Maybe this has been said before, or perhaps everyone knows this - but a tubular trick that transformed my gluing efforts years ago....
The big problem with glueing I often found was that even with a stretched tire, getting the last bit of tire onto the rim without getting glue on my hands, tire, and rim was a dissaster.
So the trick is to support the rim so you can pull hard on the tire without your hands touching the rim or glue side (bottom) of the tire.
Sit in a chair, kick off your shoes, and hold the rim down with your feet going through the spokes on the area where the tire already is seated. Now on the opposite side you can pull on the upper part of the tire with lots of force - never touching rim or sidewall with your hands.
Many folks know this trick - but if you don't, the mess factor will diminish dramatically by doing this.
Note that others sometimes mount the wheel in a bench mounted truing stand to get the last bit on the rim in much the same way.
And if all else fails - use a clincher with a tubular type casing such as veloflex or vittoria open CX. Not quite the same, but really close.
And for wide tires - still gotta go tubular if you want the best. Period. But flats on tubulars at the top of a mountain stink if you have to ride down in the next 5 min. Thats why I usually use clinchers these days.
Mike Kone in Boulder CO
> My approach to tubs have been influenced by two
\r?\n> principals:
\r?\n>
\r?\n> 1. I'm a blonde. It's amazing how rapidly I can
\r?\n> forget things. Which is why I try to simplify
\r?\n> anything into the bare minimum of details that
\r?\n> guarantees functionality. Upon my return to the
\r?\n> sport, I didn't bother trying to relearn old tyre
\r?\n> techniques - I just let long term memory and instinct
\r?\n> take over and noted the results. So far this year
\r?\n> I've had only one puncture, no rolloffs or other
\r?\n> equipment failures, so long term memory must still be
\r?\n> working. Which is amazing considering my intake of
\r?\n> recreational drugs 30-35 years ago.
\r?\n>
\r?\n> 2. I'm a very firm believer in Murphy's Law, which is
\r?\n> to say that the first time I take the lazy way out and
\r?\n> pass of the routine precautions to save a few seconds,
\r?\n> I'll invariably get a puncture/rolloff/whatever at the
\r?\n> four-mile-out turnaround point in my morning route -
\r?\n> on the day that I'm running late for work and was
\r?\n> already planning on sprinting the whole way back to
\r?\n> the house.
\r?\n>
\r?\n> I've already bookmarked those technical paper paages
\r?\n> and will probable pour over them tonight with a glass
\r?\n> or two of wine. Always happy to learn something new -
\r?\n> just not counting on remembering the details. Looking
\r?\n> forward to any detail you have to offer.
\r?\n>
\r?\n> George R. "Syke" Paczolt
\r?\n> Montpelier, VA USA
\r?\n> Deranged Few M/C
\r?\n>
\r?\n>
\r?\n> --- ternst wrote:
\r?\n>
\r?\n> > This has been / is a fun thread.
\r?\n> > When you all are coasted out on threads, having worn
\r?\n> > through your tubular
\r?\n> > protectors, I'll fill in the gaps and give you
\r?\n> > reasons behind various
\r?\n> > techniques.
\r?\n> > Hopefully it will enlighten the darker areas of
\r?\n> > medieval necromance,
\r?\n> > superstition, hearsay, and misinformation, and get
\r?\n> > you nice and tight on the
\r?\n> > road and velodrome.
\r?\n> > Ted Ernst
\r?\n> > Palos Verdes Estates
\r?\n> > CA USA
\r?\n>
\r?\n>
\r?\n> __________________________________________________
\r?\n> Do You Yahoo!?
\r?\n> Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around
\r?\n> http://mail.yahoo.com