Jerome & Elizabeth Moos wrote:
> I find myself out of rim cement, but before I order more, I have a
> question for the list. What is the collective experience using Tufo
> rim tape instead of rim cement? What about using Tufo Tape on
> non-Tufo tires? I think I've seen it posted in the past that Tufo
> tape is so strong it can cause the base tape on non-Tufo tires to
> separate when removing them. I notice there are two versions of the
> Tufo Tape, "Extreme" and "Regular". Would "Regular" be a better
> choice for non-Tufo tires to avoid separating the base tape?
I decided to try the Tufo tape last year and have been quite pleased with it. In my ignorance, I bought the "Extreme" tape and used it to mount some cheap Hutchinson Tempo tubulars. The process is quick and easy -- entirely different from using rim cement or even the old Velox double sided tape. After completing this process, I discovered that Tufo also has a regular tape, and that some people had trouble with the the base tape pulling off when used with non-Tufo tires.
When I flatted later in the season, I fully expected all sorts of misery in changing the tire, but I had no problem removing the tire (base tape intact!) and mounting the spare for the ride home. It is entirely possible that modern tubulars -- or at least the Tempos I used -- have better adhesive than some of the older tires. A couple years ago, I pulled off a set of Wolber tubulars to re-glue them and the d**n base tape came right off both tires! Grr! It put me right off re-gluing my Del Mundo Setas.
So, I don't think it is necessarily the tufo tape to blame, but the
condition of the adhesive holding the base tape to the tire.
> And as the flip side of that, if one already has a tubular with a
> separated base tape, can one use "Extreme" Tufo tape in the place of
> the base tape, dispensing with both base tape and rim cement?
Interesting idea. I may have to try that with my Wolbers...
--
John (john@os2.dhs.org)
Appleton WI USA