I've got to say that your run through of your process is beyond anything else I have seen on youtube. It's down to earth, practical and it absolutely works for me, so far. I bought a high end cross bike several years back and although I don't race, and just use it for indoor training, it needed a rear tire replaced on Easton EC90 rims. My local bike shop would not do a reglue or whatever because the labor would have been over the top. So, I started in on my own. It's a used bike from 2012 or so and I have grown to really cherish it. Well, as a former house painter and contractor, who learned his craft prepping and finishing San Francisco Victorians, I'm no stranger to solvents and painstaking steps preparing surfaces, and your tip about using the Naptha product has proven to be right on the mark. I only have a few stubborn areas of really hardened glue to remove and I'm waiting to receive the Vittoria glue and a new tubular tire, along with the proprietary Vittoria valves. I very much admire your careful and patient journeyman approach to the task and hope that my first attempt at getting the tire to adhere to the deep rim will be successful. However, I have a very strong feeling that the advice that you provide will give me some great results. I also do like the fact that you've provided me with the confidence to go in deeper in order to see all the details that seem to surround this unpopular art. Thank you !
I like the Effetto Mariposa stuff for cleaning up my less than perfect tire installations (keeping rim brake surfaces super clean) as well as cleaning up rims and frames from sticker residue. I really like how it has almost zero harsh smell going on which is helpful when working in a crowded service department. Also, it isn't hard on painted surfaces or decals. I haven't yet used it for a complete removal of rim glue so this info is really helpful going forward. Your content roooolz because I really love tubies! Keep em coming. Thanks!
Rob, great stuff. I am a proponent of Effeto Mariposa tape. I use it on my cross wheels. Yes, they have popped off in races but that was due to them being in wet environments over time. The key to the product is making sure to aqua seal the sidewalls and keeping a close eye on them, looking for spots of weakness.
Thanks for some great no bs content. It would be interesting to hear your thoughts on Vittoria Mastik Pro. It's supposed to be water soluble but when I used it that would appear to not be the case. Any tips on how to clean it up would be much appreciated.
These are all very helpful For glue removal - it would be excellent if you could film what the rim looks like, reasonably close-up, at each step of the process, with a timer going, so we know what we should be able to achieve with each step. Question, what do you think about heat guns?
Very well explained and interesting topics But as a suggestion for improvement: Noisy machines in the background are not so conducive to good sound quality.
Removing old tubular glue is by far the worst part of running tubular tires. Gluing them up and mounting them is a breeze. Tubulars are worth the effort if one wants the best possible balance of ride quality and performance.
Two questions. 1. I can’t find VM&P naphtha anywhere, I’m in Canada. Is regular naphtha the same? 2. You mentioned the 3M pad. Can you give more details (item info or UPC) My wheels have a lot of glue to remove and I am having no luck trying to manually remove.
Regular naphtha is technically not the same. VM&P (Varnish Makers & Paint) is more refined and less apt to leave behind any oils of its own. Regular naphtha is sometimes also referred to as white gas. I do not know how it would be distributed in Canada or what it would be sold as but check with a paint store. On the other part - it’s just a nylon mesh abrasive wheel on an arbor that we use. I find removal methods I use can change depending on the state of the wheel and glue. Best but longest to do is just a hair dryer on high or heat gun on super low to soften the glue then metal tire lever to scrape it off. If using a heat gun be extremely careful if on a carbon wheel. Excessive heat will destroy the wheel or weaken it to the point where it can fail in use.
You stated that Naphtha is safe to use on carbon. I have a HED 3 carbon wheel with a high gloss finish, will VM&P Naphtha eat away at the gloss finish? Thanks
Apologies on the slow reply but no it won't. I have never seen it damage any finish. FWIW - most carbon has paint and a clear coat on it. I have never seen it remove either.
I was peeling a Vittoria Rally with Mastik One off of my rim when it pulled up a layer of carbon off of the rim bed. It looks like a single layer. Have you encountered this before / know of any fixes?
Aiden Reuter yes. You want to limit it as much as possible but in the end it’s really not going to do much. The tubular rim bed design is immensely more durable than clincher setups. Of course YMMV.
Why not invent a double sided tape so that the tire glues to that tape that also glues to the rim. This way you can peel off the tire and peel off the tape for adding a new tape and tire. Excellent video by the way.
Danfuerth Gillis they have it Effetto Mariposa tape is that way. Some tapes work OK if they are done correctly but in general the tapes aren’t nearly as good as a good glue job.
PSIMET Thanks I watched a few videos on that tape and it clearly will not be affective as real glue on the rim sadly. However a tire with a track that would mate with a bead track on the rim could solve this problem and not require any glue at all. This would be the next invention that could solve many issues with safety and time.
I know how meticulous you are so I am somewhat incredulous on hearing you say it normally takes me 10-15 minutes to clean a wheel (like this) with naphtha. It has never taken me 10-15 minutes to clean any tubular rim with naphtha, Goof Off, or acetone -- more like 45-60 minutes per wheel. I have been using Carogna tape and remover for the past 2-3 years and I like both products very much. The remover works so much better and easier than anything else I've used since the 1970s. Regarding cleaning the remover out of the spoke holes, I had to clean acetone or Goof Off soaked glue out of the spoke holes using my past methods of cleaning so the is no process delta for me. I probably was doing it wrong for decades though. Regarding the Carogna tape, it is so much easier and faster than glue that I will never use glue again except on my track tubulars. Removing a tire from a rim where I have used tape is as difficult or harder than when I used glue. I also found that the tape does not seem to dry out, as glue does, over the course of two seasons. YMMV. :-)
Yeah it takes longer for sure. I do these in single takes. For some reason it felt right to imply it doesn't take long but it does. These though are narrow rims with little to no actual glue left on them. Really old and really dried out. One was a track set of 19's that were "Atlanta Gold" tires. I probably could have cleaned them with Rubbing alcohol. I will say the remover made even the thick parts lick soft mush. Since filming I have had to wipe them, scrape them, and then finish them with naptha then clean out the spoke holes. It's taken way more than 15 minutes per wheel.
I've got to say that your run through of your process is beyond anything else I have seen on youtube. It's down to earth, practical and it absolutely works for me, so far. I bought a high end cross bike several years back and although I don't race, and just use it for indoor training, it needed a rear tire replaced on Easton EC90 rims. My local bike shop would not do a reglue or whatever because the labor would have been over the top. So, I started in on my own. It's a used bike from 2012 or so and I have grown to really cherish it. Well, as a former house painter and contractor, who learned his craft prepping and finishing San Francisco Victorians, I'm no stranger to solvents and painstaking steps preparing surfaces, and your tip about using the Naptha product has proven to be right on the mark. I only have a few stubborn areas of really hardened glue to remove and I'm waiting to receive the Vittoria glue and a new tubular tire, along with the proprietary Vittoria valves. I very much admire your careful and patient journeyman approach to the task and hope that my first attempt at getting the tire to adhere to the deep rim will be successful. However, I have a very strong feeling that the advice that you provide will give me some great results. I also do like the fact that you've provided me with the confidence to go in deeper in order to see all the details that seem to surround this unpopular art. Thank you !
Good video. I am taking glue off my carbon rims now with MucOff Glue & Sealant Remover. This stuff works great! Give it a go.
Yes me too fantastic product
I like the Effetto Mariposa stuff for cleaning up my less than perfect tire installations (keeping rim brake surfaces super clean) as well as cleaning up rims and frames from sticker residue. I really like how it has almost zero harsh smell going on which is helpful when working in a crowded service department. Also, it isn't hard on painted surfaces or decals. I haven't yet used it for a complete removal of rim glue so this info is really helpful going forward. Your content roooolz because I really love tubies! Keep em coming. Thanks!
Rob, great stuff. I am a proponent of Effeto Mariposa tape. I use it on my cross wheels. Yes, they have popped off in races but that was due to them being in wet environments over time. The key to the product is making sure to aqua seal the sidewalls and keeping a close eye on them, looking for spots of weakness.
Thanks for some great no bs content. It would be interesting to hear your thoughts on Vittoria Mastik Pro. It's supposed to be water soluble but when I used it that would appear to not be the case. Any tips on how to clean it up would be much appreciated.
These are all very helpful For glue removal - it would be excellent if you could film what the rim looks like, reasonably close-up, at each step of the process, with a timer going, so we know what we should be able to achieve with each step.
Question, what do you think about heat guns?
wish you were here in FL. I had it so good when I lived in dundee.
Hey...I know THAT guy! Why did I find this as I am about to glue my disc for track season? See ya soon! ~Jared
it was always some of the highest honor to be heckled by him in cross
have you heard about dry ice blasting?
Very well explained and interesting topics
But as a suggestion for improvement: Noisy machines in the background are not so conducive to good sound quality.
Removing old tubular glue is by far the worst part of running tubular tires. Gluing them up and mounting them is a breeze. Tubulars are worth the effort if one wants the best possible balance of ride quality and performance.
Two questions. 1. I can’t find VM&P naphtha anywhere, I’m in Canada. Is regular naphtha the same? 2. You mentioned the 3M pad. Can you give more details (item info or UPC) My wheels have a lot of glue to remove and I am having no luck trying to manually remove.
Regular naphtha is technically not the same. VM&P (Varnish Makers & Paint) is more refined and less apt to leave behind any oils of its own. Regular naphtha is sometimes also referred to as white gas. I do not know how it would be distributed in Canada or what it would be sold as but check with a paint store.
On the other part - it’s just a nylon mesh abrasive wheel on an arbor that we use.
I find removal methods I use can change depending on the state of the wheel and glue. Best but longest to do is just a hair dryer on high or heat gun on super low to soften the glue then metal tire lever to scrape it off. If using a heat gun be extremely careful if on a carbon wheel. Excessive heat will destroy the wheel or weaken it to the point where it can fail in use.
You stated that Naphtha is safe to use on carbon. I have a HED 3 carbon wheel with a high gloss finish, will VM&P Naphtha eat away at the gloss finish? Thanks
Apologies on the slow reply but no it won't. I have never seen it damage any finish. FWIW - most carbon has paint and a clear coat on it. I have never seen it remove either.
What brand is the support where you have the wheel rim placed?
That is a Park TS2 truing stand with the caliper and caliper arm removed.
VM&P Naptha is not available in UK so this Remover looks just fine
I was peeling a Vittoria Rally with Mastik One off of my rim when it pulled up a layer of carbon off of the rim bed. It looks like a single layer. Have you encountered this before / know of any fixes?
Aiden Reuter yes. You want to limit it as much as possible but in the end it’s really not going to do much. The tubular rim bed design is immensely more durable than clincher setups. Of course YMMV.
PSIMET the man with the answers! Thank you for all your videos.
Why not invent a double sided tape so that the tire glues to that tape that also glues to the rim. This way you can peel off the tire and peel off the tape for adding a new tape and tire. Excellent video by the way.
Danfuerth Gillis they have it Effetto Mariposa tape is that way. Some tapes work OK if they are done correctly but in general the tapes aren’t nearly as good as a good glue job.
PSIMET Thanks I watched a few videos on that tape and it clearly will not be affective as real glue on the rim sadly. However a tire with a track that would mate with a bead track on the rim could solve this problem and not require any glue at all. This would be the next invention that could solve many issues with safety and time.
I know how meticulous you are so I am somewhat incredulous on hearing you say it normally takes me 10-15 minutes to clean a wheel (like this) with naphtha. It has never taken me 10-15 minutes to clean any tubular rim with naphtha, Goof Off, or acetone -- more like 45-60 minutes per wheel. I have been using Carogna tape and remover for the past 2-3 years and I like both products very much. The remover works so much better and easier than anything else I've used since the 1970s.
Regarding cleaning the remover out of the spoke holes, I had to clean acetone or Goof Off soaked glue out of the spoke holes using my past methods of cleaning so the is no process delta for me. I probably was doing it wrong for decades though.
Regarding the Carogna tape, it is so much easier and faster than glue that I will never use glue again except on my track tubulars. Removing a tire from a rim where I have used tape is as difficult or harder than when I used glue. I also found that the tape does not seem to dry out, as glue does, over the course of two seasons.
YMMV. :-)
Yeah it takes longer for sure. I do these in single takes. For some reason it felt right to imply it doesn't take long but it does.
These though are narrow rims with little to no actual glue left on them. Really old and really dried out. One was a track set of 19's that were "Atlanta Gold" tires. I probably could have cleaned them with Rubbing alcohol.
I will say the remover made even the thick parts lick soft mush. Since filming I have had to wipe them, scrape them, and then finish them with naptha then clean out the spoke holes. It's taken way more than 15 minutes per wheel.
Acetone is note safe for carbon...
I get thick glue off with a half round course file for starters. Be careful!
This is boss 👊