Ive seen people wrap tape around both the rim and tyre of their tubulars.
Is that like a special tape or just some general cloth business.
The few times Ive seen it was on a path racer.
Im just curious. I have no intention of running sew ups.
http://www.tufo.com/videos/2a-installation-tape_standard-low.avi
Tufo tubular tape???
Yeah I know about that stuff. What I mean is after they have glued the tyre on to the rim they then wrap tape around the the tyre and rim in a few spots.
I was wondering if it is a common practice, an old school practice, or if a few freaks just decided to wrap tape around their wheels.
Dunno what a ‘path racer’ is, but cyclocross riders do it sometimes, I suppose to counteract any chance of the tyre rolling off the rim. Not recommended for velodromes however…
Probably just kooks doing it as I can’t imagine that it’s do much for the ride characteristics, grip, nor would any tape wrapped around a tyre actually last particularly long!
For everyones info, Tufo tape is a substitute for tubular tyre cement/glue. It’s a pressure sensitive glue impregnated in a tape that you apply to the rim before installing a tubular tyre. ONce the you have mounted the tyre onto the rim (and over the Tufo tape) you inflate it to max pressure and the pressure of the tyre on the rim activates the glue and sticks the tyre on.
So apart from the obvious i.e. Speed of application, are there any major benefits of using said tape?
Christof, I’d ask you to go and glue a couple of tyres and then reconsider whether you want to ask that question! 
Increasing speed and simplicity and reducing mess is a SIGNIFICANT BENEFIT when it comes to mounting tubulars!
I should declare that I haven’t used the tape personally, I’ve only used road glue/cement (you’d want to speak to Blakey for a first-hand account of using Tufo tape).
The Tufo (extreme) tape apparently contains quite a strong adhesive which has the potential to stick detach the backing tape from the tyre if/when you come to remove it. Of course this is only an issue when it comes time to remove the tyre. Other opinion has said that it doesn’t adhere to the edges of some rims as well as glue can (glue you can spread wherever you like - the tape is a fixed width).
I haven’t been game to give Tufo tape a go, but now that I’ve had a go at gluing tyres (four in the past week), I’m tempted - when you live in a one bedroom flat with no backyard, there’s not a lot of areas where you can make a mess/ glue tubulars…
for the record, i know what youre talking about with the taping at 4 or 5 points of the rim and tyre… maybe cos they ride through such muck they think its a little insurance against a roll-off??
and off topic, cos this is interesting and a product that is a good alternative for some people…
i’ve used miyata’s version of cement tape and it worked without any problems. i descended my fuji on it and things stayed intact. i think the benefit of no mess is pretty big, but maybe even bigger (and maybe this is only possible with the miyata stuff) is that its dobule sided, double covered tape… so the deal is that you stick it onto the rim but leave the topside covered except for an inch that you pull off and to the side of the rim ie. no sticky facing up except for an inch.
then mount the tyre, and heres the big advantage - you can move it around and make sure its perfectly in place for as long as you like, its not sticking down each time it touches the rim. when its perfectly in place, you tug the inch long bit that is hanging off the side of the rim, pull it all out, then pump em up, sit on em, do whatever you want to stick it together for a day. its good stuff, but not as wide a contact area as you get with hand applied glue. i think by hand is the most secure if you know what youre doing… if you dont, the tape is a good option.
in finishing, i enjoyed the one time i hand sanded and glued tubs to a rim. nothing else i’ve ever done with a bike has made me feel more like a mechanic working under a bank with danny clark ripping overhead at a 6-day race in 1984.
They let you glue tubs at what age: 6 years old??!!
(That process you talking about re: Miyata tape is the same as tufo tape, I just neglected to describe that step.)