How to repair tubulars: Goes Here

[Bobonli]

Thanks for the help.

[Too Tall]

Agreed, it is not a problem. Looks like some of the glue stuck to the opposite side and lifted. I'd ride it.

[Bobonli]

Thanks, Josh.

[Lazer]

Another, "What's wrong here?" question:

This is my Conti spare. A new tire that I pre-glued late last season. Squeezed air out of it, folded as per the other thread and stuffed into Arundel bag.

I took it out today to freshen up the glue and saw this bleb on the base tape when I put some air into it.




1) Safe to use?
2) Consequence of folding it up?

Not having seen this before, my intuition tells me this is where the tire was folded and it either exposed a defect by being folded for several months or the adhesive stuck to itself (other side of the fold) and pulled away the base tape.

What say yee tubular experts?

How can I avoid this in the future ? (and please don't say switch to tubeless!)
If nothing else, it illustrates the importance of checking the spare every now and then.

There is nothing wrong with this. Ride it.

[Lazer]

I couldn't be happier with the services of this man. $30 for a a new tube, base tape, and return shipping?!?! Yes, please. Also, total time from handing package to mailman until it was returned to my inbox = 7 days. The best part is that there is no contact. You just send it, and it shows up fixed.
IMG_0414.jpg

[nrs5000]

Lionel is right, the sidewall is not repairable.

The basetape separation is something a bunch of us have seen with FMBs. Nobody knows exactly why and considering how insanely well they ride and wear the fix is worth it. My process is pretty simple, just dab liquid latex on both surfaces and let them dry. After both are dry inflate lightly than wrap with blue painters tape and inflate enough to hold shape not enough to cause the tire to turn inside out and done.

IIRC someone here said that FMB fixed the problem??

Is there a particular latex product I should be looking for to fix the base tape on my FMBs?

[Bobonli]

It was a total nightmare to get it on, and even worse trying to get it off once I got home. I think they shrink somewhat after stretching if not used. They are TIGHT. One was so bad (had another flat later that month) that I had to cut the damn thing off. MY ADVICE: do not use a new conti as a spare, use a used tubular of whatever brand that has some miles on it. Feel free to ignore this advice, but you have been warned.

Didn't have time to ignore it, Andy, before it bit me in the arse. My spare has been stretched. I went out today for a spin, encountered a giant pot hole on a narrow road and knew immediately I'd be changing a tire. Shame on me #1 for experimenting and riding the FMBs at a lower pressure to see what they'd tolerate.

Found a nice park and sat under a tree. Since this was my first roadside swap of a tubular, I set a timer to see how quick I could be. I took me nearly 45 minutes and a lot of cursing to get the Conti onto the rim. My hands and fingers are still red and sore. I swear that tire shrunk in my saddle bag.

[rwsaunders]

^ I've ridden a lot of miles on Conti Comps and I really liked the performance and the mileage, but after buying another pair and trying to stretch them, I went the route of Velfolex.

[Bobonli]

I went with the Sprinter because it is compact and fits in a Arundel bag. But I don't ever want to go through that again. My thumbs need PT.

[rwsaunders]

I performed an autopsy last evening on a spent Veloflex Roubaix just for general interest. As you can see, there is quite a lot of detail in making these little pups.

[ericpmoss]

Without thinking, I tossed my worn out tubulars before harvesting some latex tube to use for patching. Any recommendations for patch material -- buy a latex tube to (mostly) waste, or use regular velox patches, or cut up a latex glove, or ...? Thanks in advance.

[teleguy57]

Without thinking, I tossed my worn out tubulars before harvesting some latex tube to use for patching. Any recommendations for patch material -- buy a latex tube to (mostly) waste, or use regular velox patches, or cut up a latex glove, or ...? Thanks in advance.

PM me your mailing address. I have a couple pieces from a tube around here I'm happy to send you.

[froze]

World Class Cycles sells a "tubular repair kit" here. Some say you can patch latex tubes with standard patches, but I think its better to use an old latex tube if you can.

Yes it is better to use to cut up an old latex tube into about 1 inch circles, than when using a patch you made out of the latex you have to spread a thin layer of glue on both the tube and the patch...and don't forget to buff the latex tube then clean the area on the tube with an alcohol pad before laying down the patch.

[pritchet74]

This thread is great! I have been wondering about this for a long time. THANKS!

[Sascha Roszak]

It doesn't look as hard as I had previously envisioned.

[froze]

Saturday I popped an old'ish Veloflex. Woke up this am and decided to fix it and ride the suk'r. The defect was a 1/2" long piece of steel, perhaps an old nail that pierced clean thru the tyre and double puncture of the latex innertube....ouch more work.

To remove basetape I clamp the tyre body into my vise with plastic jaw protection and use a set of stained glass plyers (very sharp jaws) to grab an edge than yank. Bummer, the tape came off too fast and I ripped it :( No worries, after the repair was deeemed a success I used fastak to screw it down...quick and dirty repair for sure.

Pics. of the finished repair are of the section where I've resewed. No lumps, nothing to be ashamed of.

I buttered the rim, mounted the tyre, dynamited it and had a coffee than went for a ride...not a race ;) Fifty miles later looks the same.

This is not rocket science my friends.

CSB BROTHER my sewing classmates will be sew jealous of the vintage repair kit you sent. It is pretty clever, if you note the wraps? Each pair of slots contains about the right amt. of thread for one total repair. Far freakin' out. I miss the old ways yo.

The old ways never said "yo"!

[Too Tall]

The old ways never said "yo"!

Werd.

[rwsaunders]

From my ride this morning...100 miles on this puppy after getting it back from Ron at Tire Alert. A mouse gnawed through part of the sidewall while the tire was hanging in my reserve stash and I figured that it was toast. Sent a pic to Ron and he said no problem. The engineer skeptic in me took the preemptive approach of adding sealant and using the tire on the rear. We shall see.

[Too Tall]

My money is on Ron. They can perform all sorts of magic.

[rwsaunders]

Almost 2 months and 100 hours (e-RICHIE ride accounting methodology) on this particular bike and tire and no issues. I'll try and post a photo of Ron's suture work later, as it's more like field hospital work than Park Avenue plastic surgery.