Tubular tire "flat tire" essentials

[stephanegti]

Hello, I am a new member here looking for some tubular tire advice.

I am riding Vittoria Corsa tubular tires on older Zipp 303 carbon wheels. The tires are “tapped” no glued

I want to have a good flat tire kit in case of a puncture.

1. (Before puncture), do you recommend using Effetto Mariposa sealant as preventative measure?

2. (Once I get a puncture), I am considering Vittoria Pit Stop or TUFO tyre sealant extreme. Are these any good?

3. (If previous fails) I will carry a rolled up used/but good stretched conti tire with an extender valve. Plus a roll of Caroga tubular tape.

Any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you.

Stephanegti

[john903]

Hello
My tubular repair essentials are pretty simple. My tires are glued on verse tapped. One reason I prefer glue verse tape is the tire seems to be easier to remove when I have to replace it. I do not pre treat my tires anymore I just carry a small amount of Orange seal brand tire sealant.

So I use glue for the tires. I carry a frame pump, 1 tire lever, one small 2oz bottle of sealant, oh I also carry a valve core remover taped to the bottle. For longer rides I carry a pre glued tire under the seat. That's it.
I have never used "pit stop" I find orange seal works very well. I was don't bother with Co2,nothing beats a good quality frame pump.
Have a great day.

[marciero]

Hi Stephanegti, and welcome.

If you search the forum there are several threads on tubular repair in the field, tubular vs clincher, etc.

As for me I'm similar to John903:

frame pump,
valve core removal tool
2 oz sealant
spare tubular tied under the seat (not pre-glued)
a tire lever and a metal spoon in case the tire is stubborn coming off


I've never actually gotten a flat on my tubulars-I dont ride them that often- but have had them go flat after a ride. I also dont pre-load with sealant but I know some people do that.

[FlashUNC]

Cell phone and someone with a car large enough to load a bike.

[fijichf]

I’m a Mastik One user and I keep a pre-glued/used tubbie under the saddle, a valve core remover and a pair latex gloves in the saddle bags in case it’s a mess along with a frame pump. I haven’t played with the tape and I do pre-treat my tires with Orange Seal Endurance and freshen them up from time to time and it seems to work.

[robt57]

This is timely, as I am waiting on Masik in the mail for the tubeless tubulars I have everything else ready to go.

Last tubes tubular use was 8 [ended] years back. Then I used sealant in tire, and glued not taped. Kept a base tape glued tire under the back seat.

New plan is no spare, as I am doing 30mm 400 gram tires. I may for long ride bring a 23mm tubular like how I bring a second tube on super long ride with clinchers.

My hope with the tubeless tubular contemporary go is sealant in initially, and a micro plug kit on the road.

After reading some posts here, I may not pre-sealant and bring a bottle along [2oz Stans] [with valve remover tool] and only use once I puncture. Makes sense to not have the sealant drying up before it gets to seal. Less likely to puncture with a new tire, and maybe get caught out with dried up sealant in the tire when you do puncture?

I got 3 Strada Bianca tubeless tubulars. Prior to sealant install, 2 of them hold air for quite a while, one leaks down a good amount in 2 days.

I am going Mastik as done that on and off since I was a teen, and the tape cost near made me deflate personally. ;)

[Veloo]

I think the last time I rode tubulars was in the 90's.

Got a flat and pulled out the spare thinking it would be a quick swap. Took forever to get the valve open. Had to use my teeth and even that took a bit of both time and jaw pressure. I didn't have any tool with me to grasp the valve stem. Rode back home on my own from the bakery.

Doesn't quite answer your question but just one other thing to be wary of. Maybe give your spare's valve a quick check.

[GOTHBROOKS]

i just take a can of pittstop and hope for the best.

[saab2000]

I don’t really recommend Continental tubulars as a spare. Or as a main tire. They can be “acceptable” as a primary tire because if nothing else, my experience was that they were fairly resistant to punctures. They also never really fit. They’re far too tight and impossible to install straight if not pre-stretched. A Vittoria or Veloflex was a better spare (and primary) tire because there was no fiddling about. They just worked. And they ride better. Continentals don’t ride better than clinchers. So what’s then the point? To tell people you ride tubulars?

I never pre-sealed tires. Defeats the purpose. I tried post-puncture sealant once. It didn’t work.

Carry a spare tubular you know has decent tread and holds air. Don’t be flat-prone. Some riders are flat prone. Others aren’t. Be in the latter group.

[ultraman6970]

Hey op, welcome to the forum... as you can see, a lot of different set ups and different ideas about tubulars. Nobody is wrong IMO, we all do the things differently and we have different opinions about the tubbies brands and stuff so take my ideas the best you can ok?

This is my book about it...

1 - I have an old tubular as a spare and i put that one in the second water bottle cage. Just fold it there. I you are good as i was 30 years ago, you will be able to fold a 250 grams tubular under the seat and tight it with a string or whatever.

2- Do i carry pump? no... :D so i ask for pumps when i have problems, which sometimes can be 4 or 5 years w/o a puncture because i religiously swap the tubulars when they are pretty much with no lines... when are like that means that is too thin... you will puncture them. Worse case scenario I play with my luck and I use them till i get a bump, once a bump pimply thing shows up or i notice that i have a nasty deep cut i just put a new tubular.

Had like 4 flats in the last 2 weeks, actually 3 in one week and the next flat was last week like 3 streets down. The tubulars were just old, and I knew that day was comming, one day punctured even the spare :D that day sucked badly... so called wife to pick me up. Now im pretty much gluing new stuff in all my wheelsets because i know what i have glued are way too old tubulars now.

3 - presure... 80 -100 at most, less than that and more than 100 u are calling problems with punctures, specially if the roads around sucks.

4 - I do not use any sealant, why? well got a bad experience with 2 expensive tubulars, put the sealant and the P O S became a ball inside so everytime i was riding the wheel was sweeaking like a toy. Ridiculous :) so no more sealant for me. Had to trash like 150 bucks after like 3 rides :/

5 - I use glue, i dont like the tape too much at least for the road because the tape wont let you get the tubular off the rim quick enough :D Sucks. So i use continental glue.

6 - My pockets arent big so im big fan of vittoria rallys and the 3x50 bucks ones that yellow jersey sells. At those prices you dont even fix them, just put a new one in and toss the bad one. U cant compare them to a 200 bucks one ok? but even those cheap ones IMO ride better than a clincher :P THis is when some are making faces and stuff :P

[fogrider]

FWIW, my 2 cents...1. the best way to hold the tubular is the old toe strap.
2. mini pumps work and they weigh nothing.
3. depends on width, use the correct psi for your tire size.
4. sealant works most of the time...it got me home (30 miles) this last weekend.
5. agree, glue...for road, you really don't need that much as long as you can get at least 70 psi on it.
6. vittoria rally tires are the worse, I had one almost fall apart in less than 10 miles. and the conti giro is not much better, get a decent tire that you know will get you home, which is why I don't like using an old tire as a spare.

Hey op, welcome to the forum... as you can see, a lot of different set ups and different ideas about tubulars. Nobody is wrong IMO, we all do the things differently and we have different opinions about the tubbies brands and stuff so take my ideas the best you can ok?

This is my book about it...

1 - I have an old tubular as a spare and i put that one in the second water bottle cage. Just fold it there. I you are good as i was 30 years ago, you will be able to fold a 250 grams tubular under the seat and tight it with a string or whatever.

2- Do i carry pump? no... :D so i ask for pumps when i have problems, which sometimes can be 4 or 5 years w/o a puncture because i religiously swap the tubulars when they are pretty much with no lines... when are like that means that is too thin... you will puncture them. Worse case scenario I play with my luck and I use them till i get a bump, once a bump pimply thing shows up or i notice that i have a nasty deep cut i just put a new tubular.

Had like 4 flats in the last 2 weeks, actually 3 in one week and the next flat was last week like 3 streets down. The tubulars were just old, and I knew that day was comming, one day punctured even the spare :D that day sucked badly... so called wife to pick me up. Now im pretty much gluing new stuff in all my wheelsets because i know what i have glued are way too old tubulars now.

3 - presure... 80 -100 at most, less than that and more than 100 u are calling problems with punctures, specially if the roads around sucks.

4 - I do not use any sealant, why? well got a bad experience with 2 expensive tubulars, put the sealant and the P O S became a ball inside so everytime i was riding the wheel was sweeaking like a toy. Ridiculous :) so no more sealant for me. Had to trash like 150 bucks after like 3 rides :/

5 - I use glue, i dont like the tape too much at least for the road because the tape wont let you get the tubular off the rim quick enough :D Sucks. So i use continental glue.

6 - My pockets arent big so im big fan of vittoria rallys and the 3x50 bucks ones that yellow jersey sells. At those prices you dont even fix them, just put a new one in and toss the bad one. U cant compare them to a 200 bucks one ok? but even those cheap ones IMO ride better than a clincher :P THis is when some are making faces and stuff :P

[oldpotatoe]

Hello, I am a new member here looking for some tubular tire advice.

I am riding Vittoria Corsa tubular tires on older Zipp 303 carbon wheels. The tires are “tapped” no glued

I want to have a good flat tire kit in case of a puncture.

1. (Before puncture), do you recommend using Effetto Mariposa sealant as preventative measure?

2. (Once I get a puncture), I am considering Vittoria Pit Stop or TUFO tyre sealant extreme. Are these any good?

3. (If previous fails) I will carry a rolled up used/but good stretched conti tire with an extender valve. Plus a roll of Caroga tubular tape.

Any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you.

Stephanegti

FIRST, welcome and congratulations on using the far superior tire technology(Tubulars!!)

1. I treat my tubies with Orange Seal
2. I don't carry that
3.Yes, I carry a preglued spare..above, I guess one of the disadvantages of tape..never used it but can ya take the tire off and put on a pre glued spare?

I think a taking a taped tire off, get stuff/gunk off rim, put on spare WITH a new roll of tape..a bridge too far, IMHO..

MY suggestion is to
1. glue them..not hard, not messy, not a black art
2. Use orange seal or equivalent
3. carry a pre glued spare..

that way....

1. No need to carry a can of pit stop
2. no need to carry a roll of tape

I carry a spare tire, a fullsized pump, a metal thingy to help get the tire off(it's actually a smoothed over paint can opener)..and I get bery very few flats.
Tire on the rear right now..small staple in it..got a little soft, stopped, saw the sealant doing it's thing..umped up the tire and it's still on the bike, abut 600 miles later.
If ya actually ride your tubies, it'll wear out before the sealant gets glumpy(Orange Seal)

[Imaking20]

Forget Pit Stop or Tufo sealant.


I carry a co2 and a small amount of regular orange seal with me. That's it. This has been my setup for years and I'm usually back on the road quicker than people with me riding clinchers (both Clean39t and Andy_STI can attest!)

I'm not really a fan of loading preventative sealant but you can if you like. Just about 1oz will suffice. In this case, with a puncture, you're probably riding straight through without even needing to air up. Not adding preventative sealant (my experience with tubular is MUCH more puncture resistant) just means that if/when you get a puncture, remove the valve core, squirt in a little sealant, reinsert valve core, add air, be on your way.

Welcome to the best (and least known) tire life hack in the biz.

[sg8357]

Cell phone and someone with a car large enough to load a bike.


Or you can always rely on these guys....

[redir]

I don't put sealant in tires anymore unless I flat one. IF I get a flat I rip the tire off and mount a spare and then continue riding, though a bit more cautiously in the corners. When I get home as a last ditch effort I will inject some Stan's or some sealant in there and hop for the best. Sometimes it works, most times it doesn't. But what I have found is that if I put sealant in the tire that it hardens up over time and you are left with a gob of the stuff inside the tubular. This only happens in race wheels for example that only get used so many times a year and otherwise get hung up for the winter. The stuff of course goes to the lowest point and hardens up.

All my flat tubulars go in a box and every 5 years or so I ship them off to Tire Alert to get fixed and then I have a whole bunch of tubular tires for regular riding.

[carpediemracing]

On old school narrow rims I'd just ride the flat home. Except for turns you can go quite fast on a flat tubular, almost regular speeds. My old school rims were metal also, and basically meant to be disposable, so hitting potholes/etc wasn't a concern. A few times I'd ridden about 10-12 miles on a flat.

With the current crop of wider carbon rims, I learned the hard way that it's virtually impossible ride a flat on such a rim. If using tubulars on a training ride (usually to make sure everything is good before a race) I stay relatively close to home as I figure I can ride a mile or so on a flat if I absolutely have to.

[stephanegti]

Interesting that some of you had bad experience with pre-treating your tubular tires with sealant. "The sealant dries up in a ball etc"....

Not sure if I want to pre-treat now $$$. I will need to think about that one.

Instead of Vittoria Pitt stop or TUFU extreme I will buy a small bottle of Orange sealant and carry it with me along with a valve core remover. As last resort a spare tub, tape with C02 or mini pump.


Oh and a cell phone to call the team car....lol


Thanks again this is really helpful

stephanegti

[robt57]

Not sure if I want to pre-treat now $$$. I will need to think about that one.

.....I will buy a small bottle of Orange sealant and carry it with me along with a valve core remover.


Same take away for me...

[teleguy57]

I've posted my setup a few times before:

full-length frame pump
bottle of sealant (Orange or Bontrager)
valve core removal tool
small flat-blade screwdriver with edges rounded to pry old tire off if necessary
pre-glued spare in Arundel Tubi under seat, or two spares in a Jannd Dual bag if I'm going way long with no cell service


The latter is like belt and suspenders -- maybe two pair of suspenders even.

Tried pretreating with sealant once with a bad experience. Have used sealant on the road several times and got me home without going to my spare all but once. Was able to ride each of the on-the-road treated tires until the tread wore out.

BTW, have loaned my spare tubie to a friend who flatted his clinchers without a spare tube. Got him home.

[djdj]

i just take a can of pittstop and hope for the best.

This. Plus a phone.

[robt57]

Who doesn't take phone on rides? Rhetorical question.

[Tim Porter]

I'm in the camp that carries a pre-glued spare (secured with an old toe strap), a mini pump, sometimes a small bottle of sealant, and a valve removal tool. In the same little Rapha bag that carries the removal tool, my ID, my phone, etc., I carry a single edged razor blade with some protective electrical tape wrapped around it to cut a blown out tubular right off the rim if necessary.

You may cringe at the idea, but it weighs nothing and if you have a puncture that makes the tire clearly beyond saving, just cut that sucker off and be on your way. (But put the used one in your pocket to throw away at home, of course.)

The consensus also seems to be that the Pit-Stop stuff is not worth it. I agree, for sure. It sucks.

[Tz779]

wear gloves. that way you can reach down and rub glass or whatever debris off your tires bf it gets embedded into the tread. tires last much longer w/o a flat.
i just fold up an old tire w some old glue on it in a sock, with a CO2 inflator, some nytril or latex gloves, old toe strap holds it under my seat. if you are touring, a pump may be better. take it easy in corners so tire does not roll off! again, if you are touring, use the tape to stick the tire securely. glue takes time to dry. you dont need levers to pry tire off, i have always gotten the tire off with my hands. imho.

[djdj]

The consensus also seems to be that the Pit-Stop stuff is not worth it. I agree, for sure. It sucks.

I disagree. If you follow the directions carefully, it "works." That is, as well as a sealant can work; large holes won't seal of course.

[fijichf]

PS...if you puncture and plan on removing the valve core and adding sealant, take this advice. Pump first and gauge the size of the hole before deciding to either add sealant or remove the tire and replace with the spare. Ask me how I know...