Tubs

Thanks, one of the few times I've not read through an 85 page thread before posting. Any suggestion as to a source of replacement tape? I might try peeling it off a NOS Wolber tub I have with a damaged tread and re-using it on the Conti.

They don't. It's dissolved in water, a touch of ammonia is added to keep the pH of the solution positive so that it remains dissolved in the water rather than polymerizing.

Correct-- sorry for being sloppy.

Hmmmm.
If its not yet polymerised its not a latex in my field.

I was thinking some sort of reactive glue would resist both solvent and water. Seemed overkill.

If its not yet polymerised its not a latex in my field.

Just natural rubber kept liquid with ammonia.

*la·tex
ˈlāˌteks
noun
a milky fluid found in many plants, such as poppies and spurges, that exudes when the plant is cut and coagulates on exposure to the air. The latex of the rubber tree is the chief source of natural rubber.*

As I've pointed out.. You just need a "glue" that is:

• elastic
  
• water, gas and oil resistant (on the road)
  
• not effected by the solvents used in the tyre mastic
  
• stronger than the tyre mastic
  
  

Barge glue?
I assume you mean the US branded stuff used to glue soles onto shoes-- my favorite is the German Kövulfix? Sure.. It is one of the popular choices-- and I've used it in this application. What makes it, however, suboptimal is that its sticky. Industrial glues like Terokal or 3M Fast Tack are probably better. I guess it really depends upon the construction of the tyre. With traditional tyres-- and that includes Conti Competitions and Sprinters-- I'd stick with latex milk. Latex is also what is traditionally used for the sidewalls.

Any suggestion as to a source of replacement tape? I might try peeling it off a NOS Wolber tub I have with a damaged tread and re-using it on the Conti.

Sounds a lot easier than it is. I've found basetape to horribly distort when pulled from an old tyre. It is enough of a challenge gluing a section of old basetape down on its own tyre. Removing it and transplanting it onto another tyre, I suspect, would be close to impossible. Can't see how one could get it flat and straight. Instead I'd try to find some a suitable new unsized raw cotton strip and use it. The main function of the basetape is to cover the stitches and protect the sidewalls from chafing against the rim. With something like a Conti Sprinter I'd not bother. It is neither rare nor expensive. Given that a brandnew one costs arond 30 EUROs the repair seems hardly "cost effective". Now repairing the NOS Wolber-- depending, of course, upon which model-- might make a lot more sense. Dugast used to put new treads on tyres-- when he started off he was using a lot of the old Wolber casings. Tyres like the FMBs are afterall reincarnations of the Wolber of old.

Thats my understanding of the term latex too. As you quoted. It coagulates as oposed to polymerises.

Otherwise, like I said I'm no tub expert. I just happened to have a big tub of Barge glue that I'd bought in to use covering a saddle. Then when I had a lose bit of base tape. I checked a bit, then used that and was happy enough.

I see Your point about it being sticky.

My FMBs distorted horribly. They saw a lot of wet riding. Some With road salt in the mix. Plus they were on the bike for ages as my off season is long. But the bike was stored in a warm dry enviroment, and I have no recollection of impacting the sidewalls. Probably a rare occurance. But I've fallen out of love With them. My Challenge seem far more robust for a similar ride, weight etc.

My FMBs distorted horribly. They saw a lot of wet riding. Some With road salt in the mix. Plus they were on the bike for ages as my off

Its too late but you need to cover their sidewalls with latex-- the light foam from some latex milk-- or Aquaseal if you plan to expose them to rain. Cotton is not as prone to water problems as silk but still have the tendency to distort and rot. Road salt is just adding to the problems-- and these days its not just road salt but a mix of salt and sharp little stones..

Continental and some other tyres that use nylon instead of cotton or silk are a bit better with rain but I've still managed to rot my share of Continental Sprinters and Competitions over the past 20+ years.

I bought the FMBs because they were pre coated.

My front was silk though. I don't intentionally ride in rain. Not on my carbon tubulars. So was expecting to last longer.

You make a lot of sense there - now that you point it out putting a lot of work into repairing a pretty standard, used, tyre isn't very logical.

The Wolber is a Champione De France SP1 in possibly 27" (it won't stretch onto a 28" Mavic Reflex, hence the damaged tread). You can see pics here. p.s. Any help in identifying the sizes of the unknowns on there much appreciated!

Slightly strange question here, and not technically for tubulars, but open tubulars.

Out of boredom and tightness I have just "repaired" a Vittoria Open corsa evo SC. It had a small 5mm vertical slice in the sidewall. Amazingly most of the sidewall threads were intact, I seem to have sliced the thin latex/rubber outer. Using just what I had at home...

I used a tyvek type thin material on the inside, coated with a flexible, water resistant contact adhesive and I've glued the cut and also put a park tools patch on the outside...

Is this likely to work?

I don't really care either way cause I wouldn't use the tyre on the front again and I would otherwise bin it but here's hoping!

The Wolber is a Champione De France SP1 in possibly 27" (it won't stretch onto a 28" Mavic Reflex, hence the damaged tread).

27" is what one used to call the size of standard tubulars. It is identical to 700c. There is absolutely no difference in size between tubular tyres marked 27", 28", 600 (one of my old Russian tubulars is labels 600x24) or 700c.

I realize it is confusing. 27" clinchers are, for example, ISO 639 and NOT the same size as 28" or 700c or ISO 622. With tubulars they are the same size!

Any modern tubular tyre will fit on any tubular rim-- even old wooden ones. The ONLY thing that might create problems with older rims-- especially alloy rims-- is the value bore. Some older rims had slightly smaller bores than some modern tyres may provide.

Wolber SP1 was a polyurethane belt-- simular in intended function to today's polyester breakers (the latest and greatest these days being vectran).

The tyre should mount quite nicely on a Mavic Reflex with the usual preperation (pre-stretching etc.) and effort-- I've found the Reflex, in fact, easier than some older Mavic rims like the Monthlery.

I think I meant 26", not 27" i.e. 650. I'm starting to doubt my own thumbs but I really can't get that tyre onto my rims - either the Mavic or my Enve's. Any of the other tyres I have I can pop on pretty easily.

EDIT - or maybe it is just me! - Another attempt and the Conti and one of the Barum Special have stretched on. Do you know anything about Barum, they feel very supple and light? Definitely not training tubs!

I think I meant 26", not 27" i.e. 650

26"/650c Wolber SP1 tubulars were, I think, marked 571. The difference in size between a a 26" and 27" tubular is more than 30mm in diameter so it should be really easy to just figure out the size from its circumference.

I've edited my post...

Do you know anything about Barum, they feel very supple and light? Definitely not training tubs!

Barum was a major ČSSR tyre maker. Their bicycle tyres were pretty popular in the East-Block. Some of their tubular tyres were pretty good and ridden to many a win in the "Peace Race" (their PWB tyre stood for Prag-Warsaw-Berlin) and Olympics. When I first arrived in Europe the Barum G10s were the popular choice for amateurs on a budget. Today neither the ČSSR nor Barum are what they once were. Today Barum is partially owned by Continental AG (which is, in turn, part of Schaeffler) and don't have any bicycle tyres. They make, however, quite a few car tyres sold as Barum-Continental. I think some ex-Barum bicycle tyre people ended up at UFO/TUFO but I'm not wholly sure of the connections as I've heard too many contradictory stories.

Question on Presta (French) valve sizes?

Was looking at the Japanese Hirame heads and see that alongside Presta (6mm hole) and Woods (5mm) they have something called "Race" (HP-313) with a 4mm hole.

Have not noticed any big difference between my Arays 16B Gold and other classic rims. What are the 4mm race? Not used Soyo Gold Stars but I'd not expect their valves to be much different in diamter from most track tyres. Or is it just a issue of the different kinds of Presta variants? My tubular valves seem to vary from 6mm O.D. threaded or unthreaded down to 5mm-- my Soviet tubular has a kind of indent to 4mm (barbed).

That's brilliant, I couldn't find anything when I Googled them. I got these as a job lot from an old shop when it was closing down, unfortunately I missed out on a massive mixed lot of NOS tub rims :(

I am new to the world of tubular wheels. I have recently bought a tubular Wheelset from the 70s. They are Super champion record rims which are 700c with a rim height of 12.3mm,rim width 21.5mm.
What I would like to know is - what type of tyres would you recommend and what are the basics of fitting the tyres and any pitfalls to avoid, Do I need to find vintage tubs to match the vintage rims?
Any help/advice is greatly appreciated or please point me in the right direction of websites which will cover the basics to get me up and running.

I am new to the world of tubular wheels. I have recently bought a tubular Wheelset from the 70s. They are Super champion record rims which are 700c with a rim height of 12.3mm,rim width 21.5mm.

Classic rims. These were later sold as Wolber.

What I would like to know is - what type of tyres would you recommend and what are the basics of fitting the tyres and any pitfalls

Any nice tubular tyre. Loads to choose from.

to avoid, Do I need to find vintage tubs to match the vintage rims?

Any tubular tyre in 27"/28" will fit. Does not matter if it was made yesterday, last year or in 1955

Any help/advice is greatly appreciated or please point me in the right direction of websites which will cover the basics to get me up and running.>

There are loads of guides around... Just do a search.
For example: http://sheldonbrown.com/brandt/mounting-tubulars.html

Thanks for the info and pointers.

Tubasti. Buy this they said everyone is loving this. Went on loverly then when it comes to putting the tyre on. When it contacts it strings and sticks all up the side wall as you position it. Anyone got any tips of cleaning it up abit. Would get away with it with mastik1 or conti. But whitey pink tubasti

After Vittoria Cronos, if anyone has unused spares pls sell 2 me

NFI what the 4th size is (lots of soyos seem to be woods) but here's a pic (bottom right)

It's listed as 'keirin' on alexscycle

Where's the best place to get 2x Vittoria Corsa G+ Tubular Graphene Tyre's fast?

Wiggle has them for £64.99, so less than that for preference!