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TUFO tires

Old 08-16-04, 11:16 AM
  #1  
park
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TUFO tires

My wife is new to cycling and I just couldn't see her changing a rear flat so I put some TUFO tires on her bike. These are billed as tubular clinchers and look like tubulars except there is a small bead that locks into a clincher rim. I reasoned that she could at least ride on these if flat or she could use the sealant they provide and try to inflate. The quality of these tires is superb but I barely got these babies on. I developed blisters on my hands before I was done. I had to rest frequently and several times I didn't think I was going to be able to get them to go at all. Does anyone know of any tricks that would make it easier to get these on?
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Old 08-16-04, 11:39 AM
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Tufo's are nasty to get on, easiest way I know is to stretch the tire by stepping on it and yanking (not too hard) then inflating it and letting it sit for a while (preferably a day). All that said, a TUFO might not be the best for your wife, specially since you can get Slime filled tubes for clinchers for much cheaper than TUFOs...
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Old 08-17-04, 07:07 AM
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Ajay213
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I reasoned that she could at least ride on these if flat or she could use the sealant they provide and try to inflate.
The don't ride exactly like tubulars, but they don't ride exactly like clinchers either. I highlighted the above though, because it will be very dangerous to try and ride them while they are flat. A regular tubular (as I'm sure you know) is glued down to the rim, that is what gives it the ability to be ridden on. A clincher, any clincher relies on air pressure to hold the bead in the rim. So even on a PITA tire like a Tufo, that thing will roll off in a heartbeat given the amount of force that a rider put on a tire.

Andrew
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Old 08-17-04, 08:18 AM
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If you haven't done it already, add the Tufo tire sealant to the tires.
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Old 08-17-04, 08:35 AM
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Ajay213

One of the benefits of the tubular/clincher is that you can ride it when its flat, but
of course not fast or far. I've been using some of their Tubless tubulars, very nice
tire. the sealant works really well (I haven't had to experience it yet but I know some
folks who did).
all in all I'm impressed with the Tufo line.
Marty
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Old 08-17-04, 09:03 AM
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I'm very impressed with them as well, but I still wouldn't ride them flat for any serious distance at all. A clincher, even the Tufo's, need air pressure to hold the bead securely to the rim. A tubular doesn't. The amount of force put on a tire while riding is quite a bit greater than anything your arms/hands can put out while mounting the tire.

Here's Tufo's marketing blurb;
How does it work? When inflated, the tubular clincher, in the same way as tubular tire, is pressed towards the rim. Simultaneously, the side blocks of the profiled rubber band spread out, embedding on the rim shoulders, eliminating the possibility of a rotation of the tire against the rim as well as the possibility of the tire unseating. The bottom profiled band does not function only as a fill in the area between the rim and the tire but plays an active role. As the tire is inflated, the band sides "bite" into the shoulders of the rim. This is the major difference from all previous unsuccessful experiments of other tire manufacturers, where the bottom rubber band was in fact only a passive fill between the rim and the tire.

I've seen some Tufo "workers" post on their forums that it is possible to ride flat in an emergency, but if it were me, I wouldn't risk it. But then again I wouldn't ride any tire flat 99.99% of the time. Even with a good ol' fashioned tubular you are liable to destroy the tire and the rim by riding a flat for any kind of distance (I'm not talking about making it across the street, or to a spot where you can make a fix, but riding say 2 more miles to get home).
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Old 08-17-04, 09:59 AM
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I wasn't advocating finishing out that century on a flat tufo, but as you specified
getting to a safe place to change/repair the tire.
I've heard from one of the distributors that Tufo is toying around with the idea
of Gumwall tires (or gumwall look?) which for some of the vintage rides would be
a good thing. Personally I think the road elite (tubular) is one of the best riding
tires around, reminds me of the old Clement Paris-Roubaix tire. plush and cushy ride.

Marty
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Old 08-17-04, 10:49 AM
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Originally Posted by park
I barely got these babies on. I developed blisters on my hands before I was done.
[...]
Does anyone know of any tricks that would make it easier to get these on?
Did you check Tufo's tubular clinchers mounting instructions? They're pretty specific. They're d@mn near impossible to mount if you don't use their procedure (and can be pretty hard in any case).

[edit - add link]
https://www.tufo.com/index.php?lg=en&co=instrukce#Instr4
[/edit]

Last edited by roadbuzz; 08-17-04 at 12:04 PM.
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