1989Pre 

Yeah, you have to watch the traffic in downtown, even in the off-season (at 20,000 people, we are Maine's largest town! )
The ride up to/down from Augusta/Gardiner is a dream on Rt. 201.
The Navy left in 2008, so I'm sure things are a little neater now.

Fredo76

The distinction is important, so I fixed the tense.

Us tubular fans are hoping to change that, not because we're fan-boys, but because we want to be able to keep buying tires. My understanding is that cyclo-cross racers have really helped in keeping the tubular market going, so hooray for them! I think a resurgence is beginning.

chain_whipped

Tubs vs. Cinchers-

bathtub vs. corset... How about both?

79pmooney

Or you had a clincher come off in a tire blowout and experienced that crash. I did it at 25 mph. Radically more exciting than my blow out or two at 45 in my swewup days. (In fact, those were so dull I cannot remember: once or twice?, front or rear?, where? By contrast, that clincher crash is permanently etched in my brain. And on my skin and in several bones. A helmet.)

I knew I'd left sewups for good long before that clincher crash 11 years ago. But waking up with that nightmare again and again finally got me to go back. (And those sewups, while expensive, are so much cheaper than therapy. Roughly on par with the dentist for the smile.)

That smile - ear to ear going down long fast descents last September at Cycle Oregon on windy roads, rough pavement in poor counties and blind turns.

Drillium Dude 

+1

Currently I've two bikes with tubulars. The Alpina in WA has a pair of Super Champion Arc en Ciels, with only the barest suggestion of a brake track. The Davidson, currently with me in AZ, has been recently shifted from clinchers to tubulars, and those tires are mated to a more modern pair of Mavic Reflex rims with machined sidewalls.

The braking performance is like night and day. Seriously, I will most likely never ride the Alpina in its current guise again; I've been spoiled with this new setup

Alpina/Arc en Ciel:



Davidson/Reflex:



DD

79pmooney

No, good sewups were magic carpet long before titanium bikes came along. Grandfathered.

And on that note, the similarities between sewups and magic carpets. Both hand sewn by artisans from exotic fabrics. Both occasionally subject to oddities from that hand labor but we just note and ride 'em anyway. (I haven't ridden those carpets yet. I hear the ride is pretty sweet,)

masi61

The blue anodizing is cool for sure. I remember that Arc N' Ciel's came in blue ano but the Mavic Reflexes in blue ano as well? I would have thought that the machined sidewalls would be devoid of anodizing. Apparently they machined the sidewalls flat then anodized them in blue.

Velocity rims can be custom ordered in colors but I would need to email the company to find out if the rim brake rims in anodized colors have bare or anodized machined sidewalls or not.

Drillium Dude 

Yes, I was originally looking at two pairs of black clincher Mavic Open Pros, but by the time my insurance settlement arrived, they had sold on Ebay. The only other available option in machined-sidewall Mavics were the blue Reflex tubular pair, so I went that route instead. Pretty funny that both my sets of tubular wheels ended up blue!

I think the rims are anodized, then machined. Would make the most sense. Here's a photo which depicts the lack of anodizing on the braking surfaces:



DD

Doug Fattic 

When I started riding good bikes in the 60's tubulars are what everybody rode if they were riding a good bike. It wasn't until the 70's that 700C clinchers became available. I still prefer the ride of a tubular on my go fast bike. I can certainly tell the difference. There are several things to keep in mind. In the C&V era, tubular aluminum rims were much lighter than clincher aluminum rims. I usually rode rims that weighed less the 300 grams. Clinchers were more than 400. That is rotating weight. The little hooks that come out of the box section of the rim is what causes the extra weight. They also prevent the side walls of the tire to defect as much.

Another thing is that good tubulars ride a lot nicer than cheapies. It is a matter of thread count. Those exploring the option often try to pay as little as possible just to see if there is a difference. That is understandable but it is like someone wanting to try bicycling and getting a cheap Huffy to find out.

Tubulars are not that difficult to glue on. I first like to put a tubular on a spare wheel and pump it up and let is sit. Then I like to use Continental glue that acts like contact cement. I coat both surfaces and let it dray and then put the tire on the rim starting at the valve. This way I don't end up with messy hands.

Talking about gluing a spare on the road is just silly. If you get a flat, a tubular is so easy to take off and put the spare back on. There is enough glue already on the rim to hold the tire firm enough until you get home and can glue it properly. Of course you don't want to corner at speed but it is unlikely you will continuing a Crit race after your flat.

On average I got one flat a year or less riding on average about 3500 miles. I never bothered to fix them because they were probably well worn by that time anyway. I thought that was a reasonable cost for their superior ride.

79pmooney

On gluing and mounting - a neat tool: the cheap truing stands made from flatbar and other off the shelf steel. With the flatbar feet. Make a perfect stand for gluing. Then place the stand on the floor, start the valve with the valve hole at the bottom. Stand on the front and back legs, grab the tire about 1 1/2 feet away from the valve on both sides, stretch the tire out and lift the first foot or so onto the rim. Stop, move your hands and repeat. A very easy way to get sufficient and uniform stretch for a lump free tire. (I always mount that tire before gluing on a dry rim just to see how tight it is so I know how hard to stretch. Stretching too hard means the tire will be thin and low at the valve area.)

Doug, the rest of your post - +1. (I've put glue in my tool bag a few times. Never used it. And decided there was a real risk of puncturing it and having a sticky disaster.) My new flat routine is (so far): add sealant to get home. If it works, do no more except perhaps add more. If not, pull and mount spare. Tire goes into a box, then I will try that outfit mentioned a couple of posts ago for repairs. Yes, money. This is one place I don't mind spending it. Life's better on the ride (and I sleep better).

MooneyBloke

I just looked for Shamal and Shamals with post search. Citation needed.

Also, new might mean NOS, and we have no control over what someone may spend for a part. I'm not saying you're wrong, but you seem rather querulous here.

EVlove

Congrats, now you have 10 posts AND your first Ignore list. Way to go.

BFisher

Some decent insights from a few members. I think we can do without the general forum-esque nonsense. Abnormal for C&V.
I've been going back and forth on whether or not I want to try tubulars. Maybe I'll pick up a set of rims at the Spring Velofest if I see some. Could try them on the Gitane TDF when I get it squared away. Maybe.

SJX426 

There are all kinds of ways to apply glue. Mine is to put on a nitril glove and dio my finger in the glue, twist it as it comes out to avoid drips and apply to either the rim or the tube. The tube gets air in it until it starts to turn inside out. Makes it easier to apply the glue to the base tape.
One tire gets picked as a spare for any ride. Usually one of the 2/50 YJ kind, It has a single application of glue and gets me home fine.

I was wondering if others mount their spare on rims between rides or just leave it under the saddle.

iab

I had one of those YJ tires folded, using the DiabloScott method, for 5 years under the saddle when I had a flat. And as I unfolded it, it had a set. But a little air in it straightened well enough to mount. Under full pressure it was fine. I do wrap my spares, mostly with newspaper, so they never have direct UV exposure.

SJX426 

@iab - thanks for the response. I have used old white sports socks in the past too. I do use the DiableScott folding methog too. The YJ tires are supple enough to fold, some others are challenging with heavy tread.

dukeofearl 

i had never really considered them but ended up with an old tubular wheelset with first gen phil hubs so decided to give them a try. got a pair of veloflex raven 28mm tires from merlin on sale. it's only been a couple months and i haven't had a flat yet (knock on wood) but i'm loving the ride. maybe it's in my head but feels more plush than 28 clinchers. i ride around 75psi mostly on paved and gravel trails.

El Chaba

I never use a new tubular as a spare…cheap or otherwise. If you use a used tubular, it will already be stretched making a roadside change a bit easier. That is a pretty big dividend when you are on the shoulder of a road watching for traffic etc. in your cycling shoes. The used tubular will also inevitably have some glue residue which along with the residue on the rim will make a pretty decent contact bond. As Doug Fattic mentioned, you don’t want to test the limits of adhesion, BUT there is no reason to be too worried especially after a few miles of riding on the changed spare. In theory, you could descend a twisty mountain road at full speed on an unglued tubular as the banking action on the turns would serve to always push the tire down on the rim surface. All would be good until you hit some debris or road irregularities that would cause some unloading and reloading of the tire. It is during the reloading that there is a sideways moment to the forces on the tire, and that is where the glue bond comes into play. I don’t recommend putting this bit of a theoretical exercise to a real world test. I am assuming that the Diablo Scott method of folding is as pictured in the attached photos…..For the love of God, Felice Gimondi, Jacques Anquetil, and Louison Bobet fold your spare like this.

79pmooney

Not me! Way too much work. They just sit there quietly folded and toestrapped under the seat (or now in those Ortleib saddlebags big enough for two plus riding stuff). I've never had an issue when it came time to use them.

I don't sweat using new tires as spares though I prefer used. I figure the tight tire probably gets enough tension stick to the old glue to offset no old glue in it. And mounting that tight tire on the rim? No harder than mounting it on a rim back home to stretch it and easier doing it on a rim with glue, even if dry. (I do try to get new spares a few days on rims at home first.)

JJScaliger

Tubulars are more expensive. PITA? Why are we in such a rush? Is applying glue that difficult? It's a ritual I look forward to; a sense of satisfaction in a job well done. Subtle tires ready in a day. Patience is a virtue and virtue is the father of freedom.

MooneyBloke

While the pain of paying for good sew-ups is very real, I don't recall a glue job being any more arduous than working on clinchers, As a matter of fact, mounting a 23mm Veloflex sew-up seems easier than putting a 28 Conti Gatorskin clincher on my city bike. Patching's another story and my main motivation for experimenting with Stan's.

DiabloScott

I can't express how much I love being the source of this eponymous folding technique.
I call this method 1A because it tucks the terminal end inside the fold.

repechage

in the Clement "red" era, gluing tubulars was easier. Then exchanging a tire while out if it had been previously mounted or a new tire primed was easy.
often by the time one got home the exchanged tire was bonded well, just keep running.

with today's adhesives that performance cannot be matched. Rim tapes are better, Miyata for one. But one has to apply that tape on the road, wave off the guys you are riding with, it will take a while.

MooneyBloke

Nice Rolls. While I do this sort of thing myself, I don't like that the seat rails can abrade the tire where it touches. I want to sort out an under-seat bag in this shape. I'm not sure the JANDD is quite the ticket.

El Chaba

If you look at my photo in post #68 above carefully, you can mostly make out that if you fold the tire carefully as shown, the vast majority of the outside package consist of tread. You can adjust the folded tire a little so that the tread is all that touches the saddle rails and the same is true of the strap used to secure the tire. The other important aspect is that when you fold the tire, start from the end opposite the valve and leave the valve open so that any air remaining in the tire is expelled during folding. That is the secret to getting the final package as small as is shown in the photos. This method also keeps glue residue on the tire folded to the inside and away from contaminating or contamination.