advertisement


Cycling log - random events in the day of a cyclist II

I just had to stop and take a snap of this gorgeous house near Stratford St Mary this morning

42A914A1_377C_47DE_9676_68A665066682_D0754850_5717_4442_9BBB_A1C0BB0630C1.jpeg


A lovely 35 miles this morning, home before the heat built up too much.
 
stevec67 said:
Good work Tony, this is straying into the "pfm Health Club" thread. You must have been out, what, 2.5 hours?
Click to expand...

Close! 2hrs 25mins.

Sensibly, I held back on the way there, pushed harder on the way back. 14.4mph average, which is ok. 1,600ft elevation.
 
Oh wise ones... I acquired an old skool 10 speed racer a few months ago for spares or repair. Got around to stripping it yesterday - the frame's a bit ratty (but I have another Peugot race frame in lovely pale green that I paid 20 Euro for the complete bike but most of the parts on that one are scrap but the frame is good)

Luckily many of the parts from the original bike look almost new (albeit not Campag sadly!) and should go straight across to the Peugot frame. My random event yesterday was discovering it has tubeless tyres on Rigid rims. The tyres are skinny, Vittoria 21 Kevlar, and look pretty much unused and the rubber seems to be not degraded and they hold air fine. But here's my question: I have zero experience with tubeless tyres. Do they need to be glued on to the rims? I can sort of peel them off in places though they do seem generally to be stuck to the rim. Is this OK to ride or do I need to re-fit them? I don't want them coming off when least expected, obviously.

I think this will be a nice bike in the end - I'm hoping to get away with buy a set of new gear and brake cables, bar tape, and maybe a saddle - the two donor bikes together cost 20 Euro so this could turn out to be a bit of a bargain!

IMG_5427 by Ian123_running, on Flickr


And the planned destination for those wheels - looks OK now stripped of all the old and broken bits. I've cleaned and re-packed the headset and BB bearings and these seem fine.

IMG_5423 by Ian123_running, on Flickr
 
I think those are tubulars, rather than tubeless. Yes they do need to be glued to the rim and are a pain in the arse for general use (i.e. if you get a puncture when out). I'd definitely look at getting some clincher wheels instead, and also running something wider than 21's if you can fit them in.
 
SteveG said:
I think those are tubulars, rather than tubeless. Yes they do need to be glued to the rim and are a pain in the arse for general use (i.e. if you get a puncture when out). I'd definitely look at getting some clincher wheels instead, and also running something wider than 21's if you can fit them in.
Click to expand...
Thanks and thanks for the terminology. For now I will get these on the road if I can. In fact the original wheels from the Peugot (definitely clinchers) could go back on it I guess - but then I'd have to buy new tyres and tubes as those old ones are definitely shot. It's kind of fun as I don't need another bike but this has sort of fallen into my lap and I have time at the moment...
 
Yes they need to be glued on. I don't know how you repair a puncture on a tub. I think it involves unpicking some stitching, patching and replacing. Hardly a roadside job. I'd fit conventional wheels and tyres unless you plan to use it as a TT bike witha mechanic car 50m behind you at all times.
 
stevec67 said:
Yes they need to be glued on. I don't know how you repair a puncture on a tub. I think it involves unpicking some stitching, patching and replacing.
Click to expand...

It does, and doesn't look a fun job.

Hardly a roadside job. I'd fit conventional wheels and tyres unless you plan to use it as a TT bike witha mechanic car 50m behind you at all times.
Click to expand...

For roadside puncture repair the only real option is to carry one or more spare tubulars plus glue etc. to fit them (or phone for a pickup!). Not something I've ever done, but sounds like a lot of fun at the roadside in the rain!

I did consider tubulars for my TT bike as they're supposed to be faster, however even for that it's too much hassle.
 
stevec67 said:
Yes they need to be glued on. I don't know how you repair a puncture on a tub. I think it involves unpicking some stitching, patching and replacing. Hardly a roadside job. I'd fit conventional wheels and tyres unless you plan to use it as a TT bike witha mechanic car 50m behind you at all times.
Click to expand...
How about a mobile phone and wife with car? And I can't remember the last time I got a puncture so that does not really worry me. But the glue - that is obviously important so I am glad I asked! I presume you peal them off, clean them up and glue them on? then spend the next few hundred miles feeling sorry you did not get them on straight? I will YouTube it. This is a fun project - it will never me my main bike, but just enjoying the opportunity to rescue the poor old thing. I'll keep the other wheels for if / when the tubulars 'fail'...
 
ian123running said:
How about a mobile phone and wife with car? And I can't remember the last time I got a puncture so that does not really worry me. But the glue - that is obviously important so I am glad I asked! I presume you peal them off, clean them up and glue them on? then spend the next few hundred miles feeling sorry you did not get them on straight? I will YouTube it. This is a fun project - it will never me my main bike, but just enjoying the opportunity to rescue the poor old thing. I'll keep the other wheels for if / when the tubulars 'fail'...
Click to expand...
That's a perfectly good plan. Sounds like when my pal was out for a ride and snapped his chain, iirc, without the tools. His wife was at work, so I got the rescue call. I was a good 20 minutes, by which time he was sheltering from some cold rain in a church porch wearing rather light clothing for the season and rather happy to be taken home.
 
ian123running said:
How about a mobile phone and wife with car? And I can't remember the last time I got a puncture so that does not really worry me. But the glue - that is obviously important so I am glad I asked! I presume you peal them off, clean them up and glue them on? then spend the next few hundred miles feeling sorry you did not get them on straight? I will YouTube it. This is a fun project - it will never me my main bike, but just enjoying the opportunity to rescue the poor old thing. I'll keep the other wheels for if / when the tubulars 'fail'...
Click to expand...
You can get tape rather than glue & this will work fine.

They are not great for road use, I have them on my TT bike, I’ve not punctured with them but that is not a recommendation.

Get new tyres & innertubes.
 
stevec67 said:
That's a perfectly good plan. Sounds like when my pal was out for a ride and snapped his chain, iirc, without the tools. His wife was at work, so I got the rescue call. I was a good 20 minutes, by which time he was sheltering from some cold rain in a church porch wearing rather light clothing for the season and rather happy to be taken home.
Click to expand...

I hate the idea of not being able to ride home, so have 2 tubes plus a puncture repair kit as well as a little section of chain and a couple of split links (and my mini-tool has a chainbreaker).

If it was me I'd keep those tubular wheels & tyres for making the bike look good/original, but would definitely use a clincher wheelset if going more than walking distance from the house!
 
Tubs are a pita. That glue will be knackered as likely will the tubs, they're at least ten years old. Inflate to 140psi and see how they fare for a few days, any tread cracks or lifting of tread from the carcass and bin them.

Clean old glue off with acetone. Applying new glue takes days, literally, 2-3 coats left to dry fully over night then one coat to rim and tyre left to tack off for an hour or two, fit them, partially inflate, check alignment and then fully inflate and leave overnight.

Honestly, inflate and use them for a bit, but expect to bin them off. Tyre sealant in a small aerosol can patch small holes and is safe to run on long term.

Unless you want to keep it period correct, I'd swap the wheels.
 
By the time I got back from my ride on the Cotic Soul last night the shifting was somewhat inexact and also there was some rattling coming from the drivetrain. On doing a quick check I noticed the cassette was flapping about a bit so assumed I hadn't tightened it correctly when I fitted it at the weekend. When I took the wheel off I realised it was actually because the Mavioc hub needs a spacer in behind the cassette when using 9-speed stuff, and I hadn't fitted that. I knew I'd have one somewhere but seemed unlikely I'd find one, however a quick dip in the drivetrain spares bit didn't throw up the Mavic one but did uncover one that'd come with my American Classics wheelset. So that's now fitted and, with the front brake adjusted to remove an annoying squeak, the bike is a lot quieter now so will probably be given another run tonight.
 
Sounds good - I enjoy fiddling so will have a go with these. It does look like a tremendous faff, and inconvenient with little advantage. But that sort of appeals at the moment ha ha. I do have the clincher wheels too and will keep them and may well end up using them quite quickly! Brilliant guys, thanks.

edit: this looks pretty comprehensive https://www.parktool.com/blog/repair-help/tubular-tire-gluing-sew-up including dealing with old rims and tyres. Also some pretty sobering warnings about the importance of a good bond especially cornering... So it seems like I will inflate to 140 overnight (sq225917) and see how they hold up, then try to pull them off and see what condition the tyres and tape are REALLY in. Obviously if they are poor / unsafe they will be binned, and back to the clinchers. I will report back....
 
ian123running said:
edit: this looks pretty comprehensive https://www.parktool.com/blog/repair-help/tubular-tire-gluing-sew-up including dealing with old rims and tyres. Also some pretty sobering warnings about the importance of a good bond especially cornering... So it seems like I will inflate to 140 overnight (sq225917) and see how they hold up, then try to pull them off and see what condition the tyres and tape are REALLY in. Obviously if they are poor / unsafe they will be binned, and back to the clinchers. I will report back....
Click to expand...

The old guys in my club talk about the good old days when they used to sit by the fire, unpicking tubulars and fixing punctures. It's noticeable though that none of them actually use them nowadays...!
 
Presumably the TdF boys run tubulars, which explains why they are forever driving around with about a dozen wheels ready to go on the roof of the team car at all times. It gives the mechanics something to do in the evenings, I suppose.
 
Tubulars are pretty much just for racers (with backup cars and spare wheels), TTers, weight weenies and masochists these days.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.


advertisement


Back
Top