Re: [CR] tubular tire glue

(Example: Production Builders:Cinelli:Laser)

From: "Schmid" <schmidi@gaponline.de>
To: 'John Betmanis' <johnb@oxford.net>, <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
Date: Tue, 27 Oct 2009 17:30:04 +0100
In-Reply-To: <4AE7148C.9020805@oxford.net>
Subject: Re: [CR] tubular tire glue


Hello List, Similar situation in Germany, some shops and mechanics use and recommend automotive glue made by Teroson. It is originally used for glueing fabrics and rubber mostly in a cars interior. It is also used for glueing rubber seals in doors of cars etc. It comes in a 500ml tin and ist applicated best with a brush. The correct name is Terokal Profilgummikleber 2444. I have bought a tin quite cheaply on ebay and used it for most of my tires without a problem. I also bought a matching thinner, since once opened the glue tends to get thicker due to dissolution of the solvent in the glue. I have heard that some Pro mecahnics use it also and i vaguely remember seeing a team Mechanic of Team Milram using it in a TV programm, but i might be wrong there.

Michael Schmid Oberammwergau Germany Tel.: +49 8821 798790 Fax.:+49 8821 798791 mail: schmid@zunterer.com http://www.zunterer.com

-----Ursprüngliche Nachricht----- Von: classicrendezvous-bounces@bikelist.org [mailto:classicrendezvous-bounces@bikelist.org] Im Auftrag von John Betmanis Gesendet: Dienstag, 27. Oktober 2009 16:41 An: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org Betreff: Re: [CR] tubular tire glue

Jack Countryman wrote:
> Back when I used tubular tires, in the early to mid 1970s, the
> independent bike shop in the town where I lived, used to sell us a 3M
> brand glue...# 151 or 191? The stuff was yellow in color, in white
> tubes with black printing/labels. The tubes were somewhat larger
> diameter than the largest toothpaste tubes, but shorter in length. I
> have no idea what it was made for, or how they got onto selling it for
> that purpose, but it seemed to work quite well. One tube would last
> most of us for a few years worth of tire mounting/remounting. Once you
> had glued a few tires on a rim, you would have a built up base of
> tacky glue, that allowed tire changes on the road without worries of
> them coming off on their own, yet they could be rolled off sideways
> fairly easily when no air was in the tires.
>
> Unfortunately, that bike shop is long gone, the former owner is dead,
> and the mechanics who worked there when they were college students
> have long since moved on to other things. I've lost touch with all of
> them.
>
> Is anyone familiar with the stuff 3M made then to be able to find out
> what sort of glue this was, what it was made for, current
> availability, price, etc.?

3M Fast Tack was a well known domestic alternative to the French and Italian tubular glues in the period you speak of. It was just so much easier to walk into any local auto parts store and pick up a fresh tube of "3M" than to explain what you were looking for at the LBS, hoping they can order it. Many tests were done by cycling publications at the time and 3M Fast Tack was judged as good or better than the proprietary tubular glues. In the early 1970s I was still into motorcycle racing before going back to cycling and I recall "3M" and duct tape being indispensable for everything from fixing cracked gas tanks and torn leathers to securing nuts and bolts. I also remember various other yellow glues from 3M used in industrial applications which worked and smelled the same and may well have been the same stuff with a different part number to serve a different market. In fact, the same kind of 3M adhesive is still around today, but it's probably not the same formulation as the original.

And that's the rub. Over the years, environmental and health concerns have dictated changes in the formulation of these adhesives over the years. While they still work great in the applications the manufacturer intended, they may not be so good anymore for spin-off applications, such as tubular tire glue. Somewhere I read that the solvents now used in 3M Fast Tack will migrate through the base tape and soften the adhesive between the base tape and the tire casing, letting the tire roll off while the base tape is still securely attached attached to the rim. That's the reason it's no longer recommended. -- John Betmanis Woodstock, Ontario Canada