Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - Removing old tubular tape

I bought a second hand pair of tubular wheels and am in the process of replacing the tyres. I haven't glued tubs before and have read some of the old threads with advice on how to do it.

My problem is that the old tubs seem to have been glued on with some kind of prehistoric duct tape which is a real pain to get off the rims. It's pale blue and looks like the tape is cloth based cos there are threads running through it.

I soaked the whole lot in acetone and then peeled it off, but that took about 40 minutes and almost detached one of my fingernails. Any secret tips on getting this tape off the rim, since I still have one more wheel to do?

Dude, white spirit, a rough cloth and a butterknife with lots of elbow grease.
Although, the glue i had to remove was some very hard red stuff.
Is the stuff you're talking about not very solid like almost gooey? It sounds like what's on a set of rims I've got that I'm in the process of removing the glue and polishing. If I find something that works better I'll let you know.
I think one of the tires I was riding Mayday had that stuff on it. I removed as much as I could without damaging the tire and glued over it, so far so good.

Rubbing Alcohol.

S/F<
CEYA!

Rubbing alcohol, Ceya? That's a hard way to go with some of the glues out there.

Assuming you have alloy rims, get a can of Goof-Off at any hardware store or paint store. It dissolves just about everything and, unlike acetone, doesn't evaporate so fast that it doesn't get to work properly. Once it's done its job, it may leave a thin film on the rim that can interfere with a really strong tubular tire glue joint, so that's when to use the acetone and clean off any film, remaining oil, etc. Then you have a pristine metal surface for a solid glue job.

Do note that Goof-Off (and all these solvents) are best used with gloves on. They're all flammable so don't just throw the rag in your basement, garage, or garbage can -- hang it on a tree or somewhere so it can dry out completely before putting it anywhere that spontaneous combustion can occur. And finally, Goof-Off will remove the manufacturer's labels from your rims, so just keep them from getting doused in the stuff.

He is just asking to take the tape strip off not glue from the rim.There are 3 different types of alcohol.

Goop off , sucked for me.

I can mention better stuff made ( my production \ see below) that will take it off very well but again he wanted the strip off.

Bleach with finger nail polish ( No Geletin type). BECAUREFUL IT WILL MELT MOST THINGS AND GET HOT QUICKLY. take out side and pour over the rims with a rag to wipe off.

S/F<
CEYA!

Is the stuff you're talking about not very solid like almost gooey?

Yeah, the glue part was gooey and there were loads of threads through it - just like duct tape that's been left on something for a while and fallen apart. The wheels and tyres are fully 80s (Dura Ace hubs and Mavic Gel 280 rims) so I was thinking that it was some kind of old school rim tape. Most of it came off with the acetone, my fingernails and a teaspoon. After it all dried off I glued over the remaining bits of glue and hopefully that will be alright.

11.4 and Ceya - thanks for the tips. I might try and get something a bit stronger than acetone for the front wheel. I'm more worried about the tub rolling on the front so I'll probably try a bit harder to get all the old glue off.

The good thing was that, after spending 45 minutes cleaning all the old glue off, the new tub went on easily without too much mess.

There was an adhesive tape available back then that was like a thin fabric -- almost a gauze -- that was impregnated with rim cement. Not as sophisticated as a Tufo tape, it was really just a way to apply a limited amount of rim cement to the rim without tools. The product didn't succeed all that well, since the tape just got in the way of the gluing action and didn't carry enough cement to do a proper job. The cement was very similar to the old Clement red cement -- it tended to get hard and crack (and could be scraped off when cold), but also melted under heat. I saw a few cases where it wasn't compatible with newer rim cements -- small bits didn't matter but Mastik One and Conti didn't adhere properly to it.

Bleach and fingernail polish is nasty stuff -- it fumes, it eats your skin, can boil if you don't do it in an open container that can dissipate the heat, and it'll even leave marks on some aluminum finishes and fade anodizing on others. I used it to remove shellac as an alternative to setting the stuff on fire. It definitely works, however.

The trick with Goof-Off is to paint a coat on the glue, three or four minutes later paint another coat, and then do a third. Everything will be soft at that point and you won't have made a big mess yet. Then just get a Scotchbrite pad (I get the big coarse ones in a bulk pack from Home Depot) and wipe the rim bed with the pad. One pad will lift off just about the entire batch of glue. Using paper towels or fabric towels is just a recipe for a bigger mess. You can also use a loop-shaped tool from woodworking (called a scorp) or a similar tool used for clay sculpture. Get one with a radius that matches a rim bed, and it'll just pull everything off in one smooth action -- I learned this one from a Belgian track mechanic a couple years ago.

I saw some of that cement tape the other day and had no idea what it was.

There was an adhesive tape available back then that was like a thin fabric -- almost a gauze -- that was impregnated with rim cement.

That sounds like it, although the glue is pale blue and still tacky after however many years. I think I'll try something a bit more hardcore than acetone on the front wheel and put somne muscle into it!

i've got similar stuff on a couple of my tubs...

should i try peeling it off or just not bother and reglue over it? [or should they just be chucked?]

fsnl
sparky

Stronger? MEK is acetone to acetone.