Fellow Listers: I'm embarrassed to admit that after nearly 9 years of suffering from the vintage lightweight affliction, my latest project will be my first foray into the world of riding tubulars. (I have owned/ridden/raced tubies on our local velodrome, but never have I mustered up the courage to hit the streets of NYC with something that needs to be glued into place...) While there is *plenty* of internet material pertaining to the stretching/gluing/taping/mounting/repairing of tubular tires, my searches for info relating to carrying spares has been relatively fruitless. I'm sure it's been covered in our archives but even there, I couldn't find much help. In fact, many old threads from our list and other forums point to images no longer hosted online or have links that are now defunct, private, etc. I was able to find this one, which is a helpful guide to folding your spare tubular for under-saddle portage:
http://picasaweb.google.com/
My first question is: Can any of you suggest any alternate or improved methods to fold a tire for under-saddle storage? Know of any good (active) links which show step-by-step instructions for folding your spare?
Secondly, it's my understanding that it's a good idea to wrap your spare in a sock/bag/paper to protect the sidewalls from developing tears caused by vibrating and bouncing around under the saddle. Urban myth? Should I just tie the darned thing up in a toe strap and hit the road? Or wrap it up? Do you wrap the entire tire? Any good pics of tires wrapped and stored?
Lastly, my spare is a new tire that I scored at T-Town for 5 bucks...The tires on my bike are glued (not taped) and while I pre-stretched the spare, I did not pre-glue. Is this an important step for a spare? Or can I substitute a tubular tape (Tufo, etc.) for on-the-road repairs? Is it a horrible idea to use a tape as a temp-fix on top of a layer of glue? Or do I need to pre-glue the spare to make it useful in the slightest?
Mattie Bowne
(FINALLY taking the plunge in...)
Brooklyn, NYC