I've purchased some tubular wheels for my 84-ish Pinarello and need advice on selecting and installing the tires. I have no experience with tubulars.

Fiamme Ergal rims (yellow label) with Campagnolo Record hubs.





one pic of the project in progress.

Buy the best tires you can afford. Check the UK sellers, they are usually considerably less expensive, check for discount codes. There are no good tires under $50/ea, no matter what you've been told.

Stretch the tires for a few days, no glue, inflated on rim. Try to make sure they are straight, that will help later on. Do a dry test run after you think they've stretched, if too hard to mount, stretch a few more days. Follow the manufacture's directions, and dont rush it. It's only messy when you try to put the tires on when the glue is still too tacky. Personally, I prefer glue over tape, others may disagree.


PS, don't clamp the bike by the top tube, use the seatpost

Just Google - bicycle tubular tire installation - and you will find plenty of help. Great video on how to use rim glue tape. Might give it a try for the Bottecchia.

Thanks, OFG. It's not clamped very tight.

Do you need rim tape? If I get Vittoria tubulars, should I get Vittoria's glue?

I suppose I should order three which begs the question: is there a traditional tubular tire strap to hold the tire under the saddle or should I go old school and loop it around my shoulders?

I love tubular tires. I have them on two of my bikes. There is a lot of information on the internet regarding installation of tubulars. I very strongly suggest that you do your homework and learn as much about them before attempting to mount them!!!!!!!! Google Rambling About Light Wheels
by Edward C. Zimmermann. The Continental Sprinter is an excellent tubular at a reasonable price ($60 - $70). DON'T buy cheap ($30) tubulars! World Class Cycles has very good prices on tubulars.

I'm in love with the Challenge Parigi-Roubaix clinchers, which are made from the same casing and tread as the tubular version. I'd try the tub version immediately if some nice tubular wheels came my way. If you want fat tires and are willing to spend a premium tire price, I recommend them highly.

If you want cheap tires, there's none cheaper than Andy Muzi's 3-for-US$50 tires. Some folks really love 'em: https://www.yellowjersey.org/tt.html

Check the totally tubular thread.

But for the condensed version, I like Veloflex. Criteriums have the tan sidewalls. If all black is OK, the Roubaixs are 24mm, very nice ride.

I like Panaracer cement in the can. It has an applicator brush, no messing with fingers. I have never rolled a tire with my technique.

1. Stretch tire for at least 24 hours.
2. 1 light coat glue on base tape, let dry (an hour with the Panaracer).
3. 1 light coat glue on rim, let dry.
4. 1 light coat on rim, let get tacky (5 minutes with Panaracer).
5. Starting at valve hole and stretching down with the tire, mount.

I agree with OFG, no matter what anyone writes, the 3 for $50 tubulars from Yellow Jersey suck. The are good only as spares. But since they are hard like a rock, the stiff sidewalls make for easier mounting. I mounted a pair of 27mm tubulars with extremely soft sidewalls and they were definately the most difficult tires I have mounted, but they turned out OK.

No rim tape.

The brand of glue does not need to match the brand of tires.

Vittoria and Zeus make a tubular strap. A toe strap also works. Around the shoulders just makes you more sweaty.

I prefer 300 gram Servizio Corse training tires from the Yellow Jersey for normal riding/training. I've found them to be very durable and at $50 for three sew-ups, they're hard to beat!

Listen to this man, he knows what he's talking about.

I wasn't going to go tubular but OFG talked me into it, and it was a breeze getting set up. I normally ride the Vittoria Corsa clinchers, and thought they were the cat's whiskers. Until I tried the same tire in a tubular. Wow. Just....... wow.

I've never ridden a cheap tire to compare, and I never will as long as I can afford these. Wow.

https://www.probikekit.com/us/tyres-t...road-tyre.html

Run away!

So... how about dismounting tubulars from one rim and re-mounting them on another? There's some apparently nicer tubs in the basement of the bike shop, and my boss said I could just have 'em. I disremember what they are but I think they're Vittorias of some ilk.

That is what old toe straps are for. I fold the tire up into 4ths or 5ths depending on the tire and use a wrap to keep the tire from getting pinched. I use an old dress sock, but it never rains here, there used to be tubular tire bags, an old French cycling newspaper is acceptable too. I nest the tire so it does not interfere with my thighs and tucks in between the saddle rails, it will overhang out the back.

If you go with Vittoria Rallys use the 23 mm examples. I would take a 25 mm tire over a 21 mm any day. There are plenty of tires out there, I always go with natural sidewalls, but that is just me. Back in the "gutta" adhesive days, it was best to have the spare not being new, but mounted and used before, the residual glue did a great job of keeping the spare on the rim after it was mounted on the road. It has been a long time since I have flatted, I just retired a rear tire due to wear. WIth the new adhesive, I am not sure of its "retack" capabilities, maybe rim tape... but I would just mount it and ride carefully on a spare if I had to today.

I do not see much difference between the Contineltal or Vittoria glue manufactured today.

One idea would be pay the bike shop price to buy a new tire if the local shop would let you watch them installing a tire, and mount the tire while barefoot, toes do a great job of keeping the rim where you want as you work the tire on, valve at the top.

If they are old, be careful not to pull the base tape off the tire. Every once and a while a tool is necessary to get things progressing the right way. Before you go to the trouble, pump them up to 100 psi and check them the next day, don't bother with dying merchandise. Also, check the sidewalls for a failing layer.

I use my index finger to spread glue on the rim. It gives you best control on spread and amount of glue that you get on the rims surface so it is easier to get it even and avoid getting glue past the rim edges and on the rim braking surfaces. Just have a rag dipped in mineral spirits next to you so you can clean up your hands and fingers if it starts getting messy. The mineral spirits takes the glue right off and is not as harsh as other chemicals that can dry out your skin. You can also use the mineral spirit dipped rag to quickly clean off any glue that gets on other parts of the rims that you do not want it on as you go.

Chombi

Chombi

There's NOTHING that compares to the ride of a top-of-the-line sew-up (tubular) - which is why pros still and top many amateurs ride them. Even back when I was a lowly Cat 4 in 1977 I rode Vittoria Setas on my ol' Raleigh Pro - they were AWESOME tires in terms of both low weight/high performance/durability. However, there are good, "cheap" ($50 for three Servizio Corse) sew-ups for everyday riding/training that still give you the experience without breaking the bank.

Darn good point! I shall see what is what over the next few days. Thanks a ton!

The 3 for fifty tire deal sucks. You get three lumpy tires that are difficult to mount and they are not durable. Realistic riding, they pop. If you want to ride smooth perfect roads they might be okay. The yellow jersey tires are just cheapo rubber glued on some very uneven casing. Good luck, you've been warned.

Thanks for the advice!

I found the totally tubular thread; lots of good stuff there. I never thought to use the BF search function; it never seemed to work for me in the past.

huh......

I disagree with SoreFeet based on my own personal (and very good) experience with Yellow Jersey's cheap tubulars. My Servizio Corse sew-ups were neither "lumpy" nor difficult to mount - but then again I've been riding sew-ups since 1974 so maybe experience/riding style counts for something? Anyway I've put 1000+ miles on less-than-ideal south Louisiana roads on mine. Rear tire tread is worn and I'll probably need to switch to my spare soon.

Good luck, you've been informed. YMMV.

OH MAN, we need to talk!!!!

Didn't we just do that like a week ago?

Read this advise from Peter White Cycles:


Tubular tires require careful installation on the rim. The tire must be properly glued to the rim. If it's not properly glued, the tire can easily roll off the rim, you will crash, and perhaps be severely injured, or even die. Please keep this in mind when buying these tires. If you aren't prepared to learn to properly glue your tires to the rims, and then put into practice that which you have learned, don't buy these tires. It's bad enough reading about dead cyclists in the newspaper. It's even worse to read about dead customers.

Tubulars do have a safety advantage over clinchers. If the tires are properly glued, and you have a flat or blow-out, you'll have a better chance of retaining control of the bike with tubulars, than with clincher tires. The reason is that with a clincher, the rim is likely to directly contact the ground, and an aluminum rim can easily slide across pavement. With a tubular, the glued tire is always between the rim and the road, providing traction. So after a flat, tubulars are generally safer, as long as the tire doesn't roll off. And if it's properly glued, that's unlikely to happen.

Also, it's easy to damage tubular tires when mounting them. If you have any doubts as to your ability to mount these tires without damaging them, please do not buy them. Tires that are damaged during installation will not be accepted back for exchange or refund, no matter how vigorously you insist that you did no damage while installing the tire, or that the damage to the tire was due to the faulty construction of the tire, or that the person who made the tire was drunk, or a child molester. Believe me, I've heard it all! People with no or little experience with high quality racing tubulars frequently buy and damage them, blaming not their own inexperience, but the quality of the tire. While I've done it myself, and I understand the frustration of having a tire be damaged before it's even been ridden, I will not accept responsibilty for damage done to tires during installation, unless I'm the one installing the tire. And these days I only install my own.

For example, if the tire is stretched too tightly onto a glued rim the base tape can tear, resulting in a narrow section in the tire casing above the torn base tape. I've had people buy tubular tires, tear the base tape during installation, and then blame me or the quality of the tire for the problem, and then insist that I refund their money. I never take back tubular tires once they have had glue placed on the base tape. You must determine to your satisfaction, before applying glue to the tire, whether or not the tire is defective. That can only be done with the tire inflated on a clean rim. Once glue is applied to the base tape, the tire is yours until the end of time, or the year 3278, whichever comes first. Light weight tubular tires have a wonderful ride, but are very easy to damage during installation. It's a fact of life, and there's no way around it.

I do not sell cheap tires. For example, the Andre Dugast tubulars I sell are the most popular tubular tires used by professional bike racers in Europe. These are very expensive, and very well made tires. They are also very lightweight. The casings are designed to be very fast rolling and reliable. But you can apply far greater stress to the tire casing when stretching the tire onto a glued rim than the tire will ever receive when ridden. So you must be very careful when installing these tires, lest you damage them.

I've been using and selling tubular tires since 1974. I've damaged several over the years while installing them. These things happen. It's not the fault of the tire, it's the fault of the installer. If you are not willing to accept the fact that it is possible to damage a tubular tire while mounting it onto a rim, please do not buy them. I have no desire to argue with people who have damaged a tire, possibly without any realization that they have done so, but who insist that they couldn't have damaged it, and that the damage now done to the tire was the result of manufacturing error. That's just not a conversation I want to have. So if you don't believe me, if you think that anybody should be able to just smear some glue on a rim and on a tire and put the tire on without any concern for proper technique and the tire should just work perfectly regardless, I'd suggest you not use tubulars, but instead use clincher tires. Clinchers are easy to install without causing damage.

If you're willing to learn to mount tires properly, and willing to accept the possibility of failure, and accept responsibility for the results, I'm sure you can find articles on the web describing proper mounting technique, and I'm happy to give my best advice on proper technique to all of my customers.