Originally Posted by
eric044
Happy Memorial Day! Learning a lot about tubular tire setups. Almost got the first one off, but I used a lot of glue and it isn't easy. I imagine I'll get it off, stretch it more, and then get it on nice.
An interesting thing occurred though. I noticed the front tire was out of air. Then saw then the glue had lost hold. So, I took it off, soon learning there might be a problem near the valve, because the tire looked to be in good condition. Seeing that it held air for a little while I applied glue, a different and perhaps stronger glue, Vittoria. Got the tire to set nice but then noticed after a few hours that air had left the tire. Messed with the valve stem a bit and put more air in. Wondering how finicky the tire valve stems are, differences in stem sizes, and where air may be leaking from.
Soapy water is your friend. Apply some and find out if air is escaping through the valve or through a hole or rip at the base of the valve. Air will on some
rare occasions escape through the valve, usually if you didn't pump it up all the way
and did not screw the valve closed.
If you want to get crude you can dip the whole wheel with the tire on it into a tub of water, but you risk getting water inside the rim. Doesn't matter if you will pull the tire off anyway.
It's also fairly easy to rip the tube at the base of the valve when you are stretching a tire on. It's important to keep an eye on the valve when you put the tire one and make sure it isn't bending one way or another. Keep it straight. If you ripped the tube at the valve base, you're basically screwed. It's not really repairable, practically speaking, except by replacing the whole tube. This is worth the effort for expensive latex tubed racing tires, but not for cheap or mid level tires.
So let's hope your leak is somewhere else.