# Glued my first tubular today (and the usual dumb questions)



## FTR (Sep 20, 2006)

Just finished my first glueing job today.
Not as difficult as my brain had convinced me it would be.
Toughest part was how quickly the glue seemed to soak into the fabric (Vittoria Corsa Evo Slick's).
Got a bit of glue on the sidewall and on my new Mad Fiber's but nothing I could not clean up with some acetone.

Now for the dumb question.
If I am carrying a spare (and I will be), do I need to pre-glue that. 
And if I do, how do I carry that?
Do I just fold it in on itself so that i have glued surfaces against each other?

Thanks in advance, and yes I did use the Search function.


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## macming (Dec 2, 2004)

I just carry an old tubular tire, with no precautions to the glue surface. The tire is zip tied to as small as possible, and it stays in my jersey pocket. Not too big of a deal since it's pretty light.


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## kbwh (May 28, 2010)

I carry a pre-glued, i.e. used spare. I recommend that your spare has glue on it for better adhesion to the rim. Let the glue dry before folding it onto itself like you suggest.
I also carry a Vittoria Pit Stop and will try that first in case of a flat. Haven't flattened a tubular in 13 years, though. 
Also some tubulars are better as spares than others. Continentals are notorious for returning to their pre stretching dimension like a rubber band, and I guess that could result in expletives on the roadside. Veloflexes are the easiest I've worked with.


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## T0mi (Mar 2, 2011)

FTR said:


> If I am carrying a spare (and I will be), do I need to pre-glue that.
> And if I do, how do I carry that?
> Do I just fold it in on itself so that i have glued surfaces against each other?


 In all case, you should take easy on the corners when riding with a spare tubular. If you are on training ride and don't care about your speed/time, then pre-gluing is not necessary. If you plan on carrying on in a sportive/gran fondo and don't loose too much time, pre-gluing the tubular wheel help. Same thing if you live in a hilly/mountaneous area and need to descend you will have more confidence with a pre-glued spare.

Again, in all case you should be careful and not putting any load on the wheel.

The spare tubular should not be folded just after the gluing process. Let it dry for a few minutes/hours, then stretch it on a rim for a few days before folding it.


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## swimbiketag (Nov 28, 2009)

Great to hear about the first gluing & agree with all of the above points - I transitioned to tubulars last spring and now have two sets of tubular wheels. It may be hard to go back to clinchers at this point....

Here is a photo-gallery for folding a spare tubular:

Picasa Web Albums - Diablo Scott - Folding a Tub...

Although my spare is not under the saddle, it is small enough to carry in my jersey pocket. 

(BTW - Link to the gallery was totally stolen from this very thread about the matter: http://forums.roadbikereview.com/wheels-tires/folding-tubular-tire-228145.html) 

Enjoy -


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## FTR (Sep 20, 2006)

Thanks for all the replies.
T0mi, I would only be using the spare to limp home.
In my experience if you flat during a road or Crit race you are out of the race.
As these are my first tubular's, my spare is a brand new tyre and so will need to be glued.


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## swimbiketag (Nov 28, 2009)

You may also want to ask your biking or triathlon friends if they have an old tubular wheel laying around - I was able to pick up an old tubular rim from a friend to stretch tires. Saves a little bit of time and resources, especially when getting new tires after your MF wheelset is already in use.


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## Old_Time_Campy (Dec 3, 2011)

*Stretch the spare first!!*



swimbiketag said:


> You may also want to ask your biking or triathlon friends if they have an old tubular wheel laying around - I was able to pick up an old tubular rim from a friend to stretch tires.


Before you put glue on the spare (which I have never done), stretch it on an old rim first. Mount it and pump it up to 100 psi and let it sit on the rim overnight. Cotton/silk casing tubulars stretch faster than the nylon casings. This will make it much easier to mount on the road side. 

The heat of riding/braking will slightly soften the glue and cause the spare to adhere fairly well and I've never rolled one, but take it careful even so... I would leave the glue alone on the side of the tire. Most tires have a latex coating on the sidewall to preserve the casing and you do not want to put acetone or any other solvent on the tire if you can help it - includes chain lube, cleaners, etc...

Cheers


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## cxwrench (Nov 9, 2004)

actually, you should stretch the spare AFTER putting glue on it too, or instead of stretching before you glue. it will shrink down as the glue dries. i always use this method
1)mount tire on a rim/wheel, inflate and stretch. this confirms it will hold air and doesn't have any defects. BEFORE any glue, so it can be returned if bad
2)2-3 coats on tire, depending on how the base tape absorbs glue, letting them dry for at least a few hours between coats
3)2 coats on rim, allowed to dry completely before next coat. apply last coat, and mount tire directly off stretching rim/wheel w/ 15-20psi so you don't get glue on the sidewall of the tire. i rarely wait more than a minute or 2 after the last coat to mount the tire. when the glue is wet it goes where it needs to be, and allows you to adjust the tire. i roll the wheel down a broomstick to push the basetape onto the rim, then inflate to 50ish psi for cx tires, somewhat more for road tires. let dry overnight. i usually never have anything to clean up when using this method, and i've never had a tire roll...well over 1000 tires mounted over 20 years.


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## JimP (Dec 18, 2001)

You might also consider using a "Quick Stick Tire Changer". I have used that to help roll on a difficult tubular after the glue has dried onto a "stretcher" rim. Once I have started the tire onto the rim, I insert the plastic rod between the tire and rim and then roll it around the rim to stretch the tire onto the rim.


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## FTR (Sep 20, 2006)

cxwrench said:


> actually, you should stretch the spare AFTER putting glue on it too, or instead of stretching before you glue. it will shrink down as the glue dries. i always use this method
> 1)mount tire on a rim/wheel, inflate and stretch. this confirms it will hold air and doesn't have any defects. BEFORE any glue, so it can be returned if bad
> 2)2-3 coats on tire, depending on how the base tape absorbs glue, letting them dry for at least a few hours between coats
> 3)2 coats on rim, allowed to dry completely before next coat. apply last coat, and mount tire directly off stretching rim/wheel w/ 15-20psi so you don't get glue on the sidewall of the tire. i rarely wait more than a minute or 2 after the last coat to mount the tire. when the glue is wet it goes where it needs to be, and allows you to adjust the tire. i roll the wheel down a broomstick to push the basetape onto the rim, then inflate to 50ish psi for cx tires, somewhat more for road tires. let dry overnight. i usually never have anything to clean up when using this method, and i've never had a tire roll...well over 1000 tires mounted over 20 years.


This has me worried.
I glued as per the Conti instructions (carbon wheels), which says 1 coat on the rim and 2 on the tyre. Their Youtube video says the same. Their paper instructions seem to expressly say no more than 1 coat on the rim.


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## cxwrench (Nov 9, 2004)

i've tried conti glue, and i don't like it, nor their instructions. i always use vittoria mastik one. every pro mechanic i know and work with does basically the same thing. it's up to you of course...


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## gordy748 (Feb 11, 2007)

What would y'all say about using Tufo tub tape in the event of a flat? I have glued-on tubulars but was wondering if there's any advantage to using the tape if I need to change a tire...


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## FTR (Sep 20, 2006)

cxwrench said:


> i've tried conti glue, and i don't like it, nor their instructions. i always use vittoria mastik one. every pro mechanic i know and work with does basically the same thing. it's up to you of course...


Hmmmm.


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## eekase (Nov 10, 2009)

*Me too....*

Just got done glueing my first tubulars on. I'm not new on tubulars, always used tufo tape, but this time thought I'd try conti's cement for carbon rims on my zipp 303's. Finished mounting them today (Monday) around 2:30pm.....so should be safe to ride Wednesday morning?

Also, per the discusions above, when I'm on my tubulars, I always carry a spare, but not pre-glued.
Came across this on velonews regarding how to "pack" in case of a tubular flat.
Ask Nick: Roadside tubular flats
I only had a flat once on tubulars, ran over some glass. It was less than a mile from home, so I hoofed it, but would have put a new tiubular on if I was further out.

BTW....this is a good informative thread:thumbsup:


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## FTR (Sep 20, 2006)

eekase said:


> Just got done glueing my first tubulars on. I'm not new on tubulars, always used tufo tape, but this time thought I'd try conti's cement for carbon rims on my zipp 303's. Finished mounting them today (Monday) around 2:30pm.....so should be safe to ride Wednesday morning?


eekase

Did you glue by the Conti instructions or did you do more coats than they recommend?


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## cxwrench (Nov 9, 2004)

gordy748 said:


> What would y'all say about using Tufo tub tape in the event of a flat? I have glued-on tubulars but was wondering if there's any advantage to using the tape if I need to change a tire...


there are people that use it, but i would never ever use it for securing a tire to a wheel. never. glue is for tires, tape is for wrapping presents. i bring a used tire for a spare. no need for anything else, if you don't have one, use a new tire...glued or not, it will work fine. just take it easy around corners.


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## cxwrench (Nov 9, 2004)

FTR said:


> Hmmmm.


i think you are probably gonna be fine mounting the tire as they recommend. obviously, they're not going to publish instructions that just don't work. the important thing is that there are 2 coats on the tire, conti basetape absorbs a lot of glue. if you put a good, thick, edge-to-edge first coat on the tire, that is good. the only reason i put the final coat on the rim and not the tire is because it's cleaner. if you managed to get the tire on and only had to do minimal cleaning, great. 

i was always taught, and everyone else i know that glues tires in the quantities i do, that a couple coats on both the tire and the rim, then one final 'mounting' coat on the rim works best. bear in mind that conti is the only company that sees the need for a special glue for carbon rims. i've always favored mastik one, and it's never let me down nor caused any glue related issues. 
you can check the quality of your glue job by waiting 24hrs or so after gluing, then deflate the tire and push it away from the edge of the rim. it should be fully adhered all the way to the edge of the rim. if it isn't, do it over again.


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## FTR (Sep 20, 2006)

Cool
I definitely took my time (no choice as I currently have my arm in a cast from being hit by a car).
Used a narrow brush and went all the way round the rim and tyre (Vittoria Corsa Evo's) making sure I got good coverage on both.
Everything seems to be well glued.
The section around the valve was initially sitting up very slightly but after a day inflated seems AOK.
I did also spend quite a bit of time rolling the tyre on a flat surface to get it seated.


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## forge55b (Jan 30, 2011)

FTR, you said you used Conti glue but was it the kind in the black tube specifically for carbon rims or the stuff in the orange/yellow tube for regular rims? If you used the black stuff, you should be fine with 2 applications on the rim and 1 on the tire. With Conti tires though I had to do about 3 layers of the regular Conti glue on the tire unless I put a lot more glue with the first layer. At least this is what I discovered from just figuring out this whole tubular gluing thing.


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## FTR (Sep 20, 2006)

forge55b said:


> FTR, you said you used Conti glue but was it the kind in the black tube specifically for carbon rims or the stuff in the orange/yellow tube for regular rims? If you used the black stuff, you should be fine with 2 applications on the rim and 1 on the tire. With Conti tires though I had to do about 3 layers on the tire unless I put a lot more glue with the first layer. At least this is what I discovered from just figuring out this whole tubular gluing thing.


Yep, the black tube for carbon rims.
I assume you mean 2 coats tyre and 1 coat rim and not the opposite like you typed?


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## forge55b (Jan 30, 2011)

One coat on the rim and one on the tire. Let it dry. One more coat on the rim and put the tire on.

At least that's what I remember. Heres a link to a vid of the process.

Continental - mounting instruction for tubular tyres, carbon rims - YouTube


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## FTR (Sep 20, 2006)

Yep, have watched the video and read the instructions that came with the glue.
The instructions with the glue seem to indicate not to put a 2nd coat on the rim but that a 2nd coat is needed on the tyre.
I guess so long as we get 3 coats all up we should be good to go(?).


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## eekase (Nov 10, 2009)

FTR said:


> eekase
> 
> Did you glue by the Conti instructions or did you do more coats than they recommend?


Did it exactly like the instructions...both the little piece of paper in the glue box and the youtube video. One tube 'almost' does two wheels. I had to open a second tube to dab a little more on. So, I'll guess well see.....


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## AvantDale (Dec 26, 2008)

I do everything in one sitting. I use Mastik One and flux brush found in the plumbing section of most hardware stores.

1. One layer on the wheel.
2. One on the tire.
3. Back to the wheel and put a second coat on. I wait till the first coat becomes non tacky (about an hour)
4. The final coat on the wheel and immediately stretch on the tire.

I wait 24 hours before I ride.

Biggest thing for me is straightening the tire once on the wheel. The glue sets fairly quick, I end up with a case of raw thumbs from trying to move the tire. 

I use Stan's on the tubes for flat protection. I gave up on the Pit Stop. I used it twice myself and a friend used it on his tubular...all three times it did nothing.


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## cxwrench (Nov 9, 2004)

are you stretching the tire properly? what brand of tire? you should not have to fight w/ it at all if it's stretched enough. i mounted 40 tires in a day last week, and my thumbs got a little beat up from putting the tires on wheels for re-stretching, but final mounting was no problem.


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## AvantDale (Dec 26, 2008)

I don't think I'm letting it stretch long enough. I'm using the Vit Corsa CR on the rear and CX on the front.

I recently had to remove and remount the front...and that went on super easy. I guess next time I'll let a tire stretch for a month!

40 tires!

My thumbs would be stumps.


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## cxwrench (Nov 9, 2004)

not to mention the glue fumes...but mastik one isn't that bad and we have some BIG doors at the shop. but yeah...non-stop from 9.30am to 5.30pm. the trailer left for a race the next morning at 8.00am...and my girls won. all good :thumbsup:


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## hotwheels22 (Mar 7, 2012)

nice question, thanks.


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## tmf (Mar 7, 2012)

Stretching tires really is key to easier mounting. In my college days, it was tough to afford more than just an extra tire or two, but now I have several pairs of tires stretching on spare rims in the garage. By the time I go to mount a tire, it's been stretching for months and maybe even a year or two.

I usually rotate my tires putting a new tire on the rear, moving that tire to the front, and then keep the front tire for a spare if it's still in relatively good shape. That way, the tire is already stretched and has a couple of coats of glue for good roadside adhesion. I'm a fairly retro guy, and I want to venture out and try some sealant in my tubes (I'll probably start with Stan's or Pit Stop. I have an underseat pack that is relatively long and slender, but still holds two spare folded tubs (it's a Rhode Gear I think). I think sealant in my tires, and maybe even a can in my jersey pocket is a good idea for those really unlucky days!

I glue my tires in my garage, and the high temps have been under 40F up until this week. What is the lowest temperature recommended for gluing tires? It's supposed to get up to 60F this weekend, and I'm hoping to get at least a couple of wheels done.


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## FTR (Sep 20, 2006)

Well i may have spoken too soon.
After only 3 rides my tyres have started to pull away significantly from the wheel.
I can easily peel the tyre away with my fingers.
Not sure what I have done wrong here as I followed Conti's instructions.
I want to have another go at this but should I completely remove the tyre; clean up the rim and start from scratch or can I just patch repair the sections that are coming unglued.
After reading more and talking to others I have bought a tin of Vittoria Mastik and will be using this rather than Conti glue.


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