Are my tubs OK?

My Vittoria tubs have started to grow hairy around the rims. They have been used indoors in a velodrome only, and are around 8 years old - having had relatively modest use over that period. Is something bad happening? Should I replace them? Thanks.

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around 8 years old

That's a pretty long time.

I'd be checking the glue was still doing it's job, deflate them and try and roll them off the rim.

There looks to be a bit of a gap between the rim and the base tape so they might have dried out a bit.

Thanks - think these might be taped rather than glued. In any case it is probably time for them to be replaced if 8 is getting on a bit.

think these might be taped rather than glued.

Then they shouldn’t ever have been anywhere near a velodrome.

How would I tell either way?

I reckon it looks glued. Tape is generally tidier, looks like you've put the tyre on the rim to stretch.

Of course, if the tyre's been glued, removed and redone with tape then....?

Thanks - the wheels and tires were brand new and put on by a decent shop so should be OK (rather than re-installed). In any case it sounds like they are due a change. Thanks for the advice.

Rather than start a new thread ... thought I'd add to this one to convert to a general tubular maintenance thread...

Can anyone offer help to sort out some tubs of mine?

It's a long and boring story as to the whys and wherefores... but in essence I'd like the guidance of someone with experience of unstitching/restitching tubs to salvage a tyre in which I've inadvertently damaged the latex inner. TBH they are not removable cores anyway so I'd like to do both, though only one is losing air.

…someone with experience of unstitching/restitching tubs…

Good luck finding someone with that experience that’s young enough to have the eyesight and dexterity to do it anymore.

someone with that experience that’s young enough

hah yeah good point. Might just have to get on with it and see what happens.

I'm OK with a needle

It really is very easy, all you need to be able to do it sew, and fix a puncture. Nowt worse than sewing it up then the patch leaking a day later.

This thread was useful when I started to repair my own, plus watched a couple of Youtube vids.

https://www.lfgss.com/conversations/214663/#comment9614100

Thanks Sam! Will peruse. Good to hear from you.

Yeah I want to replace the inners anyway so I can put some sealant in (I think I may have destroyed one inner with alcohol, trying to clean glue off the sidewalls - that or punctured around the same time i attempted to clean the tyre). Guess I will need to learn how to glue the base tape back on, I gather you use a different cement for that.

And you Ben 🙂

Yep, I’ve used Copydex with no problems. Having a spare rim is very handy for mounting the tyre and inflating while the base tape glue goes off.

Good luck!

I've just looked at OSR's description on mending tubs, and it's pretty good, but 'd like to add a couple of points.

1. After a repair there's often a kink left in the tub because your stitching doesn't quite match the original machine stitching. This can be reduced (or even cured) by marking a series of lines in ink (of any sort) across the original stitching before you start cutting. When you re-sew, these lines should be kept together so that the original shape of the tyre can be retained..

2. When sewing, use a pencil (or similar) to push the tube away from your needle - this will help to avoid sewing the tube to the pocket !

3. Repaired tubs are never going to be as good as new. They are essential as spares and fine for club events, but for that 'special'day when you really hope to do a p.b. or win on road or track, you need perfect tyres.

4. Perfect tyres: preferably silk, but only if it's dry - wet is death to silks! For this reason you need more than one pair of racing wheels.
   Also, do not stick your good tyres on the night before you race - I can't fully explain this, but it seems (from the experience of many other people) that newly fitted tubs are more prone to puncturing. This is another reason for needing more wheels - but they don't need to be fabulously expensive because you will have your best wheels for perfect days and second best for wet and doubtful days.

Finally, going back to the original question, tubs cannot be left indefinitely on the rim without re-glueing. The rim cement eventually dries out and becomes brittle - therefore the tubs need removing and re- cementing every so often. One year may be ok, but beyond that they need attention. Remember also that it's no good having the base tape stuck to the rim if the base tape isn't stuck to the tub!