If I bought a set of tubular race wheels, and raced on them so little that I wouldn’t wear away the tire for years, how many years can I get out of a tire? In other words, how long before the tire hardens or dry rots to the point where you wouldn’t want to use it? Or maybe the glue has problems first?
Just wondering. I also guess the same could be said about clincher race tires, but at least with those I could rotate the tire off the rim and use it on my daily wheels.
Thanks.
You’ll flat before they wear out.
My spare is a 15yr old Vittoria. It seems to do better then the new tubbies that I flat.
I put race tires on in 2005, raced approx 750 miles on them, and they are still good…
This will be their last year seeing race action on them… If they come off nicely they will become spares.
how often (if at all) are you regluing them??
this must be a trick question—until they flat or you change them would be the obvious answer but maybe I’m missing something…
how often (if at all) are you regluing them??
Do they need to be reglued every few years?
this must be a trick question—until they flat or you change them would be the obvious answer but maybe I’m missing something…
I come from a background of riding motorcycles. Sport tires harden enough in a year or two such that you wouldn’t want to race with them after that long (you may still ride on the street with them). Thinking about getting tubulars, but would likely put less than 200 miles on them per year in races, and maybe a little more for training. Was wondering if I would need to change them every few years, but apparently the answer is no.
I guess it depends on the tire, but the mechanic for the Discovery team used to ‘age’ the tires for about 6 years before they went on the bikes for the TDF.
I guess it depends on the tire, but the mechanic for the Discovery team used to ‘age’ the tires for about 6 years before they went on the bikes for the TDF.
Aaah…BUT that was in a Belgian cellar. Unless you can recreate those conditions, it’s futile to try to “age” your tires like a fine wine 
That episode of the “Lance Chronicles” always cracks me up…
short answer: reglue every year.
long answer: if you did a good job gluing the first time, and the tire is in good shape then you can get away with a couple of seasons of racing tris. If you’re doing any road racing then definitely every year.
You can tell you need to reglue a tire if, when you try an pry the (deflated) tire from the rim, you hear cracking instead of seeing strings of glue holding on or if the tire separates from the rim without great effort.
If you have a tire that has small cuts and nicks, but is other wise good, you can remove any road debris and then fill the cut with super glue.
I guess it depends on the tire, but the mechanic for the Discovery team used to ‘age’ the tires for about 6 years before they went on the bikes for the TDF.
Aaah…BUT that was in a Belgian cellar. Unless you can recreate those conditions, it’s futile to try to “age” your tires like a fine wine
That episode of the “Lance Chronicles” always cracks me up…
Do you think that mechanic believed what he said, or was he just spinnin’ a yarn? I’ve always wondered…
I guess it depends on the tire, but the mechanic for the Discovery team used to ‘age’ the tires for about 6 years before they went on the bikes for the TDF.
Aaah…BUT that was in a Belgian cellar. Unless you can recreate those conditions, it’s futile to try to “age” your tires like a fine wine
That episode of the “Lance Chronicles” always cracks me up…
Do you think that mechanic believed what he said, or was he just spinnin’ a yarn? I’ve always wondered…
Oh…I’m sure he believed it…
short answer: reglue every year.
long answer: if you did a good job gluing the first time, and the tire is in good shape then you can get away with a couple of seasons of racing tris. If you’re doing any road racing then definitely every year.
You can tell you need to reglue a tire if, when you try an pry the (deflated) tire from the rim, you hear cracking instead of seeing strings of glue holding on or if the tire separates from the rim without great effort.
If you have a tire that has small cuts and nicks, but is other wise good, you can remove any road debris and then fill the cut with super glue.
Thank you. That’s what I was looking for.
Every year or as soon as the glue looks crusty. You don’t want to roll a tire. I’ve seen someone else do it and it keeps me maintaining my wheels very closely ever since.
Timely question for me as I’ve been going back and forth for the past few weeks trying to decide if I should use my buddy’s 404 tubulars for FL 70.3 this weekend. I was finally convinced by you, my fellow STers, to go for it. I went into a LBS (not my primary shop) earlier this week and the guy scared me w/ the whole ‘old / bad glue’ thing. This wasn’t previously something I had factored in.
I ended up taking them to my shop yesterday and they checked them out (by pumping them up and pulling on them, etc.) & gave the glue job a thumbs up. I just came back from the shop w/ the 404s locked & loaded for Sunday. No looking back now!!