Bicycle Mechanics - Loose basetape from tubular

264607
Hello.

There is a spot at my tubular tyre where the base tape has come loose on the edge. Please check the picture. Is this something I should worry about?

It really depends on the extent, and whether the tire can peel away from the rim because of it. I've been riding tubulars for 45+ years, and this is very common in older tires especially where the base tape extends beyond the rim. UV and water break down the rubber cement on the walls an th tread can delaminate at the edge as can the edge of the base tape. Usually it takes much longer for the unglued area to extend to the rim area (where it matters) so on older tires where I feel it's near the end anyway, I'll often disregard the problem.

But if the unglued area extends to the rim - test by rolling a partly inflated to the side a bit - it can cause a tire to roll so must be dealt with.

Leave the tire on the rim, and roll it sideways a bit while partly inflated, and wedge it there with tooth picks, or sometimes you might use duck tape running to the opposite side to keep it rolled. Apply rubber cement to both the wall and the base tape and let them dry completely without touching. Then carefully roll the tire back home, and press the tape down to the wall above the rim. Work carefully, the dried rubber cement coatings act like contact cement, so you only have one shot. When finished use talcum powder to blot up the tack on the exposed part of the wall.

BTW- if you're an all weather rider, dealing with it is fairly important. Otherwise grit will get trapped between the tape and tire and abrade the wall costing you a premature tire failure. But it will teach you how to handle a bike after a blowout.

How about tubular glue ?

How about tubular glue ?

Probably depends on the glue. But if it makes a decent bond, why not? I use a commercial rubber cement, because that's what the tire makers used when they made the tires, and it's always worked, so I never bothered trying anything else.

But that doesn't mean that there aren't many other glues that would work just as well, or maybe even better.

Thanks for the answer. I actually used tubular glue on the other tire, I will now do as you described and check the bond!

Thanks for the answer. I actually used tubular glue on the other tire, I will now do as you described and check the bond!

If the peeling doesn't extend down to the rim yet, there's no need to test. But the most important thing is to use powder to take all the tack out of the finished job, lest it pick up and trap abrasive road grit and chafe the tire wall.

I might have to build me a set of tubulars... it's been ages.

I might have to build me a set of tubulars... it's been ages.

I need to try them, period. I feel like there's a big gap in my retro-grouchery.

Make sure you get a set with rims well under 400g :)

20 years ago I bought a set having never seen em before; I assumed they were just normal 700c wheels. This was my first set of 700cs too, upgrading from 27x1.25...

Bloody awesome. The swaged spokes and 600 hubs were pretty damn nice, but the rims were hardly there. Magic.

Flats were a misery though... although I gather they're better these days, and a bit of Stan's or something is sposed to sort em out.