The most commonly used bicycle tire, a clincher, is C-shaped, has a beaded edge that secures underneath the hooked edge of the rim and requires a separate inner tube. A tubular bicycle tire is circular, already contains an inner tube and is glued to a rim without a hook. Tubular tires create a lighter wheelset, provide a smoother ride and corner better. They are also easier to control--and thereby safer--if the tire punctures, says Lennard Zinn in his book, “Zinn & the Art of Road Bike Maintenance.”
Preparing the New Tire
Step 1
Check to see if your tire has a coating of latex on the base tape, the underside of the tire. If it does, scrape away the coating with a serrated knife or a metal file.
Step 2
Place a bicycle rim you are not currently using on the floor in front of you with the hole for the valve stem in the 12 o’clock position. Use your feet and knees to keep the rim upright.
Step 3
Lean over the rim and put the valve stem of the new tire into the hole. Move your hands to the 2 o’clock and 10 o’clock positions on the tire, lean into the task, and forcefully stretch the tire onto the rim. If you can’t generate enough force to roll the final section of the tire onto the rim, straighten up, press the wheel against your stomach and roll the remainder over the rim with your thumbs.
Step 4
Inflate to the manufacturer’s suggested pounds per square inch. Allow the tire to stretch overnight.
Removing the Old Tubular Tire
Step 1
Remove the wheel with the punctured or worn-out tire from the bicycle.
Step 2
Sit in a firm seat, place the removed wheel in front of you with the valve stem in the 6 o’clock position and then stabilize the wheel with your feet and knees.
Step 3
Place your hands on the wheel so that they are nearly touching in the 12 o’clock position. Push the tire away from you forcefully with your thumbs. Once the glue bond breaks, work in this manner until your hands reach the 4 o’clock position. Pull the remainder of the tire off of the rim.
Step 4
Run your fingers atop the glue that remains on the rim. If bumpy, scrape off lumps until uniform.
Gluing the Rim and the Tire
Step 1
Place a latex glove on your dominant hand and put a bead of tubular tire glue on your index finger. Spread the glue thinly. Repeat until the entire underside of the tire is covered. Do the same to the rim.
Step 2
Let both dry overnight.
Step 3
Place an additional thin layer of glue on the entire underside of the tire. Wait 15 minutes.
Mounting the Tire
Step 1
Place the bicycle rim on the floor in front of you with the hole for the valve stem in the 12 o’clock position. Use your feet and knees to keep the rim upright.
Step 2
Lean over the rim and put the valve stem of the new tire into the hole. Stretch the tire onto the rim in the same manner as before. Remember, if you can’t generate enough force to roll the final section of the tire onto the rim, straighten up, press the wheel against your stomach and roll the remainder over the rim with your thumbs. Remove any excess glue that settles on the rim.
Step 3
Align the tire. Push, pull and adjust until the amount of base tape visible at the rim’s edge is uniform.
Step 4
Pump the tire to 100 psi. Check the alignment by spinning the wheel. If the tire wobbles, deflate it and eliminate the wobble by pressing on the tire with your thumbs in the direction opposite the wobble.
Step 5
Inflate tire to at least 120 psi and allow glue to set overnight.
Tips and Warnings
- While some do so for cosmetics, Tom Kellogg, owner of Spectrum Cycles in Breinigsville, Pennsylvania, who has raced on tubulars for 35 years, says it is unnecessary to remove the old glue with a solvent when changing tires. Tubular gluing tape can be used in place of liquid glue, but the bond is not as strong, so use the tape for wheels to be used in triathlons, time trials, or road races without sharp turns and steep descents, but not criteriums or any other race that requires constant braking and turning, such as cyclocross.
- Use only your hands to remove and replaces tubular tires since tools can damage the cords of the base tape.
Things You'll Need
- Tubular tire rim cement
- Serrated knife or metal file
- Bicycle rim
- Bicycle tire pump
- Latex gloves
References
- “Zinn & the Art of Road Bike Maintenance”; Lennard Zinn; 2009
- “Bicycling Magazine’s Complete Guide to Bicycle Maintenance and Repair”; Ray Wolf, et al; 1986
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