Categories: Accessories and Gear

Tubular Survival Kit

There was never any question in my mind that tubulars are more romantic than clinchers, and as a Velominatus I was always convinced that the additional time and care that goes into gluing on a set of tires would make you feel just that much more connected to your bike and the history of the sport itself. I was skeptical, however, that tubs would ride noticeably better – and even if they did – whether they would prove to be too much of a hassle to make riding them worthwhile.

Two and a half years after building my first set of tubular wheels and gluing on a set of handmade tires, I have eliminated clinchers from all my bikes. The ride is better, the gluing is a quick and easy process (once you learn a few tricks), and a tubular can be changed more quickly than a clincher. Plus the glue gives you a little buzz; what’s not to like?

The switch from clinchers to tubulars did require a change to my tool kit, however. This fact wasn’t immediately apparent to me and I went on several rides happily armed with tire levers and a spare inner tube. Gearing up for riding tubulars is a more subtle process than it is with clinchers, a fact which gives me no small amount of pleasure. First comes the approach to folding and carrying the spare tire, should you choose to carry one. Also, with the removal of tire levers, spare tube(s), and patch kits comes the introduction of repair sealant; in the event of a flat, the first tactic is to inject the tire with some goop and see if it seals itself, eliminating the need to replace the tire in the first place. This works splendidly in many cases, and appears to be a long-term solution as well; I have one particularly beloved tire which has been holding fast with sealant since a puncture over a year ago.

After a few iterations, my tubular-friendly survival kit has evolved into a beautifully compact system which takes up less bulk in my jersey than does the clincher version. It consists of a Lezyne Carbon Drive Lite rubber-banded to a tube of Vittoria Pit Stop and a Lezyne V5 mini tool. Nothing to it. On longer rides or rides with others, I will strap my tiny tub to my saddle as extra protection in the event the Pit Stop doesn’t work.

Tubulars ride better, corner better, are easy to mount, quick to change, give you a small buzz, and require a smaller survival kit than do clinchers. You heard it here first: friends don’t let friends ride clinchers.*

*Thanks to @Nate for coining this phrase.

frank

The founder of Velominati and curator of The Rules, Frank was born in the Dutch colonies of Minnesota. His boundless physical talents are carefully canceled out by his equally boundless enthusiasm for drinking. Coffee, beer, wine, if it’s in a container, he will enjoy it, a lot of it. He currently lives in Seattle. He loves riding in the rain and scheduling visits with the Man with the Hammer just to be reminded of the privilege it is to feel completely depleted. He holds down a technology job the description of which no-one really understands and his interests outside of Cycling and drinking are Cycling and drinking. As devoted aesthete, the only thing more important to him than riding a bike well is looking good doing it. Frank is co-author along with the other Keepers of the Cog of the popular book, The Rules, The Way of the Cycling Disciple and also writes a monthly column for the magazine, Cyclist. He is also currently working on the first follow-up to The Rules, tentatively entitled The Hardmen. Email him directly at rouleur@velominati.com.

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View Comments

Stephen says:

Sep 7 2014 at 7:06 pm

@frank I did locate one flaw in this whole approach of yours. Pretty much the entirety of your premise about folding and strapping a spare tub under your seat.

Should the tub not be rolled into a figure and worn over your shoulders?
Nate says:

Sep 7 2014 at 7:35 pm

@unversio What model are those?

@azryder New wheels are a lot easier to sneak into the garage than a whole new bike,

@Stephen Well played. I have been tempted to carry a second spare by this method when the need arises.
antihero says:

Sep 8 2014 at 4:04 am

@frank

@Charlie

So, what are these tubular tire mounting tricks?

The first thing I learned is that as soon as you have a layer of glue on everything already, it really doesn't matter how much more you put on; I have come home on a spare tire after cornering cautiously for the rest of the ride only to barely be able to take the spare off even after it hasn't been glued on (it just had a dry layer on it).

I slap on a layer of glue and I also don't sweat how long I wait; the conventional wisdom is to wait 10 minutes or so before mounting the tire but I just go for it right away. The glue can be a bit messy that way but you are moving along right away.

The second trick is to stretch the crap out of it as you first mount it; if you don't stretch it like crazy, you'll get a little lump in the tire. It also makes it easier to get the end of the tire on the rim.

Once it's mounted and aligned, I pump it up like a mutha and I'm happy to go ride the tire right away; I don't lay into the corners full speed and the tire will be a bit over-inflated from how I ride it normally, but its perfectly safe to ride.

All that, plus being mindful that some brands of tire just don't fit some rims properly. For example, my wife bought me a pair of Conti GP4000 tubulars last Christmas (she's awesome.) I rapidly discovered that these simply don't fit my Golden Tickets. I can mount a Vittoria Pave on them in about 15 seconds flat. I spent a hour struggling to stretch a Conti onto one of the rims, and then gave up in disgust and retired to tend to my blistered thumbs.

I've no doubt that the GP4000s are splendid tires (the clinchers were always my go-to) but don't try to put them on Ambrosio Nemesis rims. I *suspect* that this is function of rim width, but I haven't done the math.
antihero says:

Sep 8 2014 at 4:11 am

@Stephen

@frank I did locate one flaw in this whole approach of yours. Pretty much the entirety of your premise about folding and strapping a spare tub under your seat.

Should the tub not be rolled into a figure and worn over your shoulders?

This technique, while hardcore, is unaesthetic, and was necessitated by the gargantuan volume of the tires those guys were obliged to use. It also results in unwelcome smears of glue on one's jersey.
unversio says:

Sep 8 2014 at 7:46 am

@Nate

@unversio What model are those?

LTZ II and 30.00 add to cart. Been riding black version and white version. No closure at the wrist which is my preference.
stevep33 says:

Sep 8 2014 at 8:15 am

Are people using using cx tubs for dirt/gravel rides?

IMO tubs are the only way to go for CX racing, and I would love to ride some sweet file-tread cx for crazy dirt and gravel rides. Though I glue+tape (Zanc method) tubs for cx and can't imagine being able to pry a flatted cx tub by the roadside with injuring my fingers. Maybe I should just get over it, and go for it. What are others doing for these kinds of rides?
Nate says:

Sep 8 2014 at 8:43 am

@stevep33 I just run my usual 25mm or maybe 27-28mm on dirt and gravel, and run lower pressure. Of course not all gravel is created equal. My understanding is that tape is part of the Cx gluing regimen due to the very low pressures; there is not enough air in the tire to help hold it in place. So if you can put some more air in thetape should be unnecessary. IDK where the break even point is.
frank says:

Sep 8 2014 at 8:59 am

@stevep33

Are people using using cx tubs for dirt/gravel rides?

IMO tubs are the only way to go for CX racing, and I would love to ride some sweet file-tread cx for crazy dirt and gravel rides. Though I glue+tape (Zanc method) tubs for cx and can't imagine being able to pry a flatted cx tub by the roadside with injuring my fingers. Maybe I should just get over it, and go for it. What are others doing for these kinds of rides?

I ride Clement tubs on my CX rig; for Heck of the North I will be riding their LAS file tread.

Even for CX racing I'm just gluing, no tape. I do an extra layer of glue for both the rim and tire and call it good. I've flatted twice on gravel and have gotten the tire off no issue and remounted it. I ride gravel on much more pressure than CX, though - in the 40-60 psi range. If there is a lot of good gravel, I'll go as high as 70.

Not all gravel is created equal as @Nate says, and he must be riding some firm gravel if he's taking his road bike on it and not worrying about needing a knob or two to stop a wheel slip. The forest roads I'm riding in the PNW tend to be very loose and I would never even consider taking my road bike on them - not to mention the width just to keep traction when the roads get steep.

That said, its amazing what your road bike will handle; we baby those things way more than they need to be.
Sowtondevil says:

Sep 8 2014 at 9:49 am

I have been riding tubs for probably longer than most velominati - as I switched around 1965 when I purchased a pair of Fiamme sprint rims. I use double sided adhesive rim tape, not glue, as the glue is nasty stuff. I don't accumulate road debris on my tubs because I use tyre savers and have the same pair of savers I fitted probably 30 years' ago. We all used them back in those days and I don't understand why these are not widely used today. In nearly 50 years I can count the total number of flats I have had with fewer fingers of one gloved hand.
teleguy57 says:

Sep 8 2014 at 11:07 am

@Nate

@stevep33 I just run my usual 25mm or maybe 27-28mm on dirt and gravel, and run lower pressure. Of course not all gravel is created equal. My understanding is that tape is part of the Cx gluing regimen due to the very low pressures; there is not enough air in the tire to help hold it in place. So if you can put some more air in thetape should be unnecessary. IDK where the break even point is.

@nate, besides your lovely FMBs are there other 27/28mm tubs you like for our gravel riding?