Originally Posted by
Phatman
The secondary retention a of a tubular tire is the fact that when the tire is inflated, it expands. The ID of the tire tries to get smaller, so it constricts onto the rim. Try installing a tubular with no glue, then while the tub is fully inflated (~120-130psi), then try to get it off. Its possible for sure, but its MUCH harder than you would think.
Agreed, but it's not a positive enough of a retention to hold the tire under race conditions. It's OK to do that to limp home, but I certainly wouldn't start a race in that manner. A system to positively attach the tire to the rim would be a good idea. Gluing does work in most situations, but by it's very nature, it's meant to be removable. Tire pressure is also not a the perfect answer because in some situations (cyclocross) the entire reason you run tubulars is to be able to run reduced pressures (without pinch flatting). This would reduce the effectiveness of that form of retention.