Triathlon - changing tubular tires $$$

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nsw550
07-24-09, 04:41 PM
My wheels currently have old zipp tubulars on that are dry rotting and I have 3 extra tires. Is it reasonable for the bike shop to charge me $40 dollars per wheel to install new Zipp tubular tires on my Zipp 440 wheels? I got an estimate from another store that said it would be around $100 per wheel.

sirious94
07-24-09, 04:51 PM
or you could google how to do it yourself and do it for less...
nsw550
07-24-09, 05:10 PM
I've changed my mountain bike tires before but they are not tubular. How difficult is it to do for the first time? I could use the money to upgrade my handlebars instead

nsw550
07-24-09, 05:30 PM
I googled a "how to" video using Tufo tape. I'm pretty sure my tubulars are mounted with old school glue and not tape. Should i use mineral spirit to fully remove the original glue before mounting with Tufo tape?
Thanks for the help
Blossom
07-24-09, 05:39 PM
If you are going to own tubulars, you should know how to glue them. Go to the road forum and search on how to glue tubulars.

Gluing tires take a fair amount of time and a fair amount of skill/practice. I am not surprised at all that a shop would charge $40 for doing it.
Blossom
07-24-09, 05:45 PM
To your follow-up...

Typically people use acetone to remove the old glue. This is fine as long as you don't have a foam core (ie acetone will eat the foam core).
nsw550
07-24-09, 05:54 PM
Seems like the instructions for the Tufo tape is easier than glue.
saxman007
07-24-09, 09:48 PM
Lots of discussion on this topic in the Road Forum -- they give the pros and cons of tape vs. glue. Do a search and post any questions you still have. $40 doesn't seem unreasonable to me either. I don't believe it's terribly difficult, just time consuming. You really don't want to lose your tire during a corner though!
--Sax
Dalai
07-26-09, 12:59 AM
Gluing tubulars isn't that difficult and I find is a some what satifying process gluing my own tyres. If you ride and race on tubulars - its a process you really should learn to do yourself.

Check out the following - http://www.parktool.com/repair/readhowto.asp?id=101
Rahzel
07-27-09, 10:43 AM
$40/wheel seems like a high, but understandable price. It's a time-consuming process, and when done properly can take several days. However, most of this time is spent waiting for glue to dry.

I'd recommend that you learn to do it yourself. Online tutorials are just fine. It will take a while, and you may make a mistake, but if you do you can usually pull the tire off the wheel (ABORT!!!!!!) without ruining the tire or wheel. Use glue, not TUFO tape.