[CR]Tubulars

(Example: Framebuilding:Technology)

From: "ternst" <ternst1@cox.net>
To: <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
Date: Sun, 10 Sep 2006 23:03:31 -0700
Subject: [CR]Tubulars

T f T T o T Time for Ted's Tips on Tubulars Ready to roll again. When I get ready to glue my tire on the rim, I usually take a small tool, go betwen the tire and rim and stretch it out by pulling on my instrument to give me a nice comfortable mounting experience. I only saw this briefly written in all the posts, but it's much easier to stretch the tire on if you inflate the tire to about 20/30 # so the casing is round and holdable in your hands. on some tires it may be 40. This you will have to determine for yourselves as to what's comfortable to hold and not collapse in your firm grip as you begin the exercise. If you put a coat on the rim only, wait a little before sticking the tire on and let the glue set up a little for good sticking. If you also put some on the tire remember to stretch the tire just before you remove it from the rim so it will go on easier with two wet coats, because it's messier if you faux pas. Also note that it's easier to precoat your basetape with the tire rounded for practical and less messy application. With your tire now prepared and ready to put on, I have found that the best for me is to set the wheel on the floor and lean it against your legs / knees with the valve hole at the top. Insert the valve. Hold the rounded tire equidistantly from the valve in both hands and with equal pressure start to stretch the tire down the rim keeping it in balance against you, centering the base tape evenly in the well of the rim while letting your hand slide along the tire, BUT NOT letting the tire back up and lose it's stretch. This is usually accomplished with heel of hand pressure against tire pushing it into well. Fingers pull / stretch, heel of hand keeps tire from backsliding. As you are pulling the tire down the pressure on your hands and and eyeballs will increase as you're bending over. Now you're with the program. Make sure as you are pulling the tire down that your valve is staying straight. If it's moving crooked then pull on the side you need to straighten more to get it straight and keep sliding your hands down the tire untill you approach the bottom. You should be able to have enough tire stretch to pop it over the rim without smearing the basetape along the rim and making a mess. Ideally your valve will be straight, tire reaonsbly centered and sidewalls will be clean. One word of advice. As you are stretching the tire over you are thinning it out a little. So, keep the tire in your hands and shrink the little excess back up along the rim to even out the circumference. You will probably have to prop the wheel on your knees while stretching the tire over the last inches to make it easier to handle. You basically bend your knees a little and lift the wheel off the ground enough to finish the job. You can certainly hold the tire against the bench or worktable to do your tire mounting, BUT be VERY careful not to slide off under pressure!
   Aaargh, S.., F..! You get what I mean! Now inflate the tire about half full, spin the wheel and straighten and center the tire. If your valve is crooked you could put a small screwdriver between rim and tire, hold the wheel down with your feet and run the tool along the rim while lifting and stretching the tire till the valve is straight and then pull tool out and continue the process. It's taking me longer to write this than to put a tire on! I hope this blow by blow description makes it easier to do the job, It sound like a lot but it's actually quite straightforward and easy when done a few times. When tire is straight and centered spin the wheel and see if your tire has a low or high spot. If it does you will have to take both hands and stretch or pull tire to even it out. the casings usually have enough elastity to do this. The lighter the tire the easier it is. The rounder the tire is the less you would feel any uneveness while riding on smooth surfaces. When this is done inflate tire to about 80% full. Enough to seat tire and get good tension on it, but not so tight as to force the glue out and leave you shy inside. Another reason to have the first coats dry and hard. At this time take your wheel and put your weight onto it with your hand and ride / roll it back and forth all the way around so that your weight will seat tire nicely into the well of the rim. Make it a habit to check your tires after your ride and make sure nothing is sticking in or cut in the casing or tire that would compromise your next ride. Nothing will drive you crazier than grabbing your bike to go riding, and finding a flat tire. You can do this during the ride if you stop for food or whatever, ALWAYS check tires for malaise, Ounce of prevention. That's the first thing you do when getting back from the ride. The first thing you do when leaving is to check your tire pressure, and when you get on the bike see where the WIND is coming from so you will know HOW to ride that day. I enjoyed writing this up, trust it will take some of the "mystery" out of this process. Please ask if you have some point I didn't write clearly enough or if you have any related Q's. I enjoyed the posts about the pedals and quills, btw. Thanks for joining in. Safe Riding. Ted Ernst Palos Verdes Estates CA USA