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What tires will fit my mead?

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Information for mounting Robert Dean tires from Wheelmen Facebook:

First, sand the inside of the tire to clean the mold release compound from the tire, then go to your local auto parts store and buy the 3M 08001 YELLOW Super Weatherstrip and Gasket Adhesive Tube (5 oz.). Do NOT get the black, because it does not hold well! Put the tire on the rim, starting at the stem, roll about 8-10" off at a time, squeeze a very thin, no more than 1/8", bead of glue down the center of the rim. Roll that section of the tire back on, and proceed around the rim until you have glue all the way around. Then go around the rim again, without adding any more glue, just roll the tire off and back on a couple of times to help spread the glue and to let it dry (it is a contact adhesive). Air the tire up to about 45-55 psi and you are done! The adhesive is a lacquer based product, so lacquer thinner will take it off your hands, but it also removes most paints, so be careful! Make sure the mold release compound is removed well enough. Wiping the inside of the tire with the thinner might help as well.
 
Do you want tires for display only purposes, for riding short distances, like in a parade, or for riding further?
 
In the long run I want to do 100 mile rides
Then, I don't recommend any of the tires mentioned above. If you want to keep the original rims, the best tires that I have found that are close to the original tire size, 1 1/2" or 38mm is modern sew up cyclo cross tires. They don't look as authentic as the reproduction tires, but they are the best that I have found. THe reproduction tires are far too heavy. Take a look at my Rambler http://www.fattiretrading.com/g&j172.html
 
Then, I don't recommend any of the tires mentioned above. If you want to keep the original rims, the best tires that I have found that are close to the original tire size, 1 1/2" or 38mm is modern sew up cyclo cross tires. They don't look as authentic as the reproduction tires, but they are the best that I have found. THe reproduction tires are far too heavy. Take a look at my Rambler http://www.fattiretrading.com/g&j172.html

Very nice Rambler.
 
Tufo tape vs glue

    1. The unobvious reason is getting the tyre true on the rim and it’s critical for handling/rolling resistance. When you put a jumper on over your Tshirt for example it will pile up and you naturally shake it down straight. Now imagine doing this with glue on your shirt and inside your jumper, you get the picture. This is what happens when gluing a tubular tyre on the rim because the bond starts straight away before you can even it out and even worse when you pull the last bit of the tyre over the rim (usually with substantial force) it creates a lumpy flat spot. This can be easily avoided by using tubular rim tape instead as the backing stays on until you want to pull it out from between the tyre and rim. The benefit with tubular tape over glue is that you can inflate and deflate the tyre while it’s not bonded on the rim which allows it to stretch into it’s natural shape (a bit like straightening your shirt under a jumper). Just like truing a wheel on a stand you not only get the lateral position correct but the roundness can be evened out which is critical for rolling resistance. I’ve shown many pros over the years how lumpy their glued tubs are on a truing stand and not one hasn’t been converted after seeing the difference when taped. You can see our tubular wheels here as well http://www.carbonbikewheels.com.au/carbon-tubulars/


    1. Safety is the main stand out point and over the past 20 years tapes have made ground breaking improvements. Aerospace now use tape over glue and the building industry has been using tape to bond windows on high rise buildings for decades. The peel, sheer & heat rating on tapes is now much stronger than glue and you would wouldn’t last long as a builder if you used a tooth brush to apply glue like most people do with tubulars. For me there are too many variables with the gluing process and tubulars come off even when glued on by pro team mechanics. It’s my mission to provide a safer and easier solution as tubs are the fastest wheels you can ride and want to make them accessible again. I provide a 12 meter roll of super high quality 3M tape at no extra charge with all tubular wheels and happy to send free rolls to anyone wanting to try it. Not one roll will be sold as this is not a money making exercise but a hunt for speed and safety.


  1. Ease of application using tubular tape is just the icing on the cake as it saves time but more importantly it’s not messy like glue with less tools required too. I’ve done an easy to follow demonstration video which is on the page after this one so click here and have a look. The tape is custom designed by me to be safe, fast, light and easy to use as I couldn’t find anything in the market that met the criteria. There is one tape I like but it only comes in 2 meter rolls (does one wheel) and is prohibitively expensive at $18-$39 per roll depending where you buy. My rolls are 12 meters long so you can bond at least six wheels and it come free so you can save anywhere from $60-$120 per tyre to mount in a shop.
    As you’ll see in the mounting video my tubular rims molds are unique and custom designed to have a slightly deeper tyre bed which has a bonding surface increase of about 30-40%. You could say I’m pretty passionate about tubulars as these will be ridden by pro teams in grand tours soon and you will never see one of my tyres roll off like I’ve seen with others before (especially on the track).
 
Tufo tape vs glue

    1. The unobvious reason is getting the tyre true on the rim and it’s critical for handling/rolling resistance. When you put a jumper on over your Tshirt for example it will pile up and you naturally shake it down straight. Now imagine doing this with glue on your shirt and inside your jumper, you get the picture. This is what happens when gluing a tubular tyre on the rim because the bond starts straight away before you can even it out and even worse when you pull the last bit of the tyre over the rim (usually with substantial force) it creates a lumpy flat spot. This can be easily avoided by using tubular rim tape instead as the backing stays on until you want to pull it out from between the tyre and rim. The benefit with tubular tape over glue is that you can inflate and deflate the tyre while it’s not bonded on the rim which allows it to stretch into it’s natural shape (a bit like straightening your shirt under a jumper). Just like truing a wheel on a stand you not only get the lateral position correct but the roundness can be evened out which is critical for rolling resistance. I’ve shown many pros over the years how lumpy their glued tubs are on a truing stand and not one hasn’t been converted after seeing the difference when taped. You can see our tubular wheels here as well http://www.carbonbikewheels.com.au/carbon-tubulars/


    1. Safety is the main stand out point and over the past 20 years tapes have made ground breaking improvements. Aerospace now use tape over glue and the building industry has been using tape to bond windows on high rise buildings for decades. The peel, sheer & heat rating on tapes is now much stronger than glue and you would wouldn’t last long as a builder if you used a tooth brush to apply glue like most people do with tubulars. For me there are too many variables with the gluing process and tubulars come off even when glued on by pro team mechanics. It’s my mission to provide a safer and easier solution as tubs are the fastest wheels you can ride and want to make them accessible again. I provide a 12 meter roll of super high quality 3M tape at no extra charge with all tubular wheels and happy to send free rolls to anyone wanting to try it. Not one roll will be sold as this is not a money making exercise but a hunt for speed and safety.


  1. Ease of application using tubular tape is just the icing on the cake as it saves time but more importantly it’s not messy like glue with less tools required too. I’ve done an easy to follow demonstration video which is on the page after this one so click here and have a look. The tape is custom designed by me to be safe, fast, light and easy to use as I couldn’t find anything in the market that met the criteria. There is one tape I like but it only comes in 2 meter rolls (does one wheel) and is prohibitively expensive at $18-$39 per roll depending where you buy. My rolls are 12 meters long so you can bond at least six wheels and it come free so you can save anywhere from $60-$120 per tyre to mount in a shop.
    As you’ll see in the mounting video my tubular rims molds are unique and custom designed to have a slightly deeper tyre bed which has a bonding surface increase of about 30-40%. You could say I’m pretty passionate about tubulars as these will be ridden by pro teams in grand tours soon and you will never see one of my tyres roll off like I’ve seen with others before (especially on the track).
Who's text did you copy and paste? It looks like you got it from Tufo's website, who are trying to sell tape.
I still use glue.
 
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Here are my 700c Ghisallo wood/carbon fiber rims, laced with WWW.Philwood.Com double-butted stainless steel spokes. The rear hub is a 1901 New Departure Model A and the front hub is a later New Departure Model M. I can’t remember the brand name of the tires. Maybe someone can refresh my memory? I’m using Presta air stem Continental tubes. I like Presta, because you can bolt the stem to the rim, keeping it in correct position....
 
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Who's text did you copy and paste? It looks like you got it from Tufo's website, who are trying to sell tape.
I still use glue.

It’s evident that you didn’t read it and see the Carbon Bikes link! I’m not biased. I posted the pros about Tufo tape. We already see the comments for glue.
The best glue that I’ve used is contact cement for neoprene foam rubber pipe insulation. You can find it at Home Depot.
 
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