Vittoria Tubular glue Removal from ZIPP carbon Wheels



Curb

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Oct 24, 2007
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Hi does anyone have any current updated methods/process for removing Vittorria Mastik glue from zipp carbon rim. Please don’t tell me about the recommended Zipp Goof Off glue removal. That stuff just gums everything up and gets all over the place and it takes forever to break down the glue. If someone got a safe method so I don’t destroy a 1 month old zipp carbon rim it would be appreciated.
I want to remove the Vittora glue and add the Tufo extreme tape. I am getting tire of messy gluing process. The Tufo tape works well enough.
I wonder what the Pros Teams use. They got to have some kind of special method. Anyone knows?
 
Acetone. You can also use a plastic knife or spoon for a little scraping action coupled with the acetone.
 
Thanks Alienator for the inpu, but sorry my brother but it sounds like you never remove vittoria glue from a carbon wheel.
If you used acetone to successfuly remove vittoria glue then i should ship you my wheels with $200 for your efforts because that suff does absolutely nothing once that glue is harden.


alienator said:
Acetone. You can also use a plastic knife or spoon for a little scraping action coupled with the acetone.
 
Curb said:
Hi does anyone have any current updated methods/process for removing Vittorria Mastik glue from zipp carbon rim. Please don’t tell me about the recommended Zipp Goof Off glue removal. That stuff just gums everything up and gets all over the place and it takes forever to break down the glue. If someone got a safe method so I don’t destroy a 1 month old zipp carbon rim it would be appreciated.
I want to remove the Vittora glue and add the Tufo extreme tape. I am getting tire of messy gluing process. The Tufo tape works well enough.
I wonder what the Pros Teams use. They got to have some kind of special method. Anyone knows?

Paint thinners. It is still very messy but if you keep wetting the glue and have plenty of fresh rags it works.

I've never tried the rim tape but if you persevere you will get better at glueing and will be less of a challenge. Make sure you put the new tubular on an old rim for a few hours/days/weeks before you try putting it on so it stretches a little.

The advantage of glueing is that it is easy to put a new single on if you get a puncture during a race, cause it sticks to the residual glue on the rim.

Stick with it. (pun intended)
 
Curb said:
Thanks Alienator for the inpu, but sorry my brother but it sounds like you never remove vittoria glue from a carbon wheel.
If you used acetone to successfuly remove vittoria glue then i should ship you my wheels with $200 for your efforts because that suff does absolutely nothing once that glue is harden.

Yes, I have. You have to get a lot on the glue, and you have to let it soften. It's not an effortless process.
 
I have used gasoline, paint thinner, and lacquer thinner for many years. Do not use it in a home or near a flame.
 
A good tool like the sharp rounded end of a plastic tyre lever and a lot of patience will make the most impact. Push the Mastic towards the center of the rim with a flat bladed screwdriver then gouge it out with the rounded end of the tyre lever. The acetone is pretty useless but it does seem to help with the peeling off process if you keep dabbing it on it and you can get it under the mastic a little.

I've tried white spirits as well but things got pretty gooey and messy and I was always worried about having it in contact with the carbon resin for extended periods.

Hope this helps.
 
Use "Goo Gone".
The problem of Acetone is it evaporate too fast. I try it and it's not effective at all. Goo Gone on the other hand keep "wet" for a while to soften the glue and allow the glue to be rubbed off. I just did my Zipp 202 an hour ago. The trick is use a rag and squeeze the Goo Gone to wet about 2"x2" area of the rag. Then rub the gluing surface with it. Add more Goo Gone when feel dry. Done just stay on one place. Work the entire rim so by the time you pass the same place the 2nd time the glue is soft. Don't try to keep looking for progress as you may get discouraged. Just rub and have a beer or coffee next to you. Should be all gone in about 45 min. Acetone is good now to clean the goo gone residue off.
It's not messy at all.
 
I know this is an old thread, but I want to confirm that Goo Gone does work. I just removed 3 old layers of Vittoria Mastik One from my 404s. I was getting super frustrated trying to get the old glue off using acetone, as Zipp recommend. Goo Gone actually works, so thanks for the tip. It still took me well over an hour to do both rims, but they came out looking like new. From now on, I'm going to use Continental glue with Continental tires. You don't need as many layers on the rim and it should be easier to clean them.
 
Originally Posted by jaymo1711
I know this is an old thread, but I want to confirm that Goo Gone does work. I just removed 3 old layers of Vittoria Mastik One from my 404s. I was getting super frustrated trying to get the old glue off using acetone, as Zipp recommend. Goo Gone actually works, so thanks for the tip. It still took me well over an hour to do both rims, but they came out looking like new. From now on, I'm going to use Continental glue with Continental tires. You don't need as many layers on the rim and it should be easier to clean them.
As long as you get the carbon specific glue, one coat on the tire, three coats on the rim is the way to go.

http://www.bikeradar.com/us/gear/category/components/tubular-adhesive/product/review-continental-carbon-rim-cement-44556/
 
Interesting article. Who knew you could get a Master's in tire glueing?
Continental's recommended procedure is 1 layer on the rim and 2 on the tire. Professor Howat used 3 on the rim and 1 on the tire, which he claims gives the best bonding, but he didn't test subsequently for heat resistance. This is an issue for me as I'm going to be doing some long descents.
Some of the commenters are now swearing off Continental glue because it cures immediately and it's impossible to adjust the seating of the tire on the rim once it's mounted. Have you had that experience?
 
I was awarded my Doctorate in Sew-Up Science from the well respected Academy of Criterium Corners after defending my paper on "Road Rash: The Leading Causes of Loss of Traction and Trajectory".
 
I have to say, in all the many years I've raced on sew-ups, I've never rolled a tire. I've seen it happen a few times, split between inflated tires coming off due to **** glue jobs, deflated/deflating tires coming off (mainly in a crit corner) and the usual crash-cause rolls from a wheel being perpendicular to the direction of travel.

Trying to make it back to the wheel pit at full speed on tire with 20-30 PSI in it is...risky business.

I've also seen more than a few clinchers peeled from riding a flat or crashes. You see a guy dragging his trashed bike back to the parking lot and see the tire hanging loose...then spot the tube flopping around.
 
Originally Posted by CAMPYBOB
I have to say, in all the many years I've raced on sew-ups, I've never rolled a tire. I've seen it happen a few times, split between inflated tires coming off due to **** glue jobs, deflated/deflating tires coming off (mainly in a crit corner) and the usual crash-cause rolls from a wheel being perpendicular to the direction of travel.

Trying to make it back to the wheel pit at full speed on tire with 20-30 PSI in it is...risky business.

I've also seen more than a few clinchers peeled from riding a flat or crashes. You see a guy dragging his trashed bike back to the parking lot and see the tire hanging loose...then spot the tube flopping around.
Yeah, I've torn tires off from not keeping the rubber side down, but never rolled one. And most of the time that was while using Tubasti, the worst tubular glue ever made. I'm sure it would have turned to soft glop in the Colorado heat.

Regarding Continental glue, I don't have bad memories of it, just that I liked Vittoria better. I think it tended to dry up and stop sticking after a few months on the wheel.
 
A PHD in Sew-Up Science means one thing, for sure: MESSY SIDEWALLS.

I never did torque wrench tests with cut up rims, but common sense told me tire peels begin at the edge of the rim. When I glued, the red **** oozed when the tire was pumped up. I used my finger to form a fillet and **** the dainty femmes that made fun of the thumbprints and smears all over my sidewalls.

I cleaned (white gas, WD-40, Kerosine...whatever was handy) the brake tracks of the rims...period. That fugly tire was going to be toast, one way or the other, in a couple weeks anyhow. But it was going to stick to that Fiamme-Mavic-Ambrosio-Campy piece of aluminum like my life depended on it.

A couple weeks ago I stuck another rear on the track bike and after using the tube of glue up said to myself, "No brakes! No need to clean!". The next bunny-hop slide stop I pull there will be no worrying about the valve stem tearing out or the tire coming off.

I don't know whether I was just lucky or stupid, but when descending in the Rockies or the heat of Arizona I never noticed any tire movement. The Valve stems were always pointing in the right direction at the bottom of the slopes.
 
All what you need is a piece of rubber. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BlYoZ4DfQZ4&app=desktop
 
Try some sulfuric acid. It's water soluble no matter what concentration you use, it really is the best way to remove old glue.