What Happened to Tubular Popularity?

[Dave B]

I just bought a bike that came with tubulars. The tires on them basically fell off, soI bought new tires, good ones and know how to glue, but how much glue do you leave on the wheel? Yes they are carbon rims.

Do they need to be totally cleaned?

oh, I don't care about the tubular vs clincher debate. I like a couple of specific tires, most of my wheels are clinchers, sooooooo I buy clincher tires.

Now I have a set of tubular tires, sooooooo now I'll give them a go...again.

Just could use some expert advice on how much glue should be on the rim before a re-glue

[redir]

Just remove any of the glue boogers on the rim. I use a piece of folded up 80 grit sand paper to scuff up the glue on the rim, even it out, and remove any bumps but you don't need to clean it. The new glue will reactivate the surface of the old glue and help hold it. It's better to have glue on the rim for the spare tire too.

After scuffing I usually use Good Off or Acetone to reactivate the old glue. I have been told Goof Off might leave residual chemicals on the tire so that's one thing to consider though I've never had an issue. I think acetone is the ingredient in Goof Off that does all the work anyway.

[mktng]

Originally Posted by Dave B

I just bought a bike that came with tubulars. The tires on them basically fell off, soI bought new tires, good ones and know how to glue, but how much glue do you leave on the wheel? Yes they are carbon rims.

Do they need to be totally cleaned?

oh, I don't care about the tubular vs clincher debate. I like a couple of specific tires, most of my wheels are clinchers, sooooooo I buy clincher tires.

Now I have a set of tubular tires, sooooooo now I'll give them a go...again.

Just could use some expert advice on how much glue should be on the rim before a re-glue

Im no expert. But ive always been told to remove old dried glue. All of it. If possible. Its a pita. But beats rolling a tub.

[chiasticon]

Originally Posted by mktng

Im no expert. But ive always been told to remove old dried glue. All of it. If possible. Its a pita. But beats rolling a tub.

I only race tubs for CX and have a good number of them. plus they can usually be sealed if I have an issues. what this means is I generally have most of the year to replace worn tires. so I usually clean the glue off and start fresh. most important part: effetto mariposa carogna remover. multiple rounds, if you have to. once there's only a little glue left: contractor's solvent. heat also works great, but not with carbon rims.

[Mzilliox]

Originally Posted by m4rk540

Paceline, the kind of place where the 872 riders worldwide who ride tubulars can post about their superiority.

Back in the day, I won a race on a flat tubular. It was down to about 12psi and I was in a 3 man breakaway. I sprinted on the thing and took the W by about 4 bike lengths. True story.

we aren't racing, we are talking smack and loving bikes. you know that quite well, if i were taking racing seriously, why would i bother asking you guys for advice? theres so much crappy info here, id never make it as a racer if i depended on the collective wisdom of this place. haha.

what is superior to me is not superior to others. heck, some dude in these parts thinks coffee doesnt have to taste good, just do the job of waking a person up... thats the kind of differences and preferences we are dealing with here. to me a statement like "your coffee doesnt have to taste good" is absolute blasphemy and total nonsense.

Maybe your 20 buck chef knife thats never been sharpened cuts just fine for you but i really like having 6 nice knives from different makers all super damn sharp to choose from on any given day.

Maybe your walmart special fishing rod and reel combo can land a steelhead with a worm and a bobber really effectively. cool, im still gonna own a dozen fly rods, tie my own flies, and limit my effectiveness with the method i find most pleasureable, despite the fact that it is less effective. because im me and i know what brings me pleasure, what gives you pleasure is hardly a concern for my choice.

i get more joy riding tubulars, your anecdotal evidence, scientific references, and anything else you have to say cannot change my personal experience of feeling like tubular tires are better feeling. I think conti 40000s tires feel not that great, but whoopy do! they are the fastest tire in the world... maybe im insane, maybe im wrong, but what does that matter? its still my reality right?

i know that i prefer tubulars on the road to clinchers, ive tried both extensively, back to back, on the same bike, with the same brand and size of tire. I still use both, and i know for a fact that i flat less on tubulars, and flat less than folks i ride with, its just a fact. nothing anyone on here can say changes the evidence that has been real for me over the years. it may not be a fact for everyone, but it remains a fact for me. when someone is curious, this is the info i have to offer, its not biased or misinformed, its simply my info and my experience. its actually most likely not going to be the same as yours, since we likely ride differently, on different roads, and at different times. i would say my experience and style as a cyclist is not normal, as i find the average cyclist to be far to serious about silly things.

this is nice, they make all 3 kinds of tires. there are no problems here to solve, we all get our way, clincher, tubeless, tubular.

ride your tires til they die, no matter what you choose. ill choose tubulars most of the time, except when i dont.

[hollowgram5]

Originally Posted by Mzilliox

we aren't racing, we are talking smack and loving bikes. you know that quite well, if i were taking racing seriously, why would i bother asking you guys for advice? theres so much crappy info here, id never make it as a racer if i depended on the collective wisdom of this place. haha.



what is superior to me is not superior to others. heck, some dude in these parts thinks coffee doesnt have to taste good, just do the job of waking a person up... thats the kind of differences and preferences we are dealing with here. to me a statement like "your coffee doesnt have to taste good" is absolute blasphemy and total nonsense.



Maybe your 20 buck chef knife thats never been sharpened cuts just fine for you but i really like having 6 nice knives from different makers all super damn sharp to choose from on any given day.



Maybe your walmart special fishing rod and reel combo can land a steelhead with a worm and a bobber really effectively. cool, im still gonna own a dozen fly rods, tie my own flies, and limit my effectiveness with the method i find most pleasureable, despite the fact that it is less effective. because im me and i know what brings me pleasure, what gives you pleasure is hardly a concern for my choice.



i get more joy riding tubulars, your anecdotal evidence, scientific references, and anything else you have to say cannot change my personal experience of feeling like tubular tires are better feeling. I think conti 40000s tires feel not that great, but whoopy do! they are the fastest tire in the world... maybe im insane, maybe im wrong, but what does that matter? its still my reality right?



i know that i prefer tubulars on the road to clinchers, ive tried both extensively, back to back, on the same bike, with the same brand and size of tire. I still use both, and i know for a fact that i flat less on tubulars, and flat less than folks i ride with, its just a fact. nothing anyone on here can say changes the evidence that has been real for me over the years. it may not be a fact for everyone, but it remains a fact for me. when someone is curious, this is the info i have to offer, its not biased or misinformed, its simply my info and my experience. its actually most likely not going to be the same as yours, since we likely ride differently, on different roads, and at different times. i would say my experience and style as a cyclist is not normal, as i find the average cyclist to be far to serious about silly things.



this is nice, they make all 3 kinds of tires. there are no problems here to solve, we all get our way, clincher, tubeless, tubular.



ride your tires til they die, no matter what you choose. ill choose tubulars most of the time, except when i dont.

Thanks for this Matt. I agree wholeheartedly.

I ride Tubulars because i like them. I don't mind the process, I find it relaxing (maybe that's the fumes..) and it's a good way to do something that is disconnected from the hustle and bustle of life.

I need to swing by the LBS to look at some fatty tubies for the TwinSix.. to glue on my Enve xc29 tubulars laced to White Industries hubs. Because why the heck not; Challenge makes em in a 33 and a 36 Strada Bianca Pro. And I enjoy tubulars, which is enough for me.

[m4rk540]

Matt, I was being facetious (mostly) and I believe the reasonable stance is that it's a wash between great clinchers and above average tubulars. The metrics can be argued ad nauseam and the pro-clincher camp still comes out ahead. But that's a facts-based dissection while the pro tubular arguments are, in the context of recreational riding, almost entirely qualitative. Yes, tubulars look nicer, are more fun to ride, give more satisfaction in installation and generally provide a zen like experience of ownership. So for 99.9% of us it's a choice between the practical and arcane. Yes, arcane can be easy. But exclusive clubs are exclusive for a reason. I choose Chris Stapleton; you choose Bonnie Prince Billy.

As for flatting, in my tubular riding/racing years, I flatted about 3x year on tubulars and 9x year on clinchers. Of course, my clincher mileage was 80% higher. Pitstop sealed every other flat. I resorted to carrying a spare.

I should have more carefully perused the first page and realized that the OP was on 02-20-2018, 10:31 AM and not 02-20-2019, 10:31 AM. DOH!

[KarlC]

Originally Posted by Mzilliox

.............

i get more joy riding tubulars, your anecdotal evidence, scientific references, and anything else you have to say cannot change my personal experience of feeling like tubular tires are better feeling. I think conti 40000s tires feel not that great, but whoopy do! they are the fastest tire in the world... maybe im insane, maybe im wrong, but what does that matter? its still my reality right?

i know that i prefer tubulars on the road to clinchers, ive tried both extensively, back to back, on the same bike, with the same brand and size of tire. I still use both, and i know for a fact that i flat less on tubulars, and flat less than folks i ride with, its just a fact. nothing anyone on here can say changes the evidence that has been real for me over the years. it may not be a fact for everyone, but it remains a fact for me. when someone is curious, this is the info i have to offer, its not biased or misinformed, its simply my info and my experience. its actually most likely not going to be the same as yours, since we likely ride differently, on different roads, and at different times. i would say my experience and style as a cyclist is not normal, as i find the average cyclist to be far to serious about silly things.

100%

I just bought 2 more sets of tubular wheels

Good think I sold a few as 7 sets is to many

.

.

[buddybikes]

Back in late high school (mid 70's) all i rode was tubulars for number of years. Remember got some extra cash doing something, and went out and got clement silk. First ride, exactly 13 miles, slice - tire blew casing destroyed, high school kid crying...

[m4rk540]

Originally Posted by steveandbarb1

Back in late high school (mid 70's) all i rode was tubulars for number of years. Remember got some extra cash doing something, and went out and got clement silk. First ride, exactly 13 miles, slice - tire blew casing destroyed, high school kid crying...

We can hang.

[Clean39T]

It would be interesting to do a meta-study that mapped enneagram and/or meyers-briggs to tubular vs. tubeless vs. clincher utilization...

@matt -- thanks for your post - it should be sticky'd for all winter threads and left as required reading.

[KarlC]

I saw this elsewhere and thought it would be good for some on here ......

Pre-stretching may not be needed with good tires like Vittoria and Veloflex. If using Conti then stretch those for days and plan on raw fingers.

1) Scuff New rims with sandpaper and clean with alcohol.

2) Add thin layer of glue on wheels, set aside for 10 minutes.

3) Inflate tires to about 30 psi so base tape is facing up. Glue tape holding tire in one hand, set aside for 10 minutes

4) Repeat #2 if New wheels, skip this if previously glued

5) Deflate tires to about 15psi, firmly mount them stretching as much as possible around the valve hole to prevent a hop. Follow a line on the base tape and match to a point on the rim.

6) Put wheels on bike upside down and check for tire straightness. If you need to fix, it's best to try to lift it and readjust rather than just rotate.

7) Inflate to 120psi and roll around on the bike with full weight to get the tire fully contacted against rim.

8) Let sit for minimum 12 hours, go ride and enjoy

.

[Mark McM]

Originally Posted by Clean39T

It would be interesting to do a meta-study that mapped enneagram and/or meyers-briggs to tubular vs. tubeless vs. clincher utilization...

Maybe we should use phrenology as well?

[OperaLover]

When I lived in Japan (86-88), the "racers" - pretty much everyone on a road bike rode with tubulars. I asked the shop to build me up some wheels for clinchers and they asked if I was serious. In Japan you go with the group, so I went with tubulars. I still like 'em. Like others said , it's relaxing going through the "ritual" they ride nice and one way to stand out in the crowd (unlike Japan). Plus it gives me "old school" cred' with the young pups and the other old guys on carbon bikes. I hope they never go away completely. Their demise along with steel bikes has been predicted for a long time.

[oldpotatoe]

Originally Posted by Dave B

I just bought a bike that came with tubulars. The tires on them basically fell off, soI bought new tires, good ones and know how to glue, but how much glue do you leave on the wheel? Yes they are carbon rims.

Do they need to be totally cleaned?

oh, I don't care about the tubular vs clincher debate. I like a couple of specific tires, most of my wheels are clinchers, sooooooo I buy clincher tires.

Now I have a set of tubular tires, sooooooo now I'll give them a go...again.

Just could use some expert advice on how much glue should be on the rim before a re-glue

No..Get some GoofOff and a green scratchy pad and get most of the big glumpy stuff off if there is any of that..otherwise just less glue when you glue them on. The old stuff gets 'reactivated' with new glue.