Couple of Tubular tyre questions

SteK

I've been riding tubulars for a good while now and hadn't had a puncture until the other day. Fortunately it was on my singlespeed run-around/commuter and I was about a mile from home in trainers, but it got me on to thinking that I've been lucky with the road bike.

I've got Tufo tub sealant in all my tubs, but it didn't stop the one going down the other day (decent size piece of glass it turns out) and if it happened 30 miles from home it'd be a royal pain in the ass.

I've got a bottle of Vittoria Pit-Stop that I always stick in my pocket but having never used it I wonder how effective it would be? ie. would it seal the hole and would it put enough pressure into the tyre?

I've thought about carrying another tub with me, I've got a couple of spares but they don't fold down too well so carrying one would probably mean a decent size saddle-bag or squeezing one into a cut-down bottle and popping it into the second bottle cage (no problem as I only ever take one bottle anyway). It's not a problem carrying it, I just wondered if I'd damage the tub folding it and squashing it down into a bag or bottle??

I know retro is cool but wrapping it round my shoulders Coppi-style might be a touch too far! 8)

Any advice appreciated!

Monty Dog

Can't assume any guarantees with or Tufo sealant or Pit-Stop - if it's a big slice, then nothing will work and carrying a spare is a must. I only use tubs for racing these days, but strapping a spare under the saddle with a toe strap was the best way to carry them.

dennisn

Not carrying a spare tubular will eventually catch up with you. I have no trouble folding up and carrying a spare in my rear pocket. Use a rubber band or old toe strap to hold it together. It's the price you pay for tubulars - gotta carry a spare. Also, carrying one is almost bling and gives you that pro look. Clinchers??? Haaaa. For amateurs.

Extralight

Like Monty Dog, I've always carried a spare under the saddle held in place with a strap from toe clips. On longer more epic rides, I've also carried a spare in a modified water bottle, cut open at the top of the bottle as you suggest (if you do the latter, cut a drain hole in the bottom of the bottle, otherwise water will accumulate and the tub will rot). No probs with damaging the tub in doing either in my experience, but if you're worried about this, you could always carry a 'cheap' tub and then it would be less traumatic financially if it did get damaged (but you'd still have the trauma of trying to get home).
Even a cheap and heavy tub should fold down, so it may be that there's still air in it when you fold it. Try rolling it together first with the valve open so that you end up with a coiled tyre, arriving at the valve at the end so that all the air gets squeezed out. Then close the valve and unroll it. Now it's ready to be rolled up to go under the saddle/in the bottle. Hopefully you know the best way to do this, otherwise I'm have to try and take a pic or two and post it, but this might be too great a technical challenge for me!
Apologies if any of the above is stating the obvious and you already knew this.

SteK

Nah that's all good thank you! I'm never too proud to take advice, no matter how basic it is!

I'll have a muck about with rolling it up, pretty much the same technique as getting an innertube nice and small. I figured it wouldn't be too much of a problem but wanted to make sure before I started mauling them around! They're new so figured they'd be pretty void of air, but after a little squeeze it seems there is a bit in there....

I'll go for the under seat option, I like the sound of that so will muck about with it just now, if not, the bottle it is...

I like DennisN's tyre bling attitude! Appreciate all the help