How to Glue a Cyclocross Tubular Tire with the Belgian Tape Method

[@theriver8524]

Very important info, thanks so much for posting how to do this properly!

[@robertluttrell1958]

Thanks for the vid. I'll be gluing mine this weekend. As much glue and acetone exposure as you have, I'd recommend a good respirator. Gotta keep those lungs and brains healthy!

[@oswaldotte6936]

I have the same experience with Challenge tires. After mounting them, they are 99% straight. Just mounted a set of Schwalbe Racing Ralph and they were wobbly all over the place. After I finally got the thread centered, the basetape is showing 4mm on 1 side, and not showing on the other side... I'll probably go back to Challenge once the Schwalbe wear out.

[@JMcLeodKC711]

So why the glue and the tape?

[@grantwiersum7394]

Bob Ross for fans of cross. Happy little tubies.

[@politicscultureandsomeothe9868]

Fantastic video, love it. Got to mount a couple of tubs before next week. Going to try this method.

[@londonpickering8675]

Oddly satisfying. Thanks for posting.

[@vaibhavtlv6458]

My challenge tyre doesn't hold any air when inflating prior to mounting it. It leaks from the base of the valve. It's the case for both tires. Are they faulty or am I doing something wrong?

[@emyrdavies5295]

Great video, really helpful! Thanks.

[@tomdegraan998]

Thanks for this. What are your thoughts on the new effete mariposa tape?

[@tom2b99]

Great video, what do you think is the best method of sealing sidewalks from moisture, I'm using dugast typhoons

[@solidstream13]

So why is it so many folks say let the glue dry overnight before the next coat?

[@archimboldi2545]

Don't know mate - Drying O/N is the way I've always done it, but I double punctured at the start of last season and had to get new tubs on in short order for the next race. Used this guy's method, one hit, done, and they were absolutely fine all winter. Maybe the tape is doing most of the work and the glue just adds 10-20% or something like that?

[@themeatpopsicle]

traditions die hard, technological advancement dgaf tho

[@CXNationTV]

Hey Silas, What kind of table is that yellow one in this video? I have been looking for a good one for mobile service. Thanks.

[@ibramguirguis]

So why the glue and the tape? why so many layers of glue then tape then glue ? is the tire going to escape the race ?

[@jackand100others3]

It's a method so the tire bonds to the tape and the tape to the rim and they say it's a strong bond that will hold the tire pretty well to the wheel even when the tires have low air pressure. The many layers of glue to the rim and to the tire is because the glue sticks very well to itself so the more you have the better It will hold from the tire rolling off the rim

[@Oldfatguy60]

Great Video - thanks for posting. - Is there any difference between the Cx tape and Belgian tape? - Will the tires stay on the rim for a few years or should they be reglued every season? (I'm cat 4 old guy and race 10-12 x per year).

[@santh9177]

Frank, the CX tape is just one form of Belgian tape. There are many variations that I have seen and worked with. The best type I know of comes from Belgium, it is the original Belgian tape...hence the name. However, it is very hard to get and is expensive. The CX tape is the next best things in my opinion. Seems to work very well. In terms of how long it will stay on the rim...there is no definitive answer. It depends on factors such as how well it is glued on, what type of tire, how many races you do, what types of conditions you race the tire in (mud, snow, etc), and how you care for the tire (cleaning and drying after a race, not storing it damp). If you take good care of it and its glued on well, you should be able to get 2 seasons. But there are no guarantees. You should regularly check your tire but putting a little air in it and using your thumbs to try to push it off the rim (not too hard) so that you can see if any areas of coming undone. Honestly, it's usually the base tape of the tire itself that starts to come undone from the casing and not the glue that fails (assuming the glue job is done well). If you are using any tire with a cotton casing (Dugast, Challenge Team Editions) definitely Aquaseal the side walls for durability and longevity.

[@Oldfatguy60]

S Anth Silas Thanks for your response and for specific suggestions - I will use them going fwd. I watched your video multiple times, mustered up the confidence, and had great success gluing a set of Clements on my wheels. I only had one minute or so of panic as I realized I hadn't stretched the tire enough upon initial install, and I started having a helluva time with the final fit. Fortunately, the glue was still setting up, and I was able to make adjustments as I checked alignment. All turned out well. Thanks again...now just to work on my skills, put my tires to work and stay upright on race day!

[@Oldfatguy60]

HI Silas, The tires have held up great but unfortunately one of them has failed at the Stem and now needs to be replaced. I pulled the tire off (what a bear!) and am left with a strip of CX tape on the rim. The tire base tape came off cleanly as did most of the tubular glue. - do I just glue right over the CX tape that's there? - if you recommend pulling it off, what's the best method to get that CX tape off? thanks again for the Video. Method is solid ... as evidenced by my effort to get a damaged tire off the rim!

[@mrnormalnormal]

So did you find out if you can leave old tape on or not?

[@diehardbikes]

​@santh9177 hey Silas Are you able to leave the tape on the rim when the time comes to reglue a tire, and how do you remove tape or glue from the tire if that is the case? I recently had to reglue an Enve CX rim to a Challenge Baby Limus Team Edition, and while I did end up removing the CX tape, it was extremely difficult and a heavy task. I never did remove the glue/small bits of tape on the tire, remounted it, and raced a full season on it since. But I now have 4 sets of wheels to reglue for this season. How should I go about this?

[@Chitown388]

it is much longer to swap a tubular tire properly vs to change an inner tube. if swapping out a tubular tire without the tedious gluing, you can only limp to your destination vs. good-as-new with a new inner tube.

[@solidstream13]

Nhat Tran if they were the same they would not go thru this trouble. Tubulars are far superior in most respects for cross. They are nearly impossible to pinch flat at lower pressures. Perform better at lower pressures and both wheel and tires are far lighter weight. Give them a try. You don't need to glue them on very often and it's not too big of a deal

[@HH60gPaveHawk]

If you’re racing cross, this is irrelevant, you just shoulder your bike to the pit and swap wheels/bikes. If it’s on the road, you take a pre glued spare (longer is debatable, a good rider can change a tubular just as fast as a clincher) and can certainly finish your ride, it just won’t be at a blazing pace. But unless you regularly ride through terrible neighborhoods your flats per decade can probably be counted on one hand (I’m at 1 in two years of steady riding so far), and I’ll take the feel and general awesomeness of weight savings from tubulars for an inconvenience 5 days a decade

[@STRASSENPROVOKANT]

what is that for a workstand? the brand seems like "feedback" ?

[@marottajoe]

Would you recommend this method for roadies?

[@erikvanlaar8110]

Doesn't this method make the bond of the tape to the glue more important than the tyre to the glue? The forces with low pressure and speed in corners comes on the tyre.

[@santh9177]

Erik, good question but I don't think so. As long as you put two solid layers of glue on the tire and let it soak in and dry for a bit the bond of the glue to tire should be plenty. The tape is just sandwiched between all the layers of glue and mixes with the glue to form a really strong bond between the tire and rim. The tires I glue for the Cannondale/Cyclocrossworld team are definitely on the rim securely. Trust me, it's a good 20 minute workout just to get on off sometimes!

[@erikvanlaar8110]

Sounds good, I am gonna try! Thanks

[@galehess6676]

+S Anth Thanks for the vid! The Gale Hess trick to removal lol is take a utility blade and cut the tubie perpendicular to the direction of travel. Cut across the rim, gently cut through the layers, avoiding anything but the lightest touch on the Belgian tape, so as to not damage a carbon rim. Then, just pull the loose end at 180 degrees to the rim bed, basically pulling it back on itself, so the tread you are pulling on touches the tread you are about to remove. Bam. I enjoy the ritual of gluing up. It's weird, it's tricky, people have been doing it for decades and it results in a better road and cross ride. Mastik tests stronger than other glues, use glue outside and with a respirator for good measure (if you're doing more than a set of tires...) Tufo tape is known to fail and put people in the hospital, can mount on clean swept concrete so rim doesn't get cardboard on it.

[@barneybaxter4671]

How long after glueing before they are race ready?

[@santh9177]

Barney, I usually don't let anyone ride them for 24 hours. I usually prefer 48 hours, but if the team needs the wheels than 24 hrs is the minimum.

[@barneybaxter4671]

Thanks for your help

[@mkoschara]

Thanks!

[@digires]

So you don't see a need to wait a day between coats of glue?

[@Oldfatguy60]

Silas answers that very question (time 5:12 of video)

[@digires]

+Frank O'Brien So he does. Caught that on my second viewing. I did this method on Saturday, and am looking forward to testing at this weekend's race. Now to figure out how to get the glue tape and mastik remnants off of my sidewall...

[@Oldfatguy60]

+John Graham ...yeah, this job can be messy. I used green painters tape on the rims before I started and that seemed to help. The rest I rubbed off or used a rag with acetone. Good luck at the races... my wheels are now solid and now I have to figure out how to move thru the bunch!

[@solidstream13]

John Graham use acetone

[@finarollerz]

How do you clean all the glue back off?

[@manuelluis5456]

Acetone

[@sufyansaleem9771]

What kind of brush do they you use?

[@michaelmorriss2081]

Acid brush

[@RoadGravelBike]

Is it weird that I watch this as therapy?

[@ewanrosni1047]

No it's a good thing for relaxation, I'm suffering from anxiety panic attack and I'm watching this kinda learning thingy

[@aaron___6014]

Why glue and tape?

[@manuelluis5456]

The wheels have no SIDE walls to old the tyres sideways .

[@manuelluis5456]

ERRATUM : To hold ( as in grip, or to grab) not "to old".

[@Chitown388]

clincher is the way to go. This is way too messy and it takes too much time. Furthermore, it is a big inconvenience if you get a flat on the road.

[@fiddleronthebike]

+Chitown388 but tubs are way way better, especially for cyclocross. There is no difference in inconvenience if you get a flat with clinchers or with tubs - but you get far less flats with tubs, even with much lower pressure (which means more grip)

[@solidstream13]

Nhat Tran they are not riding on the road, They are on a cyclocross coarse. Also this is a pro team and it's his job to do this. They are far superior to clinchers. They are only messy if you are not experienced. Really not that big of a deal if you are looking for the best performance.

[@silasanthony9592]

Nhat Tran clinchers are obviously 1000x more convenient, but the ride quality and performance is 1000x worse. For a serious cx racer it’s worth the headache of glueing fir sure

[@timvanlathem9945]

why is it called "Belgian tape"?

[@HH60gPaveHawk]

Uhhh cuz the gods of cyclocross (aka Belgians) came up with it?

[@antoniobersani9751]

Why glue and tape???????? It's crazy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@HH60gPaveHawk]

Antonio Bersani not for cross it’s not. Belgian tape isn’t a super sticky lazy man’s glue replacement like the Tufo garbage, it bonds with the glue and builds up the rim profile a little (so the experts say) to improve cross wide tire profile

[@richardmiddleton7770]

No point in the tape aswell as glue unless you need to fill a particularly deep internal rim diameter. Both the glue and rim tape are not designed to stick to each other. Also allowing the glue to dry at least 6 hours between coats means less time to wait after mounting the tyre and gives better adhesion.

[@henriks5008]

A ton of air? Smart remark!!!

[@rolandbachi6880]

Kommische Montage!