punctured tubbie repair/replace

[desmondalie]

i've been riding with tubbies for a couple of months now and got my first puncture today. Complements to Stan's sealant, it stopped the puncture in seconds. even after the ride its still not leaking. my question now is whether i should replace it, fix it or just keep on using it as is. I dont want to take chances on the Argus next week, but also dont want to spend R800.

[TNT1]

fix it yourself.

[desmondalie]

rather not, i am not very good with this kind of thing. I guess it means i need to buy a new one.

[The_Break]

My 2C (only cause I ride tubbies and can only afford 2C worth):

 

1) Repaired tubbies sometimes have a small bump, bump effect, so if you can live with that then cool.

2) I doubt any shop will repair it for you. They wanna sell you another one.

3) If you wanna train and race on tubbies and don't mind changing between then get yourself 2 Continental Giro training tubbies. Dirt cheap and touugh as nails. Otherwise fix and train on your fix ones.

4) Is there any real benefit in riding the tubbies if you fill it with sealant. You can rather buy yourself some Vittoria Pro Diamante Lights or Corsa Evo CX and race clinchers cause they pump to 10bar and you can fix the flat. Either way, if you are on the level where tubbies are doing it for you then getting a flat with them is bad anyhow unless you riding with a backup vehicle and can get back on bunch quickly.

 

Personally, I ride tubbies, been lucky to have only 1 puncture in 2 years, but by them on the net and they are nearly 1/2 - 2/3 of the price. I guess the cost of a racing clincher.

[slowtwitch]

Fix them...ok can someone go throught the process of HOW TO FIX A TUBBIE (I understand this is not really done these days anymore)

[desmondalie]

i went through the pros and cons of tubbies versus clincher and yes i think tubbies is worth it even with sealant. My wheels weigh under 1.2 kg, so even with sealant they are lighter than the lightest clinchers. not sure however if using sealant influences thr rolling resistance, but still it feels better than riding clinchers.

[wisecrack]

Went out with my Zipp 404 tubbies yesterday don't know if it was the wheels or what ,but won my group race and came 3rd overall

 

One thing is for certain I am more aware of puncturing and the consequences like having to walk home.

 

Now to decide race my tubbies come the Argus, puncture and not finish at all or rather ride my clinchers and at least finish my first one.

 

[turtlek]

Desmond put a bit more sealant in them and go race again my suggestion for on the road though is a sealant called flat fix and works on most latex tubulars dont know what other makes there are but it is a pressurised canister of sealant that pumps your tire and seals punctures at the same time ask at your LBS they will be able to help you or go through to the vittoria stand at argus expo they have a similar product!!

[HOPC]

how does someone fix a tubbie? i punctured mine the other day and replaced it but i want to fix the one that punctured and keepit as a spare.

[Minion]

This is the kind of stuff that Turtlek is talking about:

http://www.bikesportmichigan.com/reviews/Vittoria-Pit-Stop.shtml

 

Be careful which sealant you use, though. I believe (but am open to correction) that latex sealant will not work properly on butyl tubes; likewise for butyl/rubber sealant in latex tubes.

 

I'm a firm believer in sealant. The extra 25g or so gained per wheel is almost insignificant, especially when compared to the benefits of having sealant.

I have found at least two holes in my tubulars that would have caused punctures were it not for the sealant.

 

The only thing that might stop me riding my 404 tubbies at the Argus is the wind. Otherwise I'm not much more worried about punctures than if I were riding clinchers.

 

[Minion]

 

how does someone fix a tubbie? i punctured mine the other day and replaced it but i want to fix the one that punctured and keepit as a spare.

You unstitch it, patch the tube and sew it up again.

I found a really nice pictorial article, but forgot to bookmark it. I also found this page that gives a description of the procedure:

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/brandt/tubular-repair.html

 

This procedure won't work with GP4000 tubbies since the tyres are not sewn up, but glued in some special way. If you puncture one of those, it looks like you've got no choice but to replace it.

 

[turtlek]

HOPC i just sent you a pm explaining how to fix one hope it helps you and if it doesnt give me a call if you need clarification

[turtlek]

 

how does someone fix a tubbie? i punctured mine the other day and replaced it but i want to fix the one that punctured and keepit as a spare.

You unstitch it' date=' patch the tube and sew it up again. I found a really nice pictorial article, but forgot to bookmark it. I also found this page that gives a description of the procedure:http://www.sheldonbrown.com/brandt/tubular-repair.htmlThis procedure won't work with GP4000 tubbies since the tyres are not sewn up, but glued in some special way. If you puncture one of those, it looks like you've got no choice but to replace it.[/quote']

 

 

 

Edman the GP4000 tubbies are easier to repair than we originally thought

 

 

 

one of my buddies punctured a GP4000 and was not going to replace it because of the cost... so it took us two afternoons to work out how to glue it back but it was not exactly round because the hair dryer cant heat the glue to the right temperature so that the casing melts to it long story short he now uses joes in it and carries flat fix

[Minion]

 

 

 

Edman the GP4000 tubbies are easier to repair than we originally thought

 

 

 

one of my buddies punctured a GP4000 and was not going to replace it because of the cost... so it took us two afternoons to work out how to glue it back but it was not exactly round because the hair dryer cant heat the glue to the right temperature so that the casing melts to it long story short he now uses joes in it and carries flat fix

That's good to hear - it adds another tyre option. I reckon you could use one of those heat guns that they use for paint stripping instead of a hair dryer.

 

[turtlek]

 

 

Edman the GP4000 tubbies are easier to repair than we originally thought

 

 

 

one of my buddies punctured a GP4000 and was not going to replace it because of the cost... so it took us two afternoons to work out how to glue it back but it was not exactly round because the hair dryer cant heat the glue to the right temperature so that the casing melts to it long story short he now uses joes in it and carries flat fix

That's good to hear - it adds another tyre option. I reckon you could use one of those heat guns that they use for paint stripping instead of a hair dryer.

 

 

 

You could but when you really want your sister to move out sooner rather than later her hair dryer works just as well