Gluing tubulars

[s4life]

I am about to glue my first set of tubulars. I've gone through a few tutorials. However, I am most intrigued by this video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DCvSa5_RwyU

According to that video, the procedure is a lot simpler than I've seen elsewhere: apply one layer of glue on the rim, wait a couple of hours, apply another layer of glue on the rim, and before it dries up, mount the (pre-stretched) tire. The caveat is that the tire's base tape must be preglued from factory -- vittoria cx tires are like that.

The question is, is this a safe procedure?

Thanks,

[Lovetoclimb]

seems a bit on the minimal side to me. If you do a search you should come across a lot of discussion on gluing methods with some very experienced people here swearing by their preferred method. I am very much a novice myself so please take my experience lightly:

2 layers of Vittoria Mastik One glue on the rim and tire (3 if tire is brand new). Layer on rim, while that is drying put a layer on the tire. Maybe wait 20 minutes then do your 2nd layer on the rim, followed by your 2nd layer on the tire. Another 20 mins and those will be nice and tacky, this is the time to mount the tire to the rim. Putting a layer of tape over your rim brake tracks is great to prevent any glue getting on there during the mounting process.

FWIW, the only tires I have used are Challenges and the rims are all Major Toms. I recently did a Reynolds carbon rim with a used challenge tire for a friend, and he rolled it 4 days later in a race. Sooooo there goes my reputation.

[thegunner]

^^some friend haha, did you buy him a 6 pack to make up for it?

[Anarchist]

I have been gluing tires for 40 years.

Two coats on the rim, if a clean rim, one coat on the tire. Wait for all of it dry. Mount the tire, centre it and inflate.

Wait 12 hours then ride.

Remember, it is contact cement. Wet or dry makes no difference.

[ginsued]

Something which I saw a few years ago and now do is after the tire is mounted and straightened (with enough air in the tire to do that), deflate the tire, roll the wheel on a broom or similarly rounded cylinder, and then pump the tire up fully to set. Seems to help the glue bond to the tire across the whole rim bed. I also do the final coat on the tire as opposed to the rim so the glue doesn't pick up dirt or debris from the floor or leave glue residue on the floor.

I am about to glue my first set of tubulars. I've gone through a few tutorials. However, I am most intrigued by this video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DCvSa5_RwyU

According to that video, the procedure is a lot simpler than I've seen elsewhere: apply one layer of glue on the rim, wait a couple of hours, apply another layer of glue on the rim, and before it dries up, mount the (pre-stretched) tire. The caveat is that the tire's base tape must be preglued from factory -- vittoria cx tires are like that.

The question is, is this a safe procedure?

Thanks,

[krismac23]

What king of Tubulars, CX or Road? Road can get away with a little bit less glue because of the pressure's run. But in general this is how I do it at the shop and I have yet to have guy's roll the work cross or rd.

IDEALLY you want the minimal amount of glue that get's the job done. TOO much glue and you essentially get a layer of glue that tire "float's" on. It's better than not enough glue, but you can still roll it.

1) make sure your tubular tire's are stretched. Put them on a bare rim and pump those sucker's to 170-200PSI (I have a pump I've modified to go to 240psi. 3hrs at least, over night preferable.

2) 1 layer on rim and base tape. Be mindful of edge to edge. If it's going to roll it's going to roll because the edge's didn't get enough glue. And let it dry over night.

3) one more on the base tape and let it dry (3hr's usually works) and one more light layer on the rim IF need be. Double checking the edge's. Let it dry until it's not tacky

4) Add a very quick mounting layer on the rim. u don't need to get artistic, a little goes a long way. Your adding a layer to help the tubular slide on/making sure AGAIN you have 100% of the rim cover'd in glue during the mounting process.

5) Cross fingers, deflate tire until you have just a tiny pit of pressure the tubular hold's air, mount tire. Pull out REALLY hard, pull down, PULL OUT, push down small sections. And then slide the last little bit on. u may need a work bench to brace the hub axle while you push the last little bit on.

6) Use the base tape as reference and make sure it's equally showing on either side. IF it's not, pull up and maneuver tire sections to get it straight. Check both sides

7)Blow up to 70? psi and check the "straightness" of tubular. If good continue, if not go back to 6

8) Blow up tubular again to 170-200psi. Put the tire on the ground, valve up. Put your weight down and roll the wheel forward and back, slowly over the entire wheel until you get back to the valve. I do this twice per a wheel. Let it sit over night.**

9) Check the work by deflating it and tugging up on the tire near the base tape a little sections at a time. It shouldn't lift, if it does add some touch up glue on those spots and re-inflate. Let it sit over night again.

10) double check (9) and if all is well enjoy.


** Some people, deflate the tire and do the wooden handle trick to achieve this. I find that this works a lot better, because it spreads the base tape against the rim as a tire would when inflated. AND the extremely high psi + your weight downwards get's you a lot more force to help with the compression. BUT once you start this step, you can't re-adjust the base tape. Tubular glue activates on compression, and this definitely counts as compression.

[buldogge]

Makes no difference other than it works on contact between dry layers and the fresh layer allows you to (somewhat) better re-position the tire.

Also, it is not so much the number of layers, as establishing that you have a good base/coverage...1 layer might leave you with thin/bare spots...

I'm a 2 layers each...then minimal wet layer on the rim...then immediately mount...kinda guy.

I also do not prescribe to the whole 24 hour waiting thing...as mentioned, it is contact cement...dry to the touch...next layer...depending on temp/humidity, this could take very little time...30 minutes max.

I use Mastik One, and I have not been gluing tubulars for 40 years...so...all FWIW.

My 2c.

-Mark in St. Louis

I have been gluing tires for 40 years.

Two coats on the rim, if a clean rim, one coat on the tire. Wait for all of it dry. Mount the tire, centre it and inflate.

Wait 12 hours then ride.

Remember, it is contact cement. Wet or dry makes no difference.

[Scuzzer]

Wait for all of it dry.

+1 on this. When I finally decided to really let the final coat dry the mess factor dropped by an order of magnitude. I barely get glue anywhere but where it's supposed to go now. There's no rush, drink another beer and let the stuff set up.

[catchourbreath]

The most people I know who have rolled their tires tend to be the ones using more layers of glue and weird intricate methods.

[phcollard]

Tufo tape.

Done.

Sorry :D

[Louis]

I've concluded that the reason there are so many different "best" methods to mount tubulars is that they all work about the same.

[RedRider]

1- Close all windows
2- Put on Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon
3- Open large can of Mastik
4- Enjoy!
5- Don't forget to put some glue on the tire and rim

[malcolm]

I always did 3 coats rim and tire, but I've also just used tape a few times and it seemed to work ok.

[zmudshark]

I have been gluing tires for 40 years.

Two coats on the rim, if a clean rim, one coat on the tire. Wait for all of it dry. Mount the tire, centre it and inflate.

Wait 12 hours then ride.

Remember, it is contact cement. Wet or dry makes no difference.

Makes no difference other than it works on contact between dry layers and the fresh layer allows you to (somewhat) better re-position the tire.

Also, it is not so much the number of layers, as establishing that you have a good base/coverage...1 layer might leave you with thin/bare spots...

I'm a 2 layers each...then minimal wet layer on the rim...then immediately mount...kinda guy.

I also do not prescribe to the whole 24 hour waiting thing...as mentioned, it is contact cement...dry to the touch...next layer...depending on temp/humidity, this could take very little time...30 minutes max.

I use Mastik One, and I have not been gluing tubulars for 40 years...so...all FWIW.

My 2c.

-Mark in St. Louis

I've concluded that the reason there are so many different "best" methods to mount tubulars is that they all work about the same.

1- Close all windows
2- Put on Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon
3- Open large can of Mastik
4- Enjoy!
5- Don't forget to put some glue on the tire and rim

All of this, and about 40 years for me, too.

[carpediemracing]

My method here:
http://sprinterdellacasa.blogspot.com/2009/04/how-to-glue-tubular.html

For the record I glued tubulars for my friend/teammate onto some DV46s. He's not only not rolled a tire, in one race he had a flat mid turn just after he launched himself off the front of the field to chase down a break. The tire stayed put and let him control the bike through the turn. Ironically, because he was on my wheels (on permanent loan to him - he's had them 5 years now), he got off the bike and walked it back to the start/finish area. If it were me, on my wheels, I'd have ridden it back, and if I'd flatted during a road race, I'd have ridden it for quite a while.

The short version of the above post:
1. Layer of glue on the rim. If new, do a super thin layer than a slightly heavier one. Thin layer to get stuff to stick, thick layer to actually be the layer that connects the bumpy base tape to the smooth rim.
2. Layer of glue on the base tape, light but with good coverage.
3. Layer of glue on the rim, very thin, basically to get everything tacky.
4. Mount tire onto rim.
You really don't need to wait between the layers, the time it takes it all the time I've waited. I used to have a can of glue but now I glue infrequently so I use tubes. I use about a tube per tire, slightly less if I'm gluing a tire onto a previously used rim.

It's possible to neatly glue a brand new unstretched tubular in about 15 minutes, based on what I did before I went to the hospital (but after I got the phone call) when they suddenly had to induce the Missus on a Thursday afternoon. Ultimately the baby didn't happen that day and I raced fine on that tubular Sunday. It's been 2+ years and the tire and glue job are still good. And Junior is fine also, 2 years, 7 months, 4 days old. So the glue job is 2 years, 7 months, 13 days old. I only raced it so it has mostly 2 seasons on it (3rd season I mostly used the Stinger 9), maybe 50-60 days on it. Stinger 6 rear, for those keeping track.

[Louis]

The other big question with tubulars is how to handle flats while out on the road.

Again, there are several ways to do it, none obviously better than the others (at least not to my untutored eye).

[ultraman6970]

S4life... as you can see everybody does it differently, you have to figure it out what works for you the best. Second thing I always say is this, that the tubular rim has a lot of glue doesnt mean it will hold better than 1 or 2 layers of glue, so please don't put half of the small glue tube in the rim, if you do that you will end up with glue even in your butt crack hairs ok? And that will explain why you read that people is having problems with messy gluing. Personally I use one in the rim and one in the tire, and I dont wait like 2 hours.. after i do the rim I do the tire in the center and then I mount it, inflate to 40 psi... then manipulate the tubby so its sit straight in the rim and then 100 psi and wait like 4 to 8 hours, done.

3rd... The glue is there to prevent the tubular from sliding around the rim and secondly to hold it in the rim, but what will hold the tubular in the rim is the air pressure, the tire constricts around the rim.

4th.. good luck :)

[zmudshark]

The other big question with tubulars is how to handle flats while out on the road.

Again, there are several ways to do it, none obviously better than the others (at least not to my untutored eye).I carry a can of PitStop and a preglued, properly folded spare, and take it easy going home if on the spare.

[ultraman6970]

When the tubular is old I just come back home flat... old stuff dont worth even the time to get it fixed. Kind'a mastered how to ride flat at this point :D

[shovelhd]

My method is the same as krismac's.

[thwart]

Well, I'm no expert :rolleyes:, but Andy Muzi is.

For Vittoria tires, first a solvent wipe-down of base tape. Let that dry. Then, one well applied, careful layer on rim, one well applied, careful layer on tire. Mount tire. Inflate to ~ 20 PSI. Center tire. Inflate at least to intended riding pressure. Ride 24 hrs later.

On Conti's with their unsealed cotton base tape, 2 layers of glue on tire.

I'm interested in a well-glued tire, yet one that can be removed by normal means (no razor blade) when I have to change a flat.

Then again, I don't race or corner aggressively. So far, I've had no problems.

YMMV.

[oldpotatoe]

I have been gluing tires for 40 years.

Two coats on the rim, if a clean rim, one coat on the tire. Wait for all of it dry. Mount the tire, centre it and inflate.

Wait 12 hours then ride.

Remember, it is contact cement. Wet or dry makes no difference.

But if the last coat is on rim, then tire on when rim wet, easier to center tire. But yep, few coats on each, mount, wait 12 hours or so. These guys that apply glue over 2-3 days, what a hoot.

[Dale Alan]

I agree,roughly 12 hours works just fine.

[mister]

what old potato said

new rim, two coats on the rim, two coats on the tire. mount when the second coats are still a little tacky.

if the rim already has glue on it, one coat to even out the old glue, a coat on the tire...maybe two if the basetape sucks up the glue.
mount when the coats are a little tacky...not sticky to the touch though...

vittorias with latex glue, i used to file it off. last time i just put one thin coats on the latex glue and mounted. haven't pulled it off yet. pretty sure that latex glue is going to be stuck on my rim...

on the road, carry a good tire that you pulled off early, perhaps a worn front tire like i'm going to pull off soon. it has glue so just slap it on if you flat, air it up and go. ride easy.

tubulars aren't that bad. sometimes you flat right after you've put a tire on. it's a bummer but whatever.
hate messing with clinchers after running tubs for so long. new build is gonna have clinchers so i'm kinda thinking wth about that right now...oh well i guess i'll deal with them again.

[teleguy57]

Good advice here (trust OldPotatoe).

My only contribution is that you should center the tire by spinning the wheel in a stand or by holding the axle in your hands in front of you and sighting down the tread lengthwise.

Wobbles show easily that way; centering on base tape margins is dependent on the base tape being straight and centered. That's not always the case.

[eBAUMANN]

In my limited experience, I think its worth mentioning (and i think it already was, briefly) about the difference in technique for CX use vs road use, as there are many variables to consider. Also, I really don't understand why anyone messes around with glue for road use anymore, as the tufo tape does a more than adequate job of holding a tire in place with no mess.

That said...

One thing worth thinking about (for CX) is the shape of the rim bed. A "traditional" rim bed is pretty narrow/concave, which doesn't really play nice with a big fat CX tire. In that case, I have put a couple extra layers of glue on the wheel in order to build up the rim bed a bit to better conform to the shape of the tire.

One question I have for a few of the pro's in the house regarding rim-prep for carbon/alloy, is if you treat each material differently or have any sort of scuff-method that you use prior to gluing?

[fuzzalow]

I've chimed in to other threads about mounting tubulars so I won't repeat myself here. But want to emphasize what oldpotatoe has posted and especially the correction pointed out by teleguy57's above ^^ post.

Do not center the tire on the rim by centering the base tape. When a tubular is glued to the rim the important thing is to make sure that the tire casing is mounted straight and centered on the rim when the wheel is spun. The carcass of the tire must be straight, not the base tape as to how it was glued to the rim.

There is no guarantee that the base tape is perfectly straight no matter how high quality the tire is. If the tire is glued centering an imperfect base tape the shape of the tire carcass is distorted. So now the tire's contact patch moves around laterally on a wobbly tire casing but having a straight base tape glued on the rim.

[shovelhd]

One thing worth thinking about (for CX) is the shape of the rim bed. A "traditional" rim bed is pretty narrow/concave, which doesn't really play nice with a big fat CX tire. In that case, I have put a couple extra layers of glue on the wheel in order to build up the rim bed a bit to better conform to the shape of the tire.

That's what Belgian tape is for.

[velomonkey]

1- Close all windows
2- Put on Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon
3- Open large can of Mastik
4- Enjoy!
5- Don't forget to put some glue on the tire and rim



^^^^^ This. Actually, my plan is to do this tonight.

[gavingould]

One question I have for a few of the pro's in the house regarding rim-prep for carbon/alloy, is if you treat each material differently or have any sort of scuff-method that you use prior to gluing?

i used a scuff method on a set of Easton EA70x a few years ago - basically, scratched x's between the spoke holes with a centerpunch. compared to another set of wheels with same rim without scuff, no difference. carbon rims i've done nothing to surface beyond wiping with rubbing alcohol prior to applying glue. (Zipp 303 Firecrest 1 set and Light-Bicycle rims 23mm wide x 2 sets)

i use the Zanconato method (http://www.embrocationmagazine.com/online/how-to-gluing-cx-tubulars) (minus the Belgian tape) and have not rolled one of my own glue jobs.

key points: take your time, have a whiskey, don't rush it. hell, even if you do rush it, as long as you don't skip steps or skimp on the glue, you'll most likely be fine.

[eBAUMANN]

That's what Belgian tape is for.

yea i did that on a few sets years ago, made a nice gooey white mess of things...then left a nice mess on the rim when the tires eventually flatted and had to come off. since glued up a few sets without it and all those tires stayed put so i just stopped using it.

i guess the moral of the story is that a wide rim is your friend...pretty much across the board ;)

[RobJ]

+1 on this. When I finally decided to really let the final coat dry the mess factor dropped by an order of magnitude. I barely get glue anywhere but where it's supposed to go now. There's no rush, drink another beer and let the stuff set up.

+2 I guess. The best tip was one I found here (can't find the post) and it's made life much easier. The tip was not to put a wet layer on the tire just before mounting. I had a wet/tacky layer on the rim and tire, nothing but a mess. Let the stuff dry and don't do the wet layer on the tire.

+1 on Mastik and VM&P Naphtha for removing glue from alloy rims (another tip found here)

[oldpotatoe]

In my limited experience, I think its worth mentioning (and i think it already was, briefly) about the difference in technique for CX use vs road use, as there are many variables to consider. Also, I really don't understand why anyone messes around with glue for road use anymore, as the tufo tape does a more than adequate job of holding a tire in place with no mess.

That said...

One thing worth thinking about (for CX) is the shape of the rim bed. A "traditional" rim bed is pretty narrow/concave, which doesn't really play nice with a big fat CX tire. In that case, I have put a couple extra layers of glue on the wheel in order to build up the rim bed a bit to better conform to the shape of the tire.

One question I have for a few of the pro's in the house regarding rim-prep for carbon/alloy, is if you treat each material differently or have any sort of scuff-method that you use prior to gluing?


Cuz it's sometimes hard to center tire and it is a mess when you take the tire off.

For carbon or aluminum, very light 'scuffing', very light, with some emory paper, then clean with acetone, is what I do.

acid brush, can of Pana...light coats, little goes a long way.

Glue the tire
Glue the rim
Glue the tire
Glue the rim
Glue the tire

when the tire glue doesn't stick to my fingers(about 15 minutes), glue the rim, mount tire, center and seat(particularly around valve).

Note-Stretch the tire!! all tires, even cotton ones.

Acetone is your friend

Panaracer glue-take a trip without leaving the farm!!

Been doing it this way since I learned in 1985-thanks Mike Howard, Colley Ave Bike Shop-Norfolk VA.

[El Chaba]

Most people way overthink the process. I like to say that there are as many methods of gluing a tubular as there are varieties of Christianity...and only a few of them involve the handling of poisonous snakes....I'll just add:
*Don't use too much glue (as some others have said)
*The most important-and overlooked-step is to inflate the tire after mounting and press down on it hard so that the basetape is forced to bond to the rim...
* The type of basetape is a huge wildcard...the porous, plain cotton type will require more treatment (glue) than the sealed type (e.g. Veloflex)

[tele]

acid brush, can of Pana...light coats, little goes a long way.

Glue the tire
Glue the rim
Glue the tire
Glue the rim
Glue the tire

when the tire glue doesn't stick to my fingers(about 15 minutes), glue the rim, mount tire, center and seat(particularly around valve).

Note-Stretch the tire!! all tires, even cotton ones.

Acetone is your friend

I pretty much follow OP's advice here and haven't had a problem in my short 2 years of riding tubbies. The only thing my buddy told me to do was after seating and centering the tire, roll it along a broom handle to get pressure on the basetape/rim to get good contact. Wait till next day and ride.

It is not nearly as hard or complicated as some make it seem.

[christian]

I also do not prescribe to the whole 24 hour waiting thing...Yeah, no way. If you are gluing two of them, going rim-tire-rim-tire gives the first one plenty of time to dry before the next layer or flash layer.

[El Chaba]

While we're on it, here are a few things to shake things up....I have noticed that a majority of pro team mechanics don't use any glue at all on tires that have latex on the basetape (Vittoria, veloflex, etc.)...just on the rim. They generally use thinned mastik that they usually apply from an old waterbottle and then spread the glue on the rim with a brush. The trick is the consistency of the glue and getting the right amount. They also often mount the tires with about 30 psi in them and just push like he!! to get the tire on the rim. Once you have mastered the technique, it is very easy to get the tire straight on the rim without messing about afterward. They also clean up the mess with white gasoline...I wouldn't recommend it unless you are working outside as they do....

[moose8]

I didn't watch the video, but as someone with limited tubular experience I found that taping electrical tape on the sides of the rim made cleanup way easier so that might be worth doing the first time.

[ariw]

Tufo tape for road wheels, saves tons of time, never rolled a tire, spare can be mounted in the field (pre-stretched).

-Ari

[s4life]

Thank you all for the advise. It's been really helpful. I didn't go minimalistic as in the video but I didn't go overboard either. I put a layer of glue on the base tapes and 2 on the rims. I have just finished mounting the tires. Centering the tire was a bit of a hassle as I don't have a truing stand, just went with what looked good enough to my eye. Hopefully I won't see any problems tomorrow... I'll let it dry overnight for at least 8 hours.

Cheers,
A

[RobJ]

They also often mount the tires with about 30 psi in them and just push like he!! to get the tire on the rim. Once you have mastered the technique, it is very easy to get the tire straight on the rim without messing about afterward.

Are you guys mounting the tire completely flat, some air, a lot? I know you have to inflate like crazy after for sitting overnight etc.

[oldpotatoe]

Are you guys mounting the tire completely flat, some air, a lot? I know you have to inflate like crazy after for sitting overnight etc.

I do it w/o air in 'em. With Conti, hard enough w/o air..wheel on ground, push, push, push from top to bottom, pinching tire..once on, a wee bit of air, center, pump up, roll on floor while pushing, little more air, let sit overnight.

[El Chaba]

Are you guys mounting the tire completely flat, some air, a lot? I know you have to inflate like crazy after for sitting overnight etc.

I use just enough air for the tire to hold its shape.

[oldguy00]

I use just enough air for the tire to hold its shape.

+1. If the tire has its shape, i find it way easier to roll/lift (toes over rim method) the last section on to the rim.

I also use less glue than most. Last tire I glued was a Veloflex carbon onto a carbon rim. I used 2/3 of a tube of glue on the rim, spread evenly. Thats it, nothing on the tire. After I apply the glue to the rim, I put the tire on, center it, then fully inflate and leave overnight.
I've never rolled a tire.
AND, the above tire ended up getting a puncture. I was unable to remove the tire with my hands, and eventually had to resort to using a razor blade to cut into the tire and through the base tape. So, you do not need tons of glue and multiple coats, IMHO...

[everbeek]

I have been gluing tires for 40 years.

Two coats on the rim, if a clean rim, one coat on the tire. Wait for all of it dry. Mount the tire, centre it and inflate.

Wait 12 hours then ride.

Remember, it is contact cement. Wet or dry makes no difference.

I have been gluing tires for 30 years. I do it exactly the same way as above.
-Mike

[weisan]

so the last time I glued a tubular was like 25 years ago...golly....that makes me feel old. Fast forward today, there's really very few, if any, reason for me to do so. With wider rim and fatter tire carrying bigger volume, the "ride" is quite good and comparable even to the best tubs....anyway. today, I re-acquainted myself with the whole gluing process. Before I did it, I read through all the advice and techniques my pals here offered on this thread. It was easy...and not as messy as I remembered. I measured twice and cut once, and it was done.

I can't wait to try them on the road tomorrow. First time using a fancy disc wheel too...wonder what all the hype is about. I expect to slice off 0.002 sec off my personal best on my regular neighborhood time trial course...:rolleyes: :D :beer:

http://alicehui.com/bike/wheel/disc2.jpg

http://alicehui.com/bike/wheel/disc1.jpg

[11.4]

It must be wintertime. I haven't seen a fulmination on rim cement like this for almost a year.

My eccentric comments:

1. Minimal gluing techniques: First, if you really know what you're doing you can usually get away with doing a bit less. If you don't glue a LOT of tires all the time, you don't necessarily have the shortcuts down and may be shaving off the safety margin. Second, riders doing solo training rides all day don't need as much in the way of gluing ... until you hit a road hazard and are twisting to stay upright and your glue job is insufficient. Like anything else, greater stress requires greater preparation. Or, I should say, smarter preparation, since people who just pour on the rim cement aren't being smart about it.

2. Tires with latex: Jeez? First, tires don't come with rim cement pre-applied, as in the OP's video. That's enough to throw out that information source entirely. They come with latex, if anything. Now latex can be sprayed on (like Vittoria used to do) or can be calendared on (scraped and pressed, like most brands now do). The sprayed on stuff was like a thick rubber coat that peeled off and caused tires to roll. The calendared stuff is very thin and isn't going to scrape off, so just glue over it. It actually helps seal the fibers of the base tape so the tape doesn't just soak in the rim cement -- you need the rim cement on top of the tape for it to do any good. And by the way, European pro mechanics I've worked with, both road and track, will glue up tires way ahead of time and then just have to do a replacement coat on a rim and re-attach a tire. That's why it looks like they're doing such a sloppy job. But they have glue coats already in place that were done at leisure so they could do a tire replacement overnight.

3. Scoring rim beds: A few x's aren't going to produce much tooth to grip anything. And rim cement operates by electrostatic bonding so surface texture doesn't really matter. This is different from some old rim cements like Clement Gutta (the red stuff). What's important is simply getting all mold release compound, extrusion die lubricants, or whatever off the rim bed. Those tend to resist removal with basic organic solvents, so it's usually a good idea to do a sanding with fine (like 320 or 400 grit) silicon carbide paper. Rim manufacturers will sometimes tell you not to do so, but they are worried about people who use 60 grit paper in sanding drums on electric drills. A light sanding simply is intended to remove the thin coating that survives on most rims when they get to your door. That applies to both alloy and carbon. Manufacturers have gotten better about cleaning their rims prior to shipping, especially because they are using better resins now, but they rarely get it all off. A light sanding with 320 grit paper isn't going to damage anything and can save you from gluing failures.

4. Tape products: These are getting better and better, and I've been trying the Effetto product with slightly mixed results but hope it improves in consistency (and price) soon. But some of the older products have problems. Tufo tape, for example, doesn't carry enough glue to compensate for any mismatch between tire and rim profile. It works better for some people, worse for others, which is the issue for all tape products. I would never set up a friend or team mate's wheels with Tufo tape. I keep seeing it fail. If anything, the tape doesn't cope with storage well, and you don't know where it's been before it got to your local shop.

5. Rim profiles: The most significant variable I've found in gluing tubulars really comes down to rim profiles. If your tire matches your rim well, it's amazing how good a gluing job you can get with almost no glue and almost no effort. If it doesn't match, it's going to want to roll regardless (cross racers know whereof I speak). We think of tires and rims like they're all interchangeable, but for tubulars this isn't easy. With rim cement and some skill one can compensate for a so-so profile match. With tapes (which carry less glue and can alter the rim bed profile a bit as well), it's harder to make a match. So try your tire on your rim and if it doesn't make continuous contact across the rim bed, you either have a gluing challenge or you shouldn't be using that tire on that rim. Plain and simple.