Originally Posted by wildjim
Per instructions the glue is left on the tire and rim about 20 minutes after the initial application to dry to a tack then the tire is mounted so there is no mess on the side wall of the rim.
Perhaps storing a sharply folded tire is not a good idea; but stretching during storage seems like a worse idea. It is not wise to ride on a overly stretched loosely fitted tubular tire.
A spare spoked wheel may be useful to check repaired tubular tires as the tire should not be inflated without the support of a spoked wheel.
None of my folded spare tires have cracked while stored in the seat pack.
Perhaps your tires were affected by something else; such as direct sunlight or open air and changing temperatures.
I store my new unused tires loosely across two pegs in the basement. It's cool and dry in the basement and no direct sunlight shines on the stored tires. This method has worked for years without any problems.
As with many things, there are many ways of preparing and mounting tubular tires that will work fine. I employ a stretching technique, and others don't. I'm not saying this is
the right way to do it, but it works for me.
From my somewhat limited experience, I've found that some models of tires are tighter than others. There's no way that I'd have been able to mount the batch of Futurox tires I've gotten without stretching them first. The way I do it follows the advice I was given by a real old-timer (a former six-day racer). I put some air in the tires (minimal pressure) and let them sit for a few days. Then, I deflate, and put them on a wheel that I'm not using, and pump them to about 40 psi. Then I hang the wheel up. The tire will subsequently lose air over time, and this is ok. Nothing bad comes of this. Think about it, the higher pressure on the tire after it gets mounted will press on all directions, holding the tire more firmly against the rim.
What are the advantages of this? Well, by "stretching" the tires, I've trained them to live with the stem pointing in, and I've ensured that I can improve my vocabulary when the time comes to actually install them. I don't have a long record of success, but I can say, "so far, so good".