Saturday, May 26, 2012

Bicycle Maintenance | Removing Tubular Tires

I've had these Continental Sprinter tubular tires on my Easton EC90 TKO track wheelset since February 2011. Not knowing how to glue tires I took them to a bike shop in Manhattan, New York, where they were glued all wrong. The rear tire had the biggest, most ridiculous hop and wobble. I felt like I was rolling on a square tire. Plus it took 6 weeks to finish a glue job on brand new tires and wheels. In case you were wondering, the wheels were true as a whistle when I received them and still are today without ever having to true them. You should always check even when they're new. Having worked at a bike shop I can say you'll be surprised how many wheelsets are out of true right out of the box.

With track racing season over and winter approaching I figure now would be a good time to remove my old tubular tires. The saying goes, "If you want something done right, you gotta do it yourself." So here's how it's going so far.


Remove Continental Sprinter tires from Easton EC90 TKO tubular track wheels
Make sure you have a tire lever handy. Some people use a screwdriver which may be fine on an aluminum rim, but I recommend using a plastic lever to avoid damaging your wheel especially if it's carbon.

Removing tubular tires from Easton EC90 TKO track wheelset
There's usually a bit more glue holding the area around the valve stem down so it will be harder to get off. Start at the end opposite the valve stem. It'll be easier to remove without damaging your stem. Use your thumbs on one small section to get one side to pull away from the rim. Then do the same on the other side. Try to start with a starved joint (area where inadequate amount of glue was applied). As you wrestle with the tire, be sure not to squeeze the sidewall of the rim too hard. The sides of tall aero rims are super thin and you can easily crack them by applying too much finger/thumb pressure.
Once you've managed to open a clear gap between the tire and rim, grab your tire lever and stick it in there.
Use your tire lever to pry the tire away from the rim. Be patient and work one small section at a time to avoid damaging the tire casing. More importantly, you don't want to rip layers of carbon away from the rim.

Once you've opened up a gap big enough to get your hand through comfortably, get a good grip and start pulling the tire off the rim carefully.

Removing old glue from tubular wheel and rim
After removing the tubular tire, inspect your rim to make sure no damage has been done. Since this wheelset has been through a year of summer racing and winter training in New York, you'll notice the remaining glue has been contaminated with dirt and grime. I always recommend removing all the old glue before glueing new tires anyway. Stay tuned for a future post on how to glue tubular tires.
   

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Beat Radio | New York Bands

Beat Radio performs live music at Webster Hall in New York City
If I had a convertible I would be blasting the new track "Strange Harmonies" by Beat Radio - one of my favorite New York bands.