How to fit tubular tires

A tubular tire has the inner tube sewn directly inside the tire casing — the whole assembly is a single sealed unit (a torus). It's then glued or taped to a dedicated tubular rim rather than hooking onto a bead like a clincher. This construction allows very low pressures without pinch flat risk, enables a lighter overall assembly, and delivers ride characteristics valued in road and cyclocross racing. The complexity is that when a tubular flats, the entire tire must be replaced — it can't be repaired at the roadside in the way a tubed clincher can.

Both are used by professionals with good results. Glue provides a very strong bond and is the traditional method — it requires multiple thin layers applied to the rim and the tire's base tape, with each layer allowed to cure before the next. Tape is faster and cleaner to apply and makes future tire removal and rim cleaning easier. For consistent high-level competition use, many riders and mechanics prefer glue for its ultimate bond strength. For training and occasional racing, tape is a practical alternative. Whichever you use, follow the specific product instructions carefully — a poorly bonded tubular that rolls off the rim at speed is dangerous.

Stretching a new tubular before bonding helps it conform to the rim shape and reveals any manufacturing issues. Mount the tire on the rim without glue or tape, inflate to near operating pressure, and leave for at least 24 hours. This pre-stretch makes the final fitting easier and more precise. For new tubular tires, Michelin also recommends inflating and leaving for 24 hours before use to allow manufacturing solvents to fully evaporate from the casing.

The process is much faster than it sounds with practice. The failed tire is pulled off the rim (the bond holds until you physically pull it off with some force). A pre-mounted spare tubular — kept in a jersey pocket, saddlebag, or carried by a support vehicle — is stretched onto the rim by hand, centered, and pumped to a reasonable pressure using a CO2 inflator. The bond from the old glue or tape residue is sufficient to hold the tire for riding back to safety. The tire is not race-secure at this point — a proper bond should be applied when back at the service area.

For a full professional fitting: tubular glue or tubular tape, a brush for applying glue (if using glue), a clean cloth for rim preparation, a pump, and patience for the curing time. For a training or emergency spare: a pre-stretched tubular tire mounted on a rim or folded with a light coating of tape. The spare needs to be pre-stretched — a fresh-from-the-box tubular is much harder to fit quickly. Carrying a folded or rolled spare tubular with enough rim residue to hold in an emergency is standard practice for racing.

Yes — tubular tires can only be used on tubular-specific rims. Tubular rims have a curved bed surface rather than the hook bead of a clincher rim. Clincher tires cannot be mounted on tubular rims and tubular tires cannot be mounted on clincher rims. If you're considering tubular, you need a dedicated set of tubular wheels. Many cyclists who use tubulars for racing maintain a separate tubeless or tube-type clincher set for training to preserve the tubular rims and tires.