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Tub puncture/mid ride replacement questions

by JonMack
Sat, May 15, 2010 23:48
10

I'm riding from Bristol to Bordeaux in a couple of weeks and I'm gonna be riding on my Boardman Pro Carbon Race Prep, which has 404 tubs fitted, i've already had a slow puncture in the rear which I have managed to fix with pit stop, however I'm a bit worried something will happen when I'm in France, and I need some advice.

I bought the bike with the tyres fitted, so I dont know if they're glued or taped.

If they're glued, I assume I could prep a tyre with glue at home before I go, and just pull the old one off, put the new tyre on, pump it up and be on my way, albeit carefully?

If they're taped, what do I do then? Does the tape usually stick to the rim, or does it come off with the tyre? Can I put a preglued tyre onto tape, will it hold okay?

If I was looking to replace my tyres, I'd probably use tape for convenience sake, is there any way I could pre-tape the tyre and fit it at the roadside, but pulling the tape away from the rim side instead, or is that just insanity?

As you can see I'm very new to this tub lark, so any advice would be much appreciated, I've been searching for weeks but have come to no real conclusion.

If you're new please join in and if you have questions pop them below and the forum regulars will answer as best we can.

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10 comments

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Zaskar | 14 years ago
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Went the same with a large, a bike fit will really help-I got mine before I took the bike out from Zero G in Bedminster region of Bristol -with Damon and it was great from the first 38 miles.

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JonMack | 14 years ago
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Just the two for me, a Team Carbon and the Pro Carbon Race Prep.

I chose a Large, which seems to fit me, although I do find myself having the saddle set back a long way to get the "correct" knee/pedal position, which in turn means the reach feels quite long. When I get a chance (and have the money) I'm gonna splash out on a proper bike fit, but for now following the rules of thumb that are around seems to be okay.

Thank you very much for the support, and I really appreciate the donation!

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Zaskar | 14 years ago
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How many Boardmans do your have lol

Chucking a quid or 2 your way (stingey but I find I'm donating to 15 plus charities a month and I'm a stoo-dant)

You're 6ft 1, what size Boardman frame did you choose?

Good luck and enjoy the ride!

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JonMack | 14 years ago
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Haha I am 6ft1 and 65kg, saving weight isn't my priority!

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Fringe | 14 years ago
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get some clinchers and dont have that extra helping at diner time, thats your tubs/clinchers weight saving right there. 4

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JonMack | 14 years ago
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Hey guys, thanks for answering. It's a charity ride for a local Bristol based charity called PROPS, if you fancy being wonderful people then you could sponsor my "team" here.

http://www.justgiving.com/b2bmoresoda

Luckily I have a spare bike so I could take the wheels off that. I really wanna ride the RP though, I just love the way it feels, but in all honesty it does seem like the clinchers will be a better bet, which is a shame, but I'll do some thinking about it this week and make a decision, either way I could do with buying some new tubs anyway purely cos the rear had a puncture which I had to pitstop.

The bikes:

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Zaskar | 14 years ago
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Will you have friends or family driving the route in case you need spares?

Is this a race or a personal 'Tour ride'

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nick_rearden | 14 years ago
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Tricky, JonMack, the clue is in the name 'race prep'. These wheels were intended for races where you've ideally a race service car following or a pit crew standing by with spare wheels. Years ago, when clinchers were heavy'n'horrible, lightweight enthusiasts would carry around spare 'tubs' while training, carefully folded with the opposing sides of the pre-glued tacky base tapes together in as small a package as possible strapped under the saddle with an old Binda toe-strap. Just like toe-straps, however, tubs have pretty much disappeared for general riding because the alternatives have got so much better. To be realistic, you're going to need a decent pair of 'spare' wheels, anyway (you can't really ride around on tubular 404s for general use imho) so I suggest you buy a nice pair of clincher wheels and tyres - maybe even tubeless - and use them for your big ride. With two or even three spare inner tubes packed away neatly you'll almost certainly have no issues. The potential problem of carrying and then trying to find spare tubs - and getting them to stick leaving aside whether you're using glue or tape - is too horrible to think about. Worrying about it would spoil the ride, for me. I guarantee your nice local roadie shop will have something light'n'lovely hanging over the counter. The extremely minor weight penalty will be hardly noticeable but the weight off your mind will be.

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simonmb | 14 years ago
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You'll be a long way from home, so for peace of mind it's probably better to find a clincher-solution to your concerns otherwise I can see it all going horribly wrong and ruining the experience.

By the way, I'm very envious of you for the journey you're about to undertake. Good luck, and have a great time!

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Zaskar | 14 years ago
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I would only use clincher so I could buy tubes or tyres as I ride aborad unless loads of dealers around in France?

If its tubular then it will be stuck onto the rim-I personally don't know what you can do with them other than email the manufacturer, find out your options and go from there.

Once you know your options-find dealers on your route?
Or change your wheels for clinchers.

I have nothing against your wheels, I would just like to be able to change a puncture in a few minutes and not be be broken down.

Please tell me you speak some French too!

Good luck-sounds like a fantastic ride and nice bike!

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