callig

I saw a video on youtube that said around the stem when you first mount the tire you need to press in the stem area by moving the stem end to the floor and pressing from the top in order that you don't get a hop at the stem. Also the video of the English guy can be found here: https://vimeo.com/106666604

Kactus

A trick I learned here (can't remember from who) is to use zip ties on either side of the valve after mounting and inflating the tire to make sure you get good adhesion in this area.

pastorbobnlnh 

Interesting ideas and suggestions. It was raining so I haven't had a chance to try them yet. I was wondering if I just ride the bike will the "hump" work itself out? It is not very large, and I am a heavy guy!

rootboy 

Hmmm. OK. They are designed to ride only on the "contact patch" of the tire. Where the tire meets the road. Which is the relative narrow section right in the center of the tread. Is it possible to pick up a bit of debris outside that contact patch when cornering? Yes. But 90%+ of the problems occur at the narrow center section of the tread.

And yes, the mounting rings are designed to be positioned so the tire saver rub strip rides dead center on the contact patch.

I'd gladly send you some spare rub strips, bent to a smaller radius. But somehow, I don't think it would help.

repechage

Yank the tire and make that a spare, spares always perform better with some adhesive on them.
When the tire is off, inflate it a bit and check for adnormalities.
Install the replacement tire dry and inflate it and inspect.
If you are worried about the tire bunching, mark the rim with a sharpie in about 8 divisions and mark the tire with chalk at the same place, then glue it up, keep track of your mounting efforts. Happiness.

pastorbobnlnh 

But it is a brand new $60 tubular! Of course I bought it back in the winter and have no memory of where or from whom!!! I have a used Continental Gatorskin as my spare. It is glued and ready.

pastorbobnlnh 

Just came in from my first ride on tubulars. No flats!

My Paramount lost about a pound from the changeover. I think I'll reduce the psi from about 120 to 90 for the next ride.

Here it is wearing its new shoes.


I stashed the spare tire in the Brooks Isle of Wight bag. Plenty of room for extras.

jimmuller 

Excellent! So whadjathink?

I predict you'll end up preferring more air rather than less. But what do I know?

pastorbobnlnh 

@jimmuller, great so far! Very nice. They are different. Another view of the Isle of Wight bag.

Kactus

Very nice? Different?

We were expecting a hallelujah moment.

pastorbobnlnh 

Not quite. More like an "ahah" moment.

jimmuller 

Nah, he gets those on a regular basis.

Bob, FWIW lately I've been commuting as much on my tubular-tired bikes as on clinchers and I haven't been getting flats either. I keep thinking I should ride the clinchers for reliability going to work but I like the feel of those tubular-tired bikes so much.

That bag looks nice on that bike!

pastorbobnlnh 

Thanks I like the bag. It was my Father's Day gift! Maybe I can add the Isle of Skye bag to the front. Very classy but rather pricey at over $175.

markwesti

I have had good luck with this stuff
3M Fast Tack Trim Adhesive 08031 | eBay
I also have had good luck with tape

Ed.

A well-trekked Thorlo Treking sock is still preferred by 7.37 out of 10 seasoned, classy cyclists.

rootboy 

The other 2.63 percent wear yellow and green argyles.

jimmuller 

Yeah, but some of us may be seasoned but aren't so classy.

pastorbobnlnh 

Include me in this group!

Lascauxcaveman 

For those of you who love to bag on those cheap Vittoria Rally's, well... I'm ready to join you. I bought my first two tubie equipped bikes last March and the tires were pretty much shot on both, so I ordered a pair of Rally's from Ribble of England. [$42 shipped]

the first one stretched and mounted with not too much hassle, apart from getting all those old layers of glue off the rim. I rode it about 10 miles and got a pretty bad cut. Bad luck I guess; but I ride that exact piece of road on my clinchers all the time and never have flats...

Got out the other one, stretched and glued it up, mounted it, took it out for an 8 mile ride and it held up, but check out these lumps:



Are these tires supposed to look like that?

Ed.

I've been using Gatorskins on my TP, she's my daily rider, and they sure don't look like that. I got some Bonrager's for my Torpado (going for the classic look), and they appear perfect. I've not ridden her much, but no complaints.

As for riding the same route - I've a section that's in nearly every ride, I don't know how many times I've ridden it, but one time the front tire kicked up something that put a 1/2" slice across the tread, thru the carcass of the nearly knew rear GS and, oops, no spare. At least it was close to home.

delicious

No. I would consider returning that.

RobbieTunes

I still have a new Rally, but perhaps I'll just leave it in the box....

A while ago, I posted on how long it took to get rid of way too much glue on some used (<50 miles) Vittoria Corsa Evo CX tubulars. Yesterday, I decided to look a little closer at them, and there were still significant Klingons of residual glue after about 1000 miles on them. I spent another 30 minutes going around each wheel pulling them off. In doing so, I got that old OCD kick, noticing I'd mounted the rear about 1/8" offset. While this didn't hurt ride quality, I think it did cause the valve stem to knock a wee bit every rev, so I "loosened, adjusted, re-stuck" the tire. (There can be more issues with new deep carbon tubular rims than I care to elaborate on....)

While I like the tires, and they were a good deal, I'm not buying any more used tubulars in the hope that I can remove the excess glue on them.

I've also decided that I'll use Tufo's where I want durability, and Veloflex where I want a silky ride, and tape, always tape. I'm done with glue.

jimmuller 

I confess having uncertainty when selecting tires. Online descriptions make them all sound wonderful and all more or less alike within defined groups such as "rough road", "all around", "racing", etc. Personal experience here is better'n that for knowing what the sausage is really made of.

gomango

There is a reason these are so inexpensive.

They are terrible tires.

They might do a return on that tire, but do you really want another one?

Save up for a decent set of tubulars and use those instead of the cheapos.

A good tire on your bike will bring a smile every time you ride.

RobbieTunes

Ad copy written by former bike magazine writers......