Classtime 

Did Tire Alert do your tube replacement?

SJX426 

My example was about flats using a clincher as a vehicle for discussion.
I have used Tire Alert. Great way to salvage a good case with good tread. They replace the tube and sew it up. Looks great when you get it back. Some people save up their flats and get a discount with bulk service.

squirtdad

just to note that over time it will dry up in the little pouch..... but I have had good luck with caffelatex in both tubies and clinchers..... but to am pretty sure so far it is only the clinchers (conti 5000 with conti race lite butl tube) that have had little ouchies that sealed.

WGB 

Help me as I am not having fun riding clinchers!!!

I have been riding with tubulars and being a big lad, I kept having to get them trued Any bump and spokes would loosen and back they'd go. Ye local wheel builder said my rims (Nisi) were too light and that I needed a more rigid wheel. To that end I have acquired a 40 hole rear hub and a 36 hole front hub for the next build.

I'm trying to find a strong 40 hole tubular rim. I've even looked for tandem rims but no luck. (I did buy a 40 hole rim only to have a 48 shipped to me and that 48 was a very light weight track rim). I'd like to use tubulars for small scale touring as well
Anybody have any specific rim they'd recommend? And a source for such a rim???

DiabloScott

I don't recommend spending $190 for one, but here's a start.

Vintage 60's - 70's Nisi - 40 Hole -"Super Corsa"-Tubular (sew up) Rims - "NOS"
$164.99
$25.00 shipping
Only 1 left!

WGB 

DiabloScott Link??

I agree $150 a piece is high but since there is a very very limited marked seller might be open to offers...

johnnyace 

Purchased a 70s Motobecane Grand Record with Conti Giros on Mavic GP4 wheels/Campy hubs. Thought for sure I would need to replace them, but turns out they are in great shape. Verified by quick 20 mile spin. Where do they fall in the hierarchy of tubulars?

Classtime 

I just went to the Mavic site and it seems that they no
longer make tubular rims. I built wheels with these and they do crazy single track stuff without needing truing. https://ciclicorsa.com/shop/ambrosio...s-tubular-rim/

L134 

Supposedly one can order Velocity Major Tom's with a 40 hole drilling but I've been waiting over 6 months on my special order. First it was their next production run in Feb, then July. Still no word. I don't know if the delay is COVID related or what. Maybe if I had more desperate need and bothered them more I would have them? The only other option I've found is ordering wood rims from Italy.

ThermionicScott 

No more Open Pro T? https://www.mavic.com/en-us/open-pro-t-j24100.html

I see a few European shops still have a few...

CV-6 

S Works Hell of the North tubulars on eBay


If you are wanting to dip your toes into the waters of upper end tubulars, this could be your chance. This is the second time through for these with no bid first time around. I am well stocked else I would not be sharing.

Classtime 

Their product page lists only clincher and tubeless. If i was to get new old stock mavics, i'd look for GP 4.

DiabloScott

It was eBay, but now gone... last one sold yesterday... coincidence or was it you?
This listing has ended.

I just intended to find a brand that made 40h tubular rims because I've hardly seen any, thinking you could search on Nisi Campione del Mondo 40 hole tubular and see if you could find them anywhere.

You might try some professional wheel builder sites and just ask them if they can get such a rim for you.


Giros were the low end of the Continental lineup for quite a while, probably a little better than Vittory Rally. Probably just fine, but more likely to be lumpy than Sprinters.

squirtdad

I would thing if you could find NOS gp4 and build on 32 you would be good....I had no problems with that setup at 255 or so may be easier to find than 40 also i was once told I couldn't compensate for a light rim with more spokes.... not sure that is true and riding a light rim is a wonder

WGB 

Thanks all!

Have one NOS GPS 4 is sight (well in Toronto anyway), another fellow selling bike stuff on FB told me he gave away 3 40 hole rims as no one wanted them! He might be able to get one back and lastly @bertinjim found one in France that's 48EU + shipping. Good times beckon!

Classtime 

I've never ridden the Giros but I am a Continental Tubular Fan. I imagine the Giro rides much like the Vittoria Rally which is rather harsh. When the rear Giro needs replacing, consider replacing both with Continental Sprinters (not Gatorskin) and using the front for a spare. Love your Joe Bell Motobecane.

Wildwood 

@johnnyace - Conti's Giro tubular is the low end of their offering. Like you, I bought a wheelset with older Giro tires (23mm) , but in seemingly good shape. Put several hundred miles before the rear tire started to show some sidewall concerns. I replaced it with a Veloflex 25mm. The Giro front tire is still going strong. @Classtime is right about a stiff (harsh?) ride but at 23mm and cheap what should one expect?!? I find Vittoria Rally's cotton casing to be a smoother ride, but it does not have the durability of the Giro, and - at least in the past (in my experience) some of the tires were 'lumpy'. Buy 3 = 2 would be OK, 1 emergency spare. All the tires I buy new are the more expensive ones from several companies. Liking VeloFlex and Vittoria, with Conti a close third. Bought some Challenge Elite ( from a BFer ) and will try those soon.


On a different note - have several bikes with really worn tubulars. Glued up a Conti Sprinter 22mm, Vittoria Corsa 25mm and VeloFlex Arenberg 25mm - but Holy Crap - forgot to pre-stretch any of them. The Arenberg was easiest to mount, the Vittoria Corsa was hard but doable, the Conti Sprinter would not go on. It is now on a rim stretching and will need new glue.


Almost done with the last can of mastik - I will soon be a tubular tape guy.

Wildwood 

no experience with FMB tires. But....
I have experience with Stans and OrangeSeal in tubular tires with latex - sized 24-28mm (the 22mm & 30mm are butyl tubes) from VeloFlex, Vittoria, Specialized. Approximately 1 ounce of Stans in new tires kept me flat free for 4 years, road with some mixed surfaces of trail.. Maybe that was Lady Luck, low mileage across several bikes, or Stans -- certainly the Stans seems not to have degraded the latex tubes ability to hold air, over 4 years..

As the Stans got used, I bought a large bottle of Orange Seal. I squirted it into the higher mileage tires annually. After all, I had been flat free, must work. Problem was that monitoring the amount dispensed from a 20oz bottle proved difficult.. [Stans had been in the 2oz bottles]. The valves got a bit messy and after a couple of very recent flats on worn (but not worn out) tires I cut open a VeloFlex and found a mess inside the tube. No way to diagnose the cause of the flat. Outer tread showed no obvious cuts or lodged debris. I guess there is a chance the combination of Stans initially and OrangeSeal subsequently degraded the latex tube, but more likely something from the gravel trail i had been riding.


My new philosophy after 4 years experience with sealants in quality tubulars is this:
1. Do not use sealant in new tires.
2. Carry a small and measure-able quantity for roadside repairs - such as 2oz bottle.
3. Use sealant sparingly
4. If the sealant does not work roadside, be sure to have a spare tire.
5. Carry tape to avoid problems with pre-glued spares.

edit: and don't let your stored sealant in the bottle(s) get more than 2-3 yrs old even when stored in a basement.

JohnDThompson 

like @Wildwood, I have been using Stan's in tubulars for several years without problems. Not fancy tires, thoug; just YJ "Servizio Corse," Hutchinson "Tempos" and such like. But it can be tricky getting Stan's into a tire that lacks a removable valve core. At home, I use a syringe and plastic tubing pressed over the valve stem, and a needle-nose pliers to lift the knurled nut to open the valve while I inject the sealant. That's too much stuff and bother to carry on the road, so I bring a spare in case I flat.

That said, has anyone tried this Velox stuff? It's in a pressurized can, with a chuck to fit onto the valve stem. I picked up a can, just to see, but haven't had an opportunity to use it yet (nor am I in any particular hurry to do so ):

Wildwood 

Clarification of my above.
I have only used liquid latex type sealants listed as appropriate for tubulars and inserted into valves with removable cores (removed, then reinserted).


And I have zero experience with newer tubeless rims/tires and sealant. And no intention to go that way, at least on the road bikes.

Lazyass

I read about one problem a guy had that has kept me away from trying tape. He said he had to swap a tire on a ride and when he tried to mount it the edge of the tape started to come off when trying to slide the tire across it on and it rolled up on him. I'm guessing it's only a problem when the tape has been used as opposed to installing it brand new.

I personally enjoy the whole process of gluing and can do it quick anyway.

L134 

So, it seems Velocity Major Tom's are a viable option. I just got a call yesterday that my special order for two 40 hole rims is ready to ship.

Classtime 

be aware that the Major Toms are wide and are inappropriate for 25mm or less tires. I built some for CX and thought I might use them also for road rides with 25s and the radius of the MT was too large for a good gluing.

Hobbiano 

I have a question that I'm sure some here could answer. I have a set of tubulars that I plan to mount with Jantex Competition 76 tape. Many years ago I rode tubulars for a while that I mounted with glue. I had a spare that was pre-glued. Now, if I flat with tape, and I take off my tire, and the tape stays on the tire, can I reasonably safely ride home on a un-glued & un-taped spare if I take it easy? No fast downhills or fast cornering on the way home. I'm thinking that I'd rather not try to do a tape job on the side of the road and I'd like to take off the spare and replace it with either the repaired flat or a new tire when I get home. Am I crazy? Lets assume I don't have sealant with me or it doesn't seal the puncture. Thanks for any advice.

L134 

I am aware. I don't generally ride anything under 28 and have used Major Tom's on three previous builds.