that is, the extreme version… which is supposed to hold better than the regular version.
I just spent over 4 hours scraping the glue off a tubular Zipp 303 rim. Not fun.
I’m waiting for new tires to arrive in the mail (Vittoria Evo Corsa CX tires from Probikekit), and these are going on my newly cleaned rim, to be race wheels (road races, not gonna be used for crits).
So what method should I use to attach my new tires to the rim?
What struck me most as I was scraping old glue off the rim was that the previous gluing really isn’t very evenly done… some parts are thick, some parts are thin. And you know a chain is only as strong as it’s weakest link… If any part of the tire is gonna roll, it’s gonna be the part with the least glue. Is it possible to get regular glue (e.g. Mastik) to as even a finish as Tufo gluing tape?
I’ve used Tufo tape before, and it makes it so easy to get the tire to sit perfectly straight on the rim. Surely that helps in reducing rolling resistance (compared to an amateurly glued tire, that does not sit properly?) Plus it’s so easy to remove the tape from the rim… and it comes off nice and clean.
Do I lose very much by using tape i.e. increased rolling resistance of tape, possibly higher chance of rolling…
vs the thorough inconvenience of gluing a tire on i.e. 3 coats of glue (drying overnight…), all the mess, and the pure hell of scraping glue of the rim when the tire flats
i am back in Clinchers - but after riding tubies for many years - I starting using tufo extreme tape about two years ago - never had an issue with a rolled tire - made it much cleaner and simpler to get the tire on straight and not once di I ever encounter difficulties in removing the tape afterwards - sure it was a pain in the butt - but nothing like removing old glue
my experience may not be that of others and I am not saying others are wrong in having issues with removing tape - i just wanted you to know that not everyone has had those difficulties
I second this. Been using the Tufo Extreme on my Zipp 606/808 wheels without any problem. Removing is sometimes a bit tricky, but nothing like removing old glue such as Mastik. Zipp discourages the use of the tape (supposedly it caused rim delamination in some instances during removal), but I have a feeling that Zipp is just trying to avoid warranty claims on bad rims. I went to the Tufo factory in Otrokovice, Czech Rep., in person (I am Czech), asked about this, and they told me the tape compound is not all that different from other types of glue. The great difference is the application process they created: cleaner, even distribution of the glue, allows you to mount the tubular really evenly/precisely, etc. Anyway, been using the tape w/o any problems ever – my 2 cents!
Are you sure about there being a noticeable Crr difference between gluing tape and regular tubular contact cement? The only difference I know of is when you use track cement (a terrible idea for road riding) in place of regular glue.
You can get it nice and even, only takes about 2 hs on a fresh rim, you don’t need to glue the tire, only the rim, and it doesn’t need to be cleaned off every time you change a tire…
I agree that 3M Fast TAC is a good alternative but I think most would agree that for those who are particular about cleaning off old glue residue before mounting new tires, while Tufo tape is challenging, the main reason nobody removes Fast TAC is because many would say it takes even longer to remove than the tape! In my experience using Tufo tape with Tufo tubulars was quick and easy to mount but when it came time to remove the tire, the tape had so much adhesion, most of the base tape stayed on the wheel which then neccessitated removal of the glue residue to get rid of the cotton base tape.
The tape works decent, but if you put the tape onto a rim with an existing layer of old glue, when you go to remove the tape, it often sticks to the old glue on the rim, in part or in hunks, leaving you with a cleanup chore. For a normal metal rim, I have had good luck with a brush-on furnature stripper, let it sit overnight and use a couple apps to get the glop off–I have a wheel that had been used with the tape adhered to the rim with wet glue for cyclocross, it was a real mess.
The other issue with the tape is you may find the center section of the rim is built up by the thickness of the tape, which prevents the basetape from having a seal on the edge. Over time, water gets into the gap and the flexing action of the tire will cause it to work loose. This is more of a problem with cyclocross because of the lower pressures and wet conditions, but I’d still want to check that glue joint pretty frequently, especially after riding in real wet conditions.
I prefer just using one of those big cans of Conti cement with the brush right in the can. My understanding with the fast tack is it can cause some brands of base tape to detach from the tire, ruining the tire pretty much.
Tubular H3s with Tufo Extreme tape and Tufo S3 Lites cost me an average of 15 watts over the same course versus using Clincher H3s with Michelin ProRace Lights (20mm) with Conti Light tubes. That was average over 3 runs with the tubulars and 8 runs with the clincher setup. Change out the Conti tubes for latex in the clinchers and the difference will be even greater.
This is all very unscientific (and I think 15 watts is a little high if it were a better controlled comparison)…just pulled from a review of training logs from 2006. But there is NO DOUBT that the taped tubulars were SLOW. Honestly, I remember feeling like I was in quicksand. I’d never tried the tape before and thought I’d give it a go. This was also before the wide distribution of Crr reports from Jens and the like that definitely explain the results.
Run away from the tape. Run FAR away…as fast as you can. Most tubies are already giving up a Crr advantage to clinchers in the first place. Don’t compound the difference by using tape. Glue them up properly and call it a day.
I prefer just using one of those big cans of Conti cement with the brush right in the can.
I only have carbon tubulars and after a weekend removing the tape, went to Vittoria Mastik One (in the can) and using acid (aka plumbers flux brushes) to apply in 2 layers. Very happy with this setup but replacing tires will always be a pain although a member at the weightweenies forum told me about a 3m adhesive removal disks used by auto body shops with a drill or air tool to remove decals and vinyl trim adhesive residue from cars. The 3M parts are 07500 and 07501 (Roloc Holder and Scotch-Brite Molding Adhesive and Stripe Removal Disc, 4in x 3/8in). Insert the holder in the drill, attach the discs to the holder, turn on the drill and apply very light pressure and the adhesive starts to flake off. I could see each wheel being clean within 10-15 minutes but this requires a way to hold the wheel as it requires both hands on the drill to hold steady pressure.
You’re comparing 2 variables at the same time… a change in tire and a change in the method the tire is attached to the rim. The 21mm tubular tire is less well suited to the H3 rim than a 20mm clincher (for Hed3s, 19mm is ideal for aerodynamics). Furthermore, the tires themselves don’t have the same Crr… so you can’t attribute the slow feeling purely to the taping.
So tell me why in the Road Bike magazine they recommend the Tufo Extreme tape on the tubulars they using unstead of glue. I would think that they might know more then most on this subject. 15 watts seems very hard to swallow.
