Carbon rims are growing in popularity, driven by better production methods and demand from the pros for lighter and faster wheels. Many of the latest carbon wheels require the use of tubular tyres though, (although there are a few one-piece carbon clincher rims becoming available), so it’s necessary to know how to fit tubs.
The arrival of a pair of carbon tub wheels into the RCUK office offered a convenient opportunity to demonstrate the process of fitting tub tyres. In case you were wondering…
 Tufo double-sided tub tape fresh from the box. Several versions and widths are available, this is the ‘Extreme’, labelled as being ideal for carbon rims |
 It doesn’t get much simpler than this. The tape is labelled for easy identification |
 Starting at the valve, peel away the plastic backing tape on the side to the rim as you apply the tape |
 Once you’ve worked around the wheel, remove the excess and leave a short length of the tyre-side tape sticking out of the side |
 Before fitting the tyre, ensure the tape is firmly pressed into place on the rim |
 Place the tyre back on the wheel, inflate a little then, having ensured the tyre is sitting in the rim nicely centred all round, remove the remaining protective wrapping by pulling on the bit you left sticking out |
 There you have it, done. Once the protective wrap is fully removed, inflate to 100psi and, to ensure the tyre is making a good contact with the tape and rim, apply some pressure evenly. Leave overnight to let the glue dry, then ride. |
