Re: [CR]Tubulars

(Example: Framebuilding:Restoration)

From: <"brianbaylis@juno.com">
Date: Tue, 12 Sep 2006 07:57:36 GMT
To: ternst1@cox.net
Subject: Re: [CR]Tubulars
cc: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org

Ted,

The account you have given on how to install a tubular tire is

exactly the method I was taught by Faliero himself. I mounted at

least 200 tires this way while working at Masi and there wasn't a

speck of glue on a single tire. The reason was simple; Falieros'

penality for glue on a tire was first clamping your fingers in a

vice, then burning you with a tourch, a stint inside the sandblaster,

a coat of paint on your body; then he'd figure out a way to hurt you.

Needless to say, I did it his way and made sure glue never met the

sidewall of the tires.

BTW, we did put glue on the base tape of the tires, after rubbing the

basetape with the side of a file to remove any latex and prep the

tape to allow the glue to soak in. We brushed the glue on with a flue

brush and reduced it slightly as neccessary with contact cement

reducer.

Brian Baylis La Mesa, CA I've actually seen someone get tire glue in their nostrals using

improper glueing proceedures!


-- "ternst" wrote:


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