Tubular Tyres Are Go!

[Iwasgoodonce]

Right. Decision made. I'm going to go tubular on my new (old) winter bike. I wanted to use as many parts that I already have as I could and that includes a set of wheels. I have never used them before so I have a few questions:
1. Glue is better than tape?
2. Assuming this to be the case, I was going to get some of this. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Vittoria-Mast ... 337a741d9b
Fine for the job or do you have your own stuff that you have found to be better?
3. Do you really wait for 24 hours for the glue to dry? Is it still sticky after that long?
4. How much cleaning , that is removing of old glue, do I need to do before putting new stuff on?
5. Is tape or a telephone a better option in case of puncture out on the road?
6. Would some sort of tyre sealing slime ruin the feel of the ride?

Sorry for all the questions but after 25 years of cycling, I'm a little new to all this. Thanks in advance.

 

[argonsixar]

Good on you. They are a good ride and having punctured a clincher on boxing day and found my new tyre levers were crap (modern plastic rubbish) I wished I had been on tubs instead of walking ! My answers are based on my trial and error over many years and I should admit that I am almost exclusively on clinchers these days, but I reckon not a lot has changed with tubs so here's my penny worth.
1 Both have good points but you should note that glue can "dry out" over time and may make the fitting of a spare tyre at the roadside an issue. You counter this by common sense and re gluing your tyres every 12 months. Then, sufficient tacky glue will usually stay on the rim to allow fitting a spare at the roadside fairly easy.
Tape is fiddly to fit , doesn't dry out easily but can tear off with the old tyre as you remove it and leave the rim naked , hence I now carry a spare reel in my pocket when out.
2 When Dunlop stopped making glue, I turned to tape, so no comment on modern glues.
3 I always waited 24 hours. And yes its designed to work that way
4 Once a year I cleaned the whole lot off with a wire brush but during the season I didn't bother and just applied glue over the existing bed. (we used to say that the new glue livened up the old stuff again, but not sure if that is good science).
5 tape can even be used on top of old glue in an emergency. It definitely works !
6 Not tried it so no comment

 

[mattsccm]

I liked the video linked from the Planet x website that shows how to mount them. some dislike the time involved but its a few minutes now and then. Can't stand tape as its no messier to me and never allows such a nice roadside repair. some people will prefer it though.
If I were you I wouldn't let others convince you one way or the other

 

[bm0p700f]

Tape is so much easier. There are many who swear by glue. For me life is too short to spend it gluing tubs. I use tape now, velox tape seems to work very well.

 

[doctor-bond]

I'm fairly new to tubs too: after a lot of head-scratching, I just went for it with a tube or two of glue and some googling. And when you've done it, you know how to do it. Even with the cheap tubs I used, the ride is sweet and they're nice and light.

That said, you're planning winter riding. I've only used my sprints in the warmer weather (due to excessive pride in shiny things). Is the combination of glued tubes and winter temperatures a problem?

I've heard that too much heat (eg TDF Alpine pass downhill brake heat) can cause a melting of the ways, but don't know if low temps cause the stuff to brittle.

 

[Iwasgoodonce]

Thanks people. I think I'm going with glue. If nothing else it it will hopefully chill me out sniffing the stuff for the best part of a week after an abortive attempt at fitting a +*¥$€ing Mavic rear mech.

 

[rusty bodie]

yup, the vittoria mastik is the best stuff that i've found since the demise of good old dunlop rim cememt (i still have the original pot and brush).

oh and it smells great too!

 

[David B]

6. Would some sort of tyre sealing slime ruin the feel of the ride?

Not a tub user myself, but wouldn't have thought so - Tufo seem to positively recommend it for their tubs, in fact. I've used clincher inner tubes filled with goo in the past, no effect on the ride quality but if they fail in a big way (as happened to me in a CX race at Hillingdon back in 2011) it can be a bit messy.

David

 

[bm0p700f]

If it's a latex ier tube in your tub some tube sealant will go off and cause the latex inner to stick to itself. With Butyl inner tubes I think this is less of a risk. The other option is to carry a can of Vittoria Pit stop and C02. This is what I do.

 

[rusty bodie]

does that pit stop stuff actually work?

craig