I'm going to take couple of entries to go over how Ive done my tubular cleaning, stretching and gluing. Partly comes from me going to the cross race at Xilinx last weekend and see some riders I've done work for, and them asking me what I do to it, and if I could do a few more. So, I figured Id take a couple posts to make it a bit easier to do than Ive seen some people do it.
DISCLAIMER: This is how I was taught to do tubies, and how other talented wrenches I've worked with have done it. There ARE NUMEROUS ways to glue tubies and the opinions stated here are of this blog and its owner. Feel free to take, or leave, anything you wish. This will go over a "best case" scenario which means you have 3-4 days to do this.
This post will go over the materials I use for cleaning, stretching and gluing a wheel. The cleaning aspect will be done when I have a used rim that needs a new tire. Unfortunately the customer brought me a pair of new ZIPP 303's he's putting old tires on, so the stripping of old glue and removal of tire will have to wait till another time.
Now, onto the items I use for the whole deal:
- Paint Thinner(not acetone)
- Acid Brush(es)
- Plastic tire lever, or something you can use to work the base tape away from the rim without ripping, or tearing anything...NO METAL
- Glue/Mastik: I prefer Vittoria Mastik, Continental Standard Glue(the "carbon" only stuff I think has a bad consistency)
- Rags(for cleaning)
- Extra wheel/rim for stretching a new tire
- Truing Stand, or something that can be used as such
- Pump
- Broomstick, or something that resembles a broomstick
- Water bottle...one you will never use again
- Hairdryer
- Gloves for cleaning, Nitrile Mechanics gloves are what i use
If you have a new tire and rim Id recommend stretching the tire for at least 24hrs in advance to when you need to start the glue job. As for the "time frame", I've been asked about for gluing, this is what Ive come to use as my rule of thumb(for perfect conditions meaning in a shop, or you have a few days to do the job)...Carbon rims = 3 days to glue, 1 to set...Alloy rims = 2 days to glue, 1 to set. Carbon is much for porous than alloy, so when the first coat is applied to the rim, alot of it gets "sucked" up by the rim itself. Conversely an alloy rim isn't porous at all hence the lack of need for extra glue. In an ideal world, you would let the glue sit up for about 24hrs between coats. If you're in a hurry, I try to let the glue get tacky enough that I cant make runs in it by pressing on it with my finger. Please at least give yourself 24hrs from the time the tire is mounted until the time you intend to race or ride it. Ive seen it work out with less time, but in general I recommend 24hrs.
Tomorrow Ill go over how I apply the glue and why I use only glue and NOT tape as some people do. As for the question of is it ok to reuse an old tubular, the answer is yes...as long as the casing and base tape are in tact and the glue is not too terribly chunky and the chunks that are there can be removed without doing any damage to the tire. Some customers I have don't have tons of wheel sets laying around, and have me remove and reuse tires for road and cross season.
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| Standard Paint Thinner you can buy at any Home Depot, the Acid Brush you can get at a modeling store and glue from your local LBS |
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| to keep the wheel from spinning in the stand, i gently apply pressure with the truing gauge |
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| This is a new rim. Depending on the manufacturer some need very little to no buffing with an emory cloth to get the surface slightly rough for the application of glue. |
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| The tire is inflated just enough so that when it sits on a table or this case a bench, that the basetape faces up. |
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| There aren't too many big chunks on these tires, as I used a hairdryer to heat the glue up to get them off the rim. |
Thanks for coming by and letting me ramble...
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