Technical Details

Wide temperature range: once adhesion is set, the use at low temperatures (down to -40°C) is not a problem. Thermal resistance of all materials used in the manufacture of Carogna was a high priority: Carogna will provide a perfect bonding at 150°C for extended periods (hours), exceeding the heat-resistance of even the best mastics and widely exceeding the heat-resistance of any other tubular tape.

Optimized adhesive surface: adhesion is very strong and uniform across the whole circumference of the rim for all tubulars and it is also uniform across the tubular base tape. One short-coming of tubular tape to-date has been limited adhesion at the edges of the base tape or in the center of tubulars with a raised center seam. Carogna solves these problems.

Optimal use: the ideal thermal range for application of Carogna is between 21°C and 38°C, allowing 8 hours to reach 80% of the adhesive strength. Applying the tape below 10°C is not recommended. We recommend cleaning surfaces using iso-propylic alcohol.

Rim width: “S” is recommended for traditional/vintage tubular rims (external width up to 20 mm), “SM” for rims with external width between 21 and 24 mm, while “M” is recommended for rims with a width between 25 and 28 mm.

Cyclecross Applications

Does Carogna Tape work for Cyclocross?

In general, Effetto Mariposa has had positive feed-back regarding cyclecross applications of their Carogna Bi-Adhesive tape. However, there can be some occasional problems. The correct gluing procedure is much more important for cx than for normal road use. Carogna glue is ‘pressure-activated’, so it bonds very strongly when it’s pushed down against the rim by the tubular pressure (for this reason, for road tubulars, we recommend inflating tubulars to their max pressure and allowing some time before riding: adhesion reaches 80% of its maximum strength after 8 hours, the optimal value of 99% after 24 hours).

Avoid Sandpaper on the rim: we know this is common practice when gluing with mastic, but tapes are different. Sandpaper will create small grooves on the rim, reducing the effective bonding surface for the tape. A smooth rim bed offers the maximum surface of contact for Carogna: we recommend removing eventual residual glue completely with Carogna Remover before applying Carogna tape.

Use correct tape for rim size: if Carogna tape is much wider than your rims (for example Carogna “M”, 25mm, on a 20mm rim) there is tape on the side that isn’t properly glued to the tubular/rim (because the rim didn’t extend wide enough and the tape couldn’t be “sandwiched” between tubular and rim). That area is a potential entry point for dirt and mud which could get underneath the glued section of Carogna. This process is not immediate, but by the third or fourth weekend of races. It’s better to trim the eventual excess with a cutter, before mounting the tubular.

Low pressure requires longer gluing time: as most cx tubulars won’t allow a very high maximum pressure, Carogna might require a longer time before optimal adhesion. This depends very much on the finishing/surface of the tubular base tape. In most cases, this is not needed, but we’ve been reported cases where cyclocross tubulars were not glued after 8 hours. Allow one more day at maximum pressure and your tubulars will be perfectly glued. The quality of the adhesion should be checked by completely deflating the tubular and gently pushing it on the side. If the tubular is still not holding, waiting longer will normally address the issue.