where did you find the acid brushes?? Hobby Lobby?? Great idea!

I purchase acid brushes at Harbor Freight.

Dean

I use acetone to lean those cheap flux brushes well enough to reuse.

As someone said earlier, using your index finger in a baggie works best—more specifically: in a finger sock cut from a latex glove’s fingers (each glove provides multiple uses) works super simple with no muss at all.

Gluing can be mess free, unless you spread glue too thick or all over.

They had them in a $15 close out bin. But, are they any good?

^^^^ Kinda skinny, but should work well as spares, if nothing else. Any hint of a copyright date on the packaging to estimate age?

^^^^^^^^ What is the TPI?

A couple of questions on tubulars. Got a nice set of tubulars wheels from eBay.Fr, and purchased some of the Kendra Veloflex tubs, 28’s. Riding the other day, 94 lbs in rear tire, and 4 miles from home, ka pow, and the rear tire blew out. Had Effetto sealant, too large a puncture, though. Bad luck, too much pressure, or what. Could I use the Vittoria universal sealant, supposed to do 7mm holes, and fix it?

KaPow means the tube bubbled out of the slit before it popped - not a simple puncture where the tread and tube get cut at the same time.
Certainly not caused by too much pressure. Possibly some torn threads in the casing - or brittle threads if it's an old tire.
So you've probably got a pretty good gash in the rubber, and a pretty big rupture in the tube.
Probability of fixing this with sealant I'd put at about 1%.

Thanks, will order a couple more. Since I’m using tape, should I carry anything but the spare to get home, then re tape the rim?

Were it me, I'd always carry a bit of extra tape just in case some pulls off the rim during the removal process of the flatted tire. I always lose a bit of tape from the rim, as bits tear and stay on the tire while pulling it off.

DD

I have finally dipped my toes into a tubular world. Tomorrow, I'm having a N.O.S. Nisi Corsa Stretto laced to a 36H Atom aluminum, rear hub. Is there anything, in-particular that I should tell the builder? (I'll probably use the Sapim D.B. 15-17g spokes). The front Nisi rim will actually have a Bayliss/Wiley steel hub, (both small flange).

Assuming this is a dished hub for a freewheel or cassette, you'd be better off using 14-16 for the right rear. (Different length anyway. Making them bigger helps keep them from getting mixed up though this shouldn't matter to a pro builder.)

I absolutely love 15-17s all around on my fix gear wheels and same but 14-16 right rear on the geared wheels. My Mooney wore a set of the latter with GP4s in the 90s. Those wheels went 17,000 miles with a couple of tweaks of the spokes. Rear rim failed when I bunny hopped a crack and missed. (Brakes and super abrasive Pacific NW lava dust. No sidewall left.) Had to bump on home with an inch deep indent. The sewup didn't care.

I'll do that. It makes sense to me. I run straight 14g on my long-distance bike, which has clinchers. (Try to avoid surprises, because I carry no phone). I used 15-17g on the Constrictors I just built with fixed-gear Hardens.

Custom hoops are pretty specific to you, your wt, your purpose, the chosen spokes/nipples etc, but one piece of advice given your choice of parts, go brass nipples, sounds like this build will be permanent as alloys are weaker and I have popped a few over time.

I am 170 lbs and the roads are very smooth. I'll talk to him about brass nipples. So, there is nothing to consider, specifically, when it comes to building on tubular rims, vs clincher? I don't know how much experience he has with tubular, but he seems quite experienced. He has built clinchers for me, before.

Nothing I can think of - except leaving off the rim tape. Spoke selection and pattern should be no different at all.

no difference at all between tubular build vs clincher, in and of itself if all things equal. its all the same in reference to your weight, riding style, cadence--spinner vs gear masher, purpose of wheels--ie hill climbing vs all day touring, so generally especially with your choice, they are going to be overbuilt for 170lb'r, so go for longevity and do 3 cross, brass nipples and your going to probably never see the day you'll need to replace them

I picked up a Cross bike about a year ago and it came with Tubular wheels. I ride pretty much indoors but am seeing a bunch of organized gravel rides and am thinking I want to give it a go.

Question: I see tubular tires up to 34mm wide (Gommitalia) but the majority are 33mm. I have done some searching but not finding any wider options. Do they exist?

thanks, chris)

I suppose you might find something larger if you look hard, but regulations prevent the pros from racing on anything wider. Pros likely represent the largest market for tubulars. The bikes they ride are also designed around those regulations, so won't fit anything much wider. The good news is that quality tubular tires of any width tend to ride more like wider clinchers.

Not just pros - any sanctioned race.
I've seen some reviews on tubular gravel bike tires that go wider than 34, but they weren't good reviews.
I also don't think I've seen road tubulars wider than that.

I have some 50mm Schwalbe Racing Ralphs but Schwalbe seems to have got out of the tubular business and the residual supplies of the 50mm tires seems to have dried up. Dugast shows tires up to 50mm on their website. ReneHerse carries some FMB's up to 34mm. They are pricey.

tubulars on gravel are an interesting thought, quite unorthodoxed for sure, but...packing a spare...you can mount w/low pressure and change without glue in the pinch and in a straight line home....interesting if it works for you! Let me know

dano

Thanks for all the replies...

I did not not know about the regs. Thank you for that.

I did find 38mm on Dugast and Challenger. Have to see if anyone in the US carries Dugast.

I am 61 and no heroics in my riding style...so tape, which is light, FTW!

I purchased the bike off ebay and it came from an ex-cross racer with Cole tubulars. Essentially I paid for the wheels and they came with a bike (Reven Voltage). I think it is a nice setup coming from a 15 year old Kestrel. I want to try the tubular which is new to me.