It seems like lately there's been an epidemic of people rolling tubular tires. I've seen quite a few that have been glued by reputable local mechanics as well as do it yourself home mechanics.
Probably the biggest mistake I see is not enough glue or not on the complete surface of the rim. I'm talking about all the way side to side all the way around.
There's this thing going in some Tri circles where they leave a portion of the rim dry to make it easier to change in the event of a flat. This is wrong and only a matter of time before disaster strikes.
Another issue is some carbon rims have a slick surface that the glue doesn't want to stick to. Many of the non-big brand name Chinese rims are like this. Some other big names as well, regardless, you'll want to scuff or rough up the surface where the tire goes with sand paper and clean thoroughly.
I've been gluing tubular tires for almost 30 years, and my methods have definitely evolved over time. I used to use 3M fast tack trim adhesive, but it seems like the modern Vittoria and Continental glue is pretty much the same. I don't like the Continental carbon specific glue. I think the regular alloy rim version works better on all rims.
Most people complain that the tires I've glued up are too hard to remove, but I'd rather have that than someone all jacked up cause they rolled a tire I glued up. The method I describe here uses the small tube of glue, which is generally enough for 1 wheel/tire. Sometimes I use the big cans and a brush, but it doesn't really matter. I usually just use what the shop has on hand or what a customer requests.
Anyway, here's another video that my co-worker Jeff and I made:
11 years ago
Hey! great article. very helpful. The information is very well written and very well explained. Thank you for sharing. carbon fiber wheels
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