Classic & Vintage - tubular newbie...need help yes I read the archives but still confused

I'm going to order the cheapy yellow jersey tubulars because I can only afford them at the moment. I have only once practiced gluing a tire and it was very sloppy. I was using tubasti cement. I think I will order some Mastik because it seems more easy to apply.

Here is my impression of the general procedure...Coat the basetape with a light coat...wait 15-20 minutes for it to become tacky, also apply a coat on the rim until tacky to the touch (making sure that the edges of the rim are properly coated but not on the braking surface...

Wait patiently until the rim is tacky to the touch...apply a light second coat on rim/tire basetape and work the tire on the rim and inflate lightly to 40PSI straighten tire/pull down so presta is straight etc...etc...possible lightly roll the tire on ground to make it sit flush...

Am I close? I want to be clear that the best way to avoid a messy glue job is to let the glue become tacky to the touch but not fully dry. I followed the instructions on the tubasti cement tube and was left with a big mess.

I'm going to order the cheapy yellow jersey tubulars because I can only afford them at the moment. I have only once practiced gluing a tire and it was very sloppy. I was using tubasti cement. I think I will order some Mastik because it seems more easy to apply.

Here is my impression of the general procedure...Coat the basetape with a light coat...wait 15-20 minutes for it to become tacky, also apply a coat on the rim until tacky to the touch (making sure that the edges of the rim are properly coated but not on the braking surface...

Wait patiently until the rim is tacky to the touch...apply a light second coat on rim/tire basetape and work the tire on the rim and inflate lightly to 40PSI straighten tire/pull down so presta is straight etc...etc...possible lightly roll the tire on ground to make it sit flush...

Am I close? I want to be clear that the best way to avoid a messy glue job is to let the glue become tacky to the touch but not fully dry. I followed the instructions on the tubasti cement tube and was left with a big mess.

Best way to avoid a messy glue job is to keep your fingertips out of the glue during the process. I always end up with a smudge or two on my sidewalls

If you're going with two coats on the rim (which I haven't found necessary with the type of riding that I do), I believe the recommendation is to put one coat on the rim and a day or so later follow the other steps you've mentioned. I've never tried Tubasti, but from all accounts, it is very messy unless you are able to do everything exactly perfect.

I had much better luck when I let the basecoat dry a full 24 hours, as Zorro suggested. My first try was a real disaster.

Major drawback to Tubasti (IMO) is that it is white. Try Continental or another clear cement.

Get a can. I like Mastik One. Then get some Goof Off and some plumbers flux brushes at a hardware store. Use the brush to apply the coats of glue. Make sure the tire is pre stretched. Usually the mess happens when trying to get the last part of the tire on. I like to push the wheel on the edge of a work bench such that you are pushing the wheel axle on the edge of the bench so you can apply a lot of force on the last part of the tire. The rest of the wheel can be held with your chest or stomach. Roll/twist the tire back with your thumbs (picture a motor cycle throttle to get direction of rotation) so the glue is facing away from the rim, ease it over the rim and then at the last second snap it in place. The Goof Off can be used to clean a rim and clean your brushes.

Its been many years since I went tubular. Tubasti was the glue back then. I had a a few roll off causing spectacular crashes.
What I found worked best for me was to prepare a new rim by using a medium sand paper and effecting a cross hatch pattern on the rim surface, then using electrical contact cleaner to remove any finger prints. This gave the glue something to stick to.
This may not be the right way, I applied the glue and installed the tire, added some air and straightend out the tire.
One thing I remember is, the tire needs to be stretched and tested to make sure it will go on the rim before the glue, or you will have a mess.

Don

You don't say if this is a new rim or not. Glue on a new rim is like primer for paint, it makes it easier to apply the next coat evenly. Other than that, you can go a little drier than "tacky" and still get a good bond... that'll avoid most of the mess. Practice a lot of dry runs before you slap on the glue - you'll learn where to put your hands and fingers and toes (between the spokes on the bottom).

Its just messy no matter how you look at it. I used to use tubasti all the time, the best way I found to do it was put the rim in a truing stand, place a hefty bead down the center of the rim, then using one finger, smooth the glue to coat at entire rim gluing surface. Then quick go wash you hands. Dry to a tack take wheel out of truing stand and install tire. Be sure to pre-stretch the tubular, either with the by looping the tire around your knee and shoulder and pull like hell, or by installing on an unglued rim and inflating. I used to keep a rim just for that purpose.

It only gets really messy when you can't stretch the tire on easily. Like when you get to the last couple of inches and you end up rolling the tire over the rim or getting your fingers in the glue. To avoid this put the new tire on a clean rim and inflate to 100+ psi and let sit for a at least a few days. When it comes time to install, put the valve stem in and press down to set the tire. Then stretch evenly for all your worth from about five inches down from the stem. Set and repeat, the more you can stretch the tire each time the easier it will be to pop on when you get to the bottom. Ideally you'll be able to grab the bottom of the tire and just lift it on the the rim when you get there. Catch your breath and try to get the thing straight. Inflate to full pressure, and let sit overnight.

I find the procedure on the Mastik tube works really well. To keep my fingers clean I put a baggie over my hand and use the baggie-covered finger to smooth out the glue on both the rim and tire. When you actually put the tire on the rim everything should be tacky, not runnyx When you begin mounting the tire onto the rim, stretch the tire by pushing down from the top (valve at the top, weld on the floor, you bent over from the waist) as soon as you start to mount it, centering the tire in the well of the rim as you go. I do not find it necessary to pre-stretch tires with this technique.

Lennard Zinn, in his 1st edition of Road Bike Maintenance, and it his Zinn's Cycling Primer, has a pretty good procedure as well.

Road Fan

I put the rim in a stand for gluing also. There is a little bit of a learning curve , but hang in there, with cheap tubulars you will get plenty of practice. I use a little wax and grease remover to clean the rims afterwards so I don't fret about that.