Sewups, Removing, Replacing. issues? Tips?

[Ronsonic]

I'm not a complete newb, but not that experienced either. In the past I've mounted tires and left them there until they've worn / rotted otherwise died. Never fixed a flat either. Never had a flat on a tubular that wasn't worn out already. Yeah, lucky.

So now I'm in a situation where I want to move some tires around between wheels. Is it as simple as pull, remount on the next cleaned rim? Sure seems like it should be. Anything to watch out for? Hidden horrors?

[Dead Man]

It's a big mystery until you do it. Depends on the type of glue, how well you glued them, how well they're still glued, and the rim material, and the type of basetape on the tub. Generally, they come off a lot easier when they're old.. generally will fight you if the glue is new.. sometimes this results in basetape tearing off, sometimes it rips a skin off the basetape (Vittoria), sometimes the glue mostly pulls straight off the rim, sometimes none comes off the rim and it all pulls off the basetape. Sometimes you get carbon ripping off a carbon rim.. pretty lame, but so long as it's not too much, it's not necessarily a big deal.

In summary - best not to go ripping tires off unless you really need to

[ultraman6970]

Remove the tubular... apply glue to the rim eventhought has glue already there, mount the tubular again... done.

BTW, If you want to clean the rims is your call.

[oldpotatoe]

I'm not a complete newb, but not that experienced either. In the past I've mounted tires and left them there until they've worn / rotted otherwise died. Never fixed a flat either. Never had a flat on a tubular that wasn't worn out already. Yeah, lucky.

So now I'm in a situation where I want to move some tires around between wheels. Is it as simple as pull, remount on the next cleaned rim? Sure seems like it should be. Anything to watch out for? Hidden horrors?

That's all it is. BUT, if really glued on well, you may see the base tape stick to the rim as the tire comes off. Bad news. I use a plastic tire lever to get the tire started, then underneath and roll the tire lever.

[carpediemracing]

Personally I wouldn't move well glued tires around. Chances of pulling base tape off the tire when removing tire off rim is maybe 50-75% for me.

If you do insist then I'd use a relatively sharp edged tool very carefully to separate base tape from rim.

Semi-facetious picture:
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_TbmplkIYLx8/SeO6lvxfscI/AAAAAAAABv4/HUM-Xr5z4tE/s800/100_4722.JPG

For myself I budget about 30 minutes to remove a tire I want to reuse that I glued or that had been glued really well. I budget about 20 minutes for one that is already ruined - it's the first bit, getting the first quarter tire off, that's super hard.

Glue, maybe 10 min for a previously mounted tire. Not much more for a new tire.

How I do it:
Removing a tubular. (http://sprinterdellacasa.blogspot.com/2009/04/how-to-removing-tubular.html)

Gluing a tubular. (http://sprinterdellacasa.blogspot.com/2009/04/how-to-glue-tubular.html)

[buldogge]

Take your time...soften up the glue with a heat gun or the back of a car on a hot summers day.

I get it started and then use a round shaft (smaller phillips screwdriver) to roll the tubular off the rim.

Scuff the base tape...fresh glue on each surface...re-mount.

-Mark in St. Louis

[smontanaro]

Coincidentally (or not?) one of the guys I met for coffee yesterday morning got a flat in a sew-up on the way to the cafe. Richard said it took about 15min to remove the tire from the rim. He was using Tufo tape. I've never used it before, but apparently it comes in two flavors, one for normal use, one for when you expect your rims to get hot (hot weather, lots of downhill braking, tandems, etc). It was in the low 30s here yesterday morning. Richard said if the hot-sunny-day tape was on the rim, he's not sure they'd have been able to get the tire off the rim.

[redir]

If I want to try and save the tire, which I almost always do because old tubularrs make good spares, I use a big bladed screw driver and get the whole thing under the base tape and out the other side. Then you have the center shaft of the screw driver over the rim and you rock it back and forth as you go around the wheel like a lever popping the tire off little by little.

[ultraman6970]

I have used that tape once, if you are paranoid, and really unsure of what are you doing the tufo tape will do it for you at the point that will make the tubular basically welded to the rim. Years after they came up with a softer tape, havent tried.

Great product, but the old stuff glued way too much IMO.

Coincidentally (or not?) one of the guys I met for coffee yesterday morning got a flat in a sew-up on the way to the cafe. Richard said it took about 15min to remove the tire from the rim. He was using Tufo tape. I've never used it before, but apparently it comes in two flavors, one for normal use, one for when you expect your rims to get hot (hot weather, lots of downhill braking, tandems, etc). It was in the low 30s here yesterday morning. Richard said if the hot-sunny-day tape was on the rim, he's not sure they'd have been able to get the tire off the rim.