Originally Posted by
Trakhak
Not sure that non-racers uniformly ride their tubular-wheel-equipped bikes more delicately than racers.
That said, back when all racers, amateurs and professionals alike, rode tubular tires, promoters of local races in the U.S. routinely asked volunteers to check tires on the start line for reliable glue jobs. At least two or three tires out of a field of twenty or so bikes would easily roll off the rim, clearly having been glued on that morning because the guy used the same wheels for his racing and training tires.
Why didn't they glue on the racing tires the night before? Dunno. Heavy date, maybe?
I'm sure the night before a big race there is an effing lot to do, with several key responsibilities attached to the same technicians. Maybe by neessity they determined the method they have is adequate, if not at the absolute peak of effectiveness. Beyond such speculations, how do we know what actually goes on?