I am thinking of using tubular tires on some new wheels. It would be interesting to try the adhesive tape instead of glue as previous threads here seem to indicate it is easy to use and apparently works very well.
My question is: do any of you have experience with two of more of the three different types of tape out there (tufo regular, tufo extreme, and the jantex/zefal variety)? I would be curious to know which one I might want to aim for if adhesion in all conditions and at all speeds is the highest priority for me (vs. how easy it might be to remove–not super important).
I’ve used Tufo stips in the past, but have gone back to glue. No real reason other than I’ve found a new method of gluing using the “bowtie” technique for holding the tire…makes life easier.
FWIW - I think there are applications for both stips and glue. In general…the stips never really “dry”, but glue does. So, the elasticity of the stips can be useful…once again, depending upon your application.
Ex - cornering at high speed and hit a pothole. An older glue job might “break” and you’ll roll the tire. The glue strip will bend, but would take a lot to break. If that makes sense…
The only problem I had with the glue strips is removing the excess goop when changing tires. Certainly not something you’ll want to be doing during your IM pr. The other issue is centering the tire…which most people don’t really know how to do anyway.
Not really answering any of your questions, but just wanted to throw my thoughts out there…
Simply inflate the tire to 25ish psi, pinch in the middle with index finger and thumb…and the tire will bend outward to allow access to all areas that need to be glued. Usually, I’ll apply two coats.
I use Tufo S3 lites which really don’t need to be stretched. Slide on silky smooth…
Using the Tufos combined with the ridiculousy easy way of applying glue has made a total pain into something rather fun…
Anybody need any tubular installed? I’m all done with my bike/run and nothing to do the rest of the day…
I am new with the Tubular thing myself. I will try your “Bow tie Method” My question is this: I will be carrying a tubular for a couple long races coming up. Do i pre glue the tire? If so how long ill the glue stay tacky? Will it bond immediately upon installation?
I’ve given up on the glue, because it takes three days (two coats of glue at a day each them mount the tire and let dry for one). The tape is consistent and quick. Follow the directions (including wetting the fabric strip on the tire) and you can have your tire on in twenty minutes and be riding. So if you flat on Saturday, you can race on Sunday.
I had a rude awakening when I got my race wheels down out of the rafters this Spring, and the glue was so dried out it wouldn’t have held through a medium speed corner! I’ve yet to find out what it’s like to try to change one of these, but basically you don’t have any way to get the tire to stick if you change a flat at a race, so you just have to ride conservatively after a flat.
If ease of use is what you strive for then I would suggest the Tufo tape. I mounted a pair of Tufo S3 lites (21mm) onto American Classic 58mm carbon wheels the other night while watching the biker buildoff on television with the wife. Using the Tufo Extreme tubular tape, if not for the distraction of the television I would have been finished in under 5-minutes for both wheels. Process could not be easier using Tufo tubulars - started by remove the backing from the wide side of the glue tape and applying the strip to the rim surface. Next, following the printed directions on the box, I pulled back about 1 inch of the backing tape for the glue side that adheres to the tubular and re-mounted the tubular onto the rim, inflated to 1-bar (~15 psi) and ensured that the tire was properly positioned. Finally, I carefully pulled on the piece of exposed backing tape until the tape was completely removed, re-checked that the tire was centered on the rim and then inflated the tire to ~120 psi. All of this while sitting in a leather sofa chair that is positioned adjacent to my wifes priczed Persian rug while we watched television!
Note - this would not have been permissable (or possible) with tubular glue!
I have yet to get to ride the wheels other than around the neighborhood but will get to put them to the test this weekend when the new wheels get used during a road race that our race team is promoting! I have been told by those who use Tufo tubulars and tape to race cyclo-cross that based on their experience, using the tubular tape, on the rare occasion when their tires went flat, it typically took under 1-2 minutes to change the tire! It seems that the hardest part was getting the flat tire off the bike because the tape bonded so well. Finally, I have also been cautioned that when using Tufo tubular glue tape with tires that have a cotton base tape, it is best to apply a layer of glue to the tubulars base tape otherwise there is a possibility of the cotton tearing/shredding when using the tape - seems strange to me considering that the Tufo S3’s have a cotton base tape?