Taping Rather than Glueing a ROAD Tubular

[pjmsj21]

I know that there is a substantial amount of posts a few years ago about the pros and cons of using Tufo tape vs using glue on a road tubular. But I thought I would get touch base with those experienced tubular users to see if there has been a shift towards using Tufo tape....for road tires only.

So do you feel that using Tufo tape is an acceptable alternative for the road only rider? I am particularly interested in hearing from riders that have actual experience using both systems...
TIA

[redir]

It's always been an acceptable alternative. It's not for me personally, I'd rather use glue, but tape gets the job done of holding a tire to the rim.

[zap]

Tufo tape works great, especially the newer tapes. However, I only use Tufo tape with Tufo tires.

I use Mastik on other sets of tubular wheels/tires.

[christian]

My LBS who I trust a lot, tapes all road tires.

Me, I'm a gluer.

But tape seems to work.

[FlashUNC]

I've read some nightmare stories about how tape can be a royal pain to clean off the rim when swapping tires. And it seems it would make swapping tires roadside rather difficult.

I'll take glue personally.

[El Chaba]

Tape will definitely stick a tire to a rim......perhaps too well. At some point you will want to remove the tire from the rim. There is an excellent possibility that it will occur on the side of the road as a result of a flat. I have seen tape jobs where the tire bond was so tight that it was nearly impossible to remove. Even a good glue job can be seperated if you know the technique...but tape? Then there is the problem of dealing with the removal of the old tape when you want to mount a new tire....With glue -unless it is old or contaminated-you just put on a fresh coat and proceed.....

[ceolwulf]

Tape has a little bit more rolling resistance, if that matters to you.

[Jaq]

It's situational. If you have one bike, and only one set of wheels for it, gluing can be a pain simply because you generally have to wait 24 hours between mounting the tire and riding. Some gluing techniques call for three coats, with 24 hours between each. Old Potatoe has a gluing regimen that cuts this down quite a bit, however.

Also, the tape can be a pita to remove. When I've used tape, though, I remove it (from my alloy wheels) with Jasco paint stripper, which makes the job supremely easy. I believe most carbon wheel manufacturers forbid this.

I've used tape with a variety of tires, from Tufos to Vitts to Contis and a couple others. I've never had problems with adhesion, with any of the non-Tufos' cloth backing tape, or with pulling a flat tire from the rim.

Ultimately, I favor glue, especially now that I finally have a second bike to ride. But I carry Tufo tape in my road kit, and use it if I'm forced to change a tire. For that reason, I also carry a new tire as a spare. If the spare goes on, it stays on until worn out or it flats.

[oldpotatoe]

I know that there is a substantial amount of posts a few years ago about the pros and cons of using Tufo tape vs using glue on a road tubular. But I thought I would get touch base with those experienced tubular users to see if there has been a shift towards using Tufo tape....for road tires only.

So do you feel that using Tufo tape is an acceptable alternative for the road only rider?

Never used it nor would I recommend it. leaves a mess on the tire and/or rim.

The only advantage, if ya get it on straight, is being able to ride right away.

[redir]

You don't need to wait 24 hours for anything except the final cure just to be on the safe side. One coat on the tire, one coat on the rim (assuming it already has old glue on it), then one more on the tire and mount, center, inflate and let sit 24 hours. Never rolled a tire with this method and they are not at all easy to remove.

[FastforaSlowGuy]

You don't need to wait 24 hours for anything except the final cure just to be on the safe side. One coat on the tire, one coat on the rim (assuming it already has old glue on it), then one more on the tire and mount, center, inflate and let sit 24 hours. Never rolled a tire with this method and they are not at all easy to remove.

This. It just isn't that hard.

Tape is for those who will trade the instant gratification of tape-and-ride for the head splitting frustration of trying to scrape said tape off the rim. I'd rather wait the 24 hours.

[crankles]

This. It just isn't that hard.

Tape is for those who will trade the instant gratification of tape-and-ride for the head splitting frustration of trying to scrape said tape off the rim. I'd rather wait the 24 hours.

or for us CXers who run sub 20psi. However, I do glue my road tires...but that takes me 3 days....well not really, I just like to let each layer cure.

oh, and if you do tape and glue like I do, a little naptha on the tape reactivates the mastik underneath. Comes of pretty easy. A heat gun also works...just dont combine the two methods ;-)

[shovelhd]

Never used it nor would I recommend it. leaves a mess on the tire and/or rim.

The only advantage, if ya get it on straight, is being able to ride right away.

This. Plus it's a little less messy installing with no glue on the tire.

[MattTuck]

Bill Belichick tapes, err used to tape. If that matters to you :help:

[fogrider]

Tape will definitely stick a tire to a rim......perhaps too well. At some point you will want to remove the tire from the rim. There is an excellent possibility that it will occur on the side of the road as a result of a flat. I have seen tape jobs where the tire bond was so tight that it was nearly impossible to remove. Even a good glue job can be seperated if you know the technique...but tape? Then there is the problem of dealing with the removal of the old tape when you want to mount a new tire....With glue -unless it is old or contaminated-you just put on a fresh coat and proceed.....

glue or tape, I've used both and both work fine. there advantages and draw backs to both. As others have said, with tape the tire can be hard to remove on the road, it took me 20 minutes to get it started once. but once you break the bond and can get a tire lever in and started, it will come right off. There are two sides to the tape, a rim side which has thin glue and the tire side, which has thicker white glue. Another pro to the tape is that it covers the spoke holes which means more contact area. Once you pull off a tire, there is a thin plastic tape that needs to pulled off and most of the time it all comes off as one piece. I often leave it on and just add new glue (again since it covers the spoke holes, there is more contact area). One big advantage to glue is that you can put more of the glue on the edges, this is where the most bond is, the glue in the middle of the rim is not very useful. There has been a few times when it took me about 20 minutes to pull off a tire that was glued. I've also had glue that turned to powder!

[oldpotatoe]

You don't need to wait 24 hours for anything except the final cure just to be on the safe side. One coat on the tire, one coat on the rim (assuming it already has old glue on it), then one more on the tire and mount, center, inflate and let sit 24 hours. Never rolled a tire with this method and they are not at all easy to remove.

Yep, I get a kick out of reading the 'coat both, wait 24 hours, repeat, wait another 24'..silly. Julian Devries, LA wrench, used to hype this.

[El Chaba]

Yep, I get a kick out of reading the 'coat both, wait 24 hours, repeat, wait another 24'..silly. Julian Devries, LA wrench, used to hype this.

At some point it is a religious ritual....not a technique to effectively adhere a tire to a rim.

[happycampyer]

My LBS who I trust a lot, tapes all road tires.

Me, I'm a gluer.

But tape seems to work.
Out of curiosity, which LBS is that? Certainly not Signature—I know that Justin is not a fan of tape (and neither was Soren), especially for certain types of base tapes.

[merckx]

I have used both products/methods. When I've glued a tub that was a bit cocked, I wished I used tape. When I have suffered a puncture in the field, I wish I glued. They both work and don't work. My conclusion is to glue if I must, or cozy up to a pair of fat Compass tires.

[ariw]

I used tape, no glue for a few years, never had the issues that everyone claims with tape. Never rolled a tire, was able to change in the field, and it never took me long to remove tape residue from the rim when changing tires. The only minor issue that I had was that it once took me several minutes to "break" one section of the tape bond while fixing a flat on the road. Once it started, it only took 30 seconds to get the tire off. Also, tape leaves a nice bed for a spare to adhere to.

Just my $.02 from experience.

-Ari

[Neil]

I commuted on tubs through Central London everyday, taped on Sprinter Gators.

I used the Jantex tub-tape, very easy to break the bond - too easy, really.

Due to it being the commuter I had the Conti Revo sealant in there - it sealed ever puncture I ever got, but there was usually some pressure drop.

One ride home I noticed that the front tyre was rotating on the rim under heavy braking - not by much, but enough to put a distinct angle on the valve.

This was with a tyre that was low on pressure- never happened when they were properly inflated.

Made me think, though - I glued the replacement tyre on.