Well, actually, most repairs on tubulars are done by cutting only the minimum length of stitching, pulling the tube out (I now use a 17mm socket to hold it out of the casing), patching the tube and sewing back together. That's what I should have done for the first flat that I had on tubulars. But, all I knew at the time was fixing flats on clinchers and I assumed that you had to do the same with sew-ups. Ah, to be 16 again... These days I fix them at home, with a glass of Chianti.
As far as patching clincher tubes, I do it, but again, not on the road if I can help it. I carry a spare tube and fix the old one upon the completion of the ride.
Cheers,
Mark Ritz
Arcata, CA USA
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From: Jerome & Elizabeth Moos [mailto:jerrymoos@sbcglobal.net] Sent: Sunday, July 01, 2007 3:53 PM To: Mark Ritz; classicrendezvous@bikelist.org Subject: Re: [CR]RE: Fundamental Rite of Passage
Unless there is some clever trick I am missing, one would have to unstitch the entire casing in order to replace the tube, as opposed to just patching it. One expects a new tube in professionally repaired tires, so I guess those guys must be good - and fast - at completely unstitching and restitching the cases.
That makes me think about another point. When is the last time anyone here patched a tube? I don't even carry a patch kit any more. Usually I carry two tubes and just throw away a punctured tube, but in my childhood we used to regularly patch tubes to avoid the expense of buying new ones. That was a different world, I guess.
Regards,
Jerry Moos
Mark Ritz <ritzmon@sbcglobal.net> wrote:
This thread brings back many memories - not all of them good! Has anyone tried to repair a tubular by unstitching the entire thing? That's another of those "I'll never do THAT again" things...
Mark "Older but (only somewhat) wiser" Ritz Arcata, CA, USA http://www.kinetic-koffee.com