Repairing a tubular

After flatting two tubulars in two weekends, I was not keen on just tossing out those expensive tires.  Fortunately the mysterious slow leak from Charm City sealed up nicely with some Hutchinson Fast'Air.  However, the pinch flat at Nittany was not successful.

At first it seemed to be holding air, but I could hear a faint hissing, and soon enough the bulge started spewing out sealant.

Perfect opportunity to try a proper tubular repair.  I consulted the usual experts like Sheldon Brown and Leonard Zinn and felt like it was definitely worth a shot.

Peeling off the base tape wasn't easy, a lot of prying and pulling exposed the seam beneath.

I cut enough stitches to open the casing and pull out the latex tube.  It was surrounded by a very smooth and slippery silk lining.

The hole was huge, no way any sealant was going to clog that up.

A regular butyl patch from my patchkit.

Sewing the casing back together.  A thimble was very necessary.

For glueing the base tape back down, I needed a way of clamping it tightly, without getting stuck to the glue.  This reverse wrap and pinch worked well, pressing the base tape tightly up against the casing.

All back together.  The base tape is slightly crooked right at the repair, but it is holding air, and feels solid so far.  Maybe it'll become my FSX tire, or SS use, or both.