Ok, how to cut the tire off. I have changed a tubie on the road and wound up just ripping it off - major prying with the thumbs and putting the new one on…so my question is - Using the magic razor blade - what is your gameplan for the fastest tubular tire change – and where would you cut the tire?
I would cut the tire away from the stem. If you can cut it all the way through easily without damaging your rim then that would make taking the tire off the easiest, but just cutting most of the way through might give you enough additional grip on the tire to pull it off to the side like normal.
I start opposite the valve, pinch the tire together slightly, start cutting across the tire (perpendicular to the rim side) thru all the layers and tube. The base tape is a little harder to get thru point the blade down is easiest. Once your thru hook your finger in the open tire and it pulls right off. Imagine cutting thru a connected smoke sausage. Most tires you can cut across in a minute or two. If you have an old tire on the rim practice. Realistically it takes 5 to 8 minutes to come to a stop, get your spare out, cut off the flat, install the spare, air up, pick up your mess, and get going. The best spares have been on a wheel, glued, ridden a little, and carefully removed. They will go on easy, I also prefer to use extra long valves, not a removable extender on the spare.
Carry a Vittoria Pit Stop, if you have a slowly deflating tire (spongy) try that first–20 seconds of down time. Hankster
Kind of what I thought…I am a little hesitant about trashing the carbon rim with the blade … anyone have a success / horror story??
I’ve used the razor blade a few times on my Zipp 440’s without any damage at all to the carbon. And I cut ALL the way through, the tire was completely in half when I pulled it off.
Much safer and easier to use and only slightly heavier then a standard razor blade… http://www.countycomm.com/straightrazor.htm