty downward stretch with your weight–this keeps the last 6 inches from being a sticky mess all over the rim.
It took me a while to understand this step was important