Bicycle Mechanics - tubular tyres

just out of interest, how does one fix a puncture on tubular tyres??
ta all, paul.

New tire.

One of the rfollowing.

1. You peel the seam covering strip in the vicinity of the puncture (good luck locating it), cut the threads in the casing for a few inches, pull out the tube, patch it, tuck it back in and resew the casing using the original holes and being careful not to poke the tube. Replace the seam strip and reglue the tire.

2. You send it to a commercial service and pay them to do the same thing.

3. As above, buy a new tire.

so if you're out on a ride and get a puncture theres nothing you can do to fix it? surely not. why do people use them then?

Most people don't use them day to day. I like them for racing, where you can have spare wheels in the pit or follow vehicle. I use clinchers for training and would only go to tubulars if that sealant stuff was more reliable than people say it is.

Tubular tires are less likely to flat on the whole, so that might be a reason for those who ride on them all the time.

so if you're out on a ride and get a puncture theres nothing you can do to fix it? surely not. why do people use them then?
Riders who use tubulars typically carry a spare tubular tire folded up in their jersey pocket or tied under the saddle. In the event of a flat, they strip off the flat tire and replace it with the spare and inflate it the way you would a clincher tube.

The glue bond isn't as reliable as a new one but the tire is usually held on adequately by the residual glue and pressure.

Cell phones are a required tool in dealing with a flat tubular. Usual
approach is as Hillrider describes. Take curves very slowly in this
scenario as rolling a tubular off the rim is a significant risk, resulting
in instant crash. Use of tubulars makes very little sense for any
one not supported by a team and a Cat 1-2 or Pro level rider.

I've been riding tubulars all of my adult life. Flats are rare and nothing compares to the ride quality. Changing a flat on the road is no big deal and the residual glue works well enough for moderate speed in corners.

Cell phones are a required tool in dealing with a flat tubular. Usual
approach is as Hillrider describes.
I used tubulars exclusively for racing and fitness riding from 1974 to 1999. Never carried a cell phone, never rolled a tire, even on one 55 mph descent into Estes Park on a warm August day (without a helmet, no less). I still use one set for riding my old steel bikes on nice days.

Got and fixed lots of flats, though. If I got one, I used my spare, and if that went flat (rarely), got a loaner from a companion.

My latest discovery is a tube sealant made by Tufo. It works really well on small punctures such as those made by goat head thorns.

I wouldn't go as far as to persuade people to switch to tubulars, but in my opinion the horror stories are grotesquely exaggerated.

"tuck it back in and resew the casing using the original holes and
being careful not to poke the tube." QUOTE.


And talcum powder in the inside casing and tube, lots of talcum powder.

(Baby powder works just as well and btw, use talc when mounting

your clinchers too!)


Regards,
J (smooth as a babies you-know-what) T

Got and fixed lots of flats, though. If I got one, I used my spare, and if that went flat (rarely), got a loaner from a companion.

My latest discovery is a tube sealant made by Tufo. It works really well on small punctures such as those made by goat head thorns.

I wouldn't go as far as to persuade people to switch to tubulars, but in my opinion the horror stories are grotesquely exaggerated.
This makes me want to switch even more. I have never had a flat on the tubulars I raced on, and figure it wouldn't be much of a problem on the road. It sounds even better if that sealant really works for most jobs. I have seen a person walking home with a flat tubular before, but then again I have walked home because of a defective CO2 pump, so nobody is immune to misfortune.

HI... I have been using tubulars since 1982 aprox. Way faster than a clincher, but i have to recognize that some clinchers feel almost like a tubular. Regarding the USE of a tubular, just glue them fine, put 100/120 lbs of air in there and u'll hav no problems with them.

Regarding fixing them? Well, U can fix them in the road but i doubt u'll be willing to do so. Why? because u have to take remove/cut and unglue the inner tape of the tubular to reveal the stitches, then cut the stitches, then take the tube out, apply the patch as in any tube, put a little bit of air to see if u still have air leaks. Put the tube in again, sew up again, glue the tape. Mount the tubular again. IF yo uare good enough it will take you 10 minutes.

Taking care of the tubualrs tips, Do not put too much air or u'll get flasts right away, do not under inflate them also. Like 120 ls is more than ok.

WHen u get back to your house from training and u kow u'll not use the bike untill nect day, then take the preasure off the tubulars, take some of the preassure out. like 50 lbs, use the eye method :P, clean them with a wet towell or paper to take all the junk that could be stuked in the rolling band.

This way your tubualr might last you probably 1 year or even more with no flats.

For traning use heavy tubulars all the time, reason? Well a 300 grams tubualr will last forever, second it will perform better or almost the same than the fastest clincher of the market right now. Racing day? put the best u have, but as makes sense the idea is go fast and do not get flats, adive? use a 250 grams tubular to play safe.

Thanks...

HI... I have been using tubulars since 1982 aprox. Way faster than a clincher, but i have to recognize that some clinchers feel almost like a tubular.
Please tell me which ones, because I don't feel as solid of a feeling while cornering on any of my clinchers as I ever did on tubulars. Tubulars transition so much better than any of the clinchers I am stuck on for daily training.

Hi... well the only ones i have tried lately that feel like tubulars are vittoria Zaffiro Pro, i put 8 bar to them just in case. Probably the upper class ones like the open corsa ones fell even more solid. Many people will say continental for sure but since I havent tried them since 1987/90 i cant tell you anything about them now. Back in the day were nice but too much drag. I have tried other brands that i dont even want to mention because they are expensive and last probably 2 months, and to pay 35 bucks eeach month i rather get a vittoria rally that will it last probably the whole year for the same 35 bucks or less.

My advice since u love tubulars? built yourself a set of normal tubular wheels and put heavy tubulars in there. I remember a set of alvarez (argentinan brand), 320 grams each, 25 mms wide. THe road band was made of the same material than the big commercial planes wheels. They last me probably 5 years riding only week ends, I had to trash them because the silk and cotton everywehre was too hard and looked/felt like burned paper you know, I never got a single flat with them. In a matter of fact i still have them in my garage, probably they still can be inflated at 100 lbs w/o any problems.

Thanks.

Thanks! I'll look into those when I get around to getting a set of tubulars again. Although I dread getting a flat with them, I'd be more confident with tubulars on my morning commute down a twisty 4 mile 5% grade at 40+ mph.

Really good clinchers are better than cheap tubulars. The key with tubulars, from what I understand, is the glue. If you do a good job initially, any time an on-the-fly repair is needed, it will still be fine for riding.

Cheep tubulars are worse then worthless.

Do Continental Giro and Vittoria Rally count as cheap or are they decent for daily riding? Of course, I'd race on Continental Sprinter or Vittoria Evo Corsa.

just out of interest, how does one fix a puncture on tubular tyres??
ta all, paul.

1. Remove tire from rim.
2. Place tire once in garbage can.
3. Glue new tire on rim.

Its like doing abdominal surgery on a snake, and in my case, the patient always died within a day or two of the surgery. Others have had great results w/ patching, I have not.

Do Continental Giro and Vittoria Rally count as cheap or are they decent for daily riding? Of course, I'd race on Continental Sprinter or Vittoria Evo Corsa.

I've aways trained on Continental Sprinters and raced on Continental Sprinters, Continental Podiums, Vittoria Crono or Corsa.

I have the Continental Giro on a bike that sees little use. They seem ok. The ride might be a little harsh?

I have used cheap tubulars and to tell you the truth they perform way better than some crappy medium range clinchers. In a matter fo fact the tubulars have last me longer.

Americans usually just send them to the trash can but where im from a tubular is expensive so you have to learn to take care of them all the time. I would had love to have an sponsor as continental or tufo to give me free tubulars but so far my dad at the begining was my sponsor so you have to learn to take care of the stuff. Vittoria rally is just ok, it is cheap but if u take care of it as i mentioned a few days a go at least they will last you 6 months w/o a single puncture. Old tubulars are always good as a spare.

Just in case everybody looks like forgot TUFO Tubular-Clinchers, thats a tubular that can be put in a clincher rim. That thing is good stuff, I sold my wheels with those things in 2 years ago, like 1500 miles in them no problems. U have to be sure to put some anti-puncture thing anyways because the tubular clincher cant be repaired. Those things are sealed. How they manufacture them, who knows.

Thanks

The Vittoria Rally is quite decent for a $29 tire. I know of a guy who also swears by cheap Hutchinsons.

By the way, Tufo sealant works only on small punctures. Any hole that causes immediate flatting (rather than gradual detumescence) is probably too large.

Its like doing abdominal surgery on a snake.....
Wonderful illusion! :D

so if you're out on a ride and get a puncture theres nothing you can do to fix it? surely not. why do people use them then?

You carry an extra tubular tyre out on the ride with you. I ride with clinchers now but, for many years there was nothing but tubulars. You can look at an old retro pic from the TdF or Giro and see how they can be knotted and carry over the shoulder or wrap them in a brown paper bag and tie them with a strap under the saddle or saddle bag. Another novel idea I have seen recently is the use of a water bottle with the top cut off and 2 tires carried on the down tube.
Repair is not done on the road. If you have a good LBS in town offer one of the people who repair the tubulars a 6 pack of their favorite beer to watch them do it (that is by far the easiest way to learn). Get a 6 pack for your self to drink while you are watching them effect the repair (you will need it for your nerves). I have repaired many a flat on tubulars and found a glass of wine and good music in the background made the experience fun.
Luckily the usual high TPI of the tubulars prevents many flats and they do give a good ride.

Regarding fixing them? Well, U can fix them in the road....... IF yo uare good enough it will take you 10 minutes....
This is a joke right? :roflmao2:

I got a 2mm hole in my turfo, so I figured the sealant wouldn't work to well. So I closed the valve, squeezed air out of the tire, then put a puddle of super glue over the puncture (which I pnched so it was open). then I unsqueeze the tire and it sucked in a little superglue (actually crazy glue).
I set it in position so the tire would be in its normal shape when the glue dried. After the glue dried I put in 15 cc of stan's, then waited an hour. It seems the superglue may have actually repaired the tire, because no sealant came out. I was (and am still) so surprised. I pumped it up t0 130 psi and rode it for 20 miles, no problem. I love these turfos, I still can't believe it. The tire already has about 2300 miles on the rear so I just figured it to be a gonner (It had a little turfo sealant in it before the flat.) Now it has a new life. Can someone else try this a verify my results?

Are you talking about a standard tufo tubular, with an inner tube? If so, the superglue would only patch the tire, and not the tube inside. The tube inside was being dealt with by the stan's you put in. Unless you have a really big hole in the tire such that it bulges when the inner tube is inflated, the real issue with the size of the hole is how big the hole in the inner tube is. That is the part that the stans or other flat fixer/preventer stuff has to deal with.

It was the s33 special, with no innertube

This is a good thread. What are some good cheap tires?
I have just ordered some Zipp tubulars as and early xmas present for the next two years lol.

I went to shop tonight to get my bike with a "test set" 404 clinchers and told the owner that I would rather have tubulars for the weigh savings. It appears that having tubulars is not all that bad once you know the facts and perform the repairs once of twice.

.
Hi,
.
When I asked the owner of a sewing machine shop for an awl
for sewing back together my repaired tubulars, he told me
he even carries tubular spares to replace flatted clinchers.
He finds it easier and faster to just take the whole tire\
tube off and throw on an old tubular with residual glue that
he said was enough to ride safely with care. He noted that
the clincher rim is deeper than a tubular rim, making it
even less likely to roll off than when mounted without glue
on a tubular rim. He didn't say so, but I wonder if a
clincher's hooked rim edges would also help keep a tubular
on a clincher rim.
.
I haven't tried this but it sounds neat, though I don't
think I'd like to ride home with that clincher tire hung
'round my neck.
.

I don't know if I'd go as far as to fix a clincher flat with a tubular, but yes, fixing a tubular flat is much easier than fixing a clincher flat. You just slit the flat tubular with a knife, peel off the tire and then mount the spare.

I haven't tried this but it sounds neat, though I don't
think I'd like to ride home with that clincher tire hung
'round my neck.
.

Try the backpack approach, twist your tire into a 'figure 8' and put one arm through each hole. It's how I get impromptu tire purchases home, and it works surprisingly well.

so if you're out on a ride and get a puncture theres nothing you can do to fix it? surely not. why do people use them then?
No. You carry a spare, preferable a used, and/or repaired tire with some old glue on the base tape. You can easily carry one or two under your seat rails. Or carry some double-sided tubular tape (e.g. Jantex or the modern Tufo tape). Pull off the old tire, mount the replacement tire, and off you go. Just take it easy on the corners if you're not using new tape.

You carry an extra tubular tyre out on the ride with you. I ride with clinchers now but, for many years there was nothing but tubulars. You can look at an old retro pic from the TdF or Giro and see how they can be knotted and carry over the shoulder

Thus:

http://i424.photobucket.com/albums/pp328/velosniper/cpel35.jpg


[or wrap them in a brown paper bag and tie them with a strap under the saddle or saddle bag.

Thus:

http://os2.dhs.org/~john/isaac-2009.jpg



Another novel idea I have seen recently is the use of a water bottle with the top cut off and 2 tires carried on the down tube.

An old idea, actually:

http://os2.dhs.org/~john/ta-tire.jpg

I've used tubs and wired-on (clinchers, ugh! Nearly as horrible a name as brifters ;-) tyres for some time, years ago. I like both although the convenience of clinchers (sigh!) is pretty convincing. Two years ago I bought an old (nineties?) Italian Somec and this came with tubs. The bike is nice and light and feels great on the (cheap) tubs. Mind you, the lightness is spoilt on a long solo ride 'cos I carry two spares, pump,mobile, bottle, multi function tool, computer, money, sunglasses - time to dig my saddlebag out. I would but I like to pose, and saddlebags aren't cool. Neither are mudguards, which is a bit of a bummer living in the middle of England with our weather!

What are some "daily" ridding brands and model or tires to look into?
Thanks

What are some "daily" ridding brands and model or tires to look into?
Thanks
The "3 for $50" tubulars from Yellow Jersey are decent. Otherwise, keep your eyes open. Nashbar was selling Hutchinson "Tempo" tubulars for $12/ea a couple years ago. I bought half a dozen and they were nice and straight, no lumps. I had one fail at the valve stem, though.

thank you, what about some brake pads?

Use of tubulars makes very little sense for any
one not supported by a team and a Cat 1-2 or Pro level rider.

Give me a break - this comment is typical of someone who has never learned how to live with tubulars, and just repeats glib comments he learned from the "sages" on BF and elsewhere! :notamused::twitchy:

Do Continental Giro and Vittoria Rally count as cheap or are they decent for daily riding? Of course, I'd race on Continental Sprinter or Vittoria Evo Corsa.

I've had Conti Giros since when they were the main option for cheap tubie, and have never liked them. Recent ones might be better. I really like the Rallye in 23 mm and the Yellow Jersey Servizio Corse (3 for $50). Tried some Tufos ($50 each) with sealant, nice until the tube ruptured at that the valve - sealant did not stop it.

Some have complained about the Rallyes; I think most of the problems were with the 21 mm version.

When I asked the owner of a sewing machine shop for an awl for sewing back together my repaired tubulars, he told me he even carries tubular spares to replace flatted clinchers. He finds it easier and faster to just take the whole tire\tube off and throw on an old tubular with residual glue that he said was enough to ride safely with care. He noted that the clincher rim is deeper than a tubular rim, making it even less likely to roll off than when mounted without glue on a tubular rim. He didn't say so, but I wonder if a clincher's hooked rim edges would also help keep a tubular on a clincher rim.

I haven't tried this but it sounds neat, though I don't think I'd like to ride home with that clincher tire hung 'round my neck.
Super Champion made a rim that was intended to accommodate either clincher or tubular tires (http://www.velobase.com/ViewSingleComponent.aspx?ID=337CA674-7F3F-4825-904D-3A03F98AEDC3&Enum=107&AbsPos=0).

I have a set of these on one of my bikes, but I haven't yet tried tubulars on those wheels.

my shop recommended a double sided tape rather than the cement. Any thoughts?

I used to unsew the tubulars and and put patches on the inner tube inside the tubular. I would not do that now. I much prefer tubulars over clinchers for their lack of spungy feeling. I am getting a new one put on a rim at the bike shop and riding on my clincher rims in the mean time.

would conti gatorskin tubular tires negate the feel (or entire of point) of riding tubulars?

would conti gatorskin tubular tires negate the feel (or entire of point) of riding tubulars?

I've read that some people think they are slow, but that surprises me, since I have 28 mm Gators on a bike, and it is not slow as a clincher IMO. Then again, I usually think that except for the Competition, Conti isn't that good at tubulars. I haven't use the Competitions, but a bud of mine thinks they're better than Veloflexes.

how about vittorias?