Tubular vs tires in road bikes.

Powerful Pete

LOL, well there goes most of what we talk about on this forum!

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Solanog

BTW, is there a significant difference in weight between clinchers and tubulars? Just the tires not considering the lighter rims that are used with the tubular tires.

oldbobcat

Well, Peter, you shamed me into it. Put the tubies on my lost puppy Masi and got out for a couple of hours before the wind kicked up. Here's a "before" photo.

And here's what I liked. No matter what gear I was in, I always seemed to have a few more RPM in my legs, especially powering over little hills in the big ring. The ride is more comfortable, especially after the hump under the valve stem softened at around 20 miles. Handling is quicker. Because everything is so skinny I didn't get blown around by cross winds. My jump has returned, as much as it can at 55. And this was with 290g "trainers."

I had to be careful because everything I rode over stuck until I wiped it off. That will improve as the rubber cures.

I'm convinced. These won't be my everyday wheels, but when I get a set of "performance" wheels for my Felt they will be tubulars.

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oldbobcat

Remember that the weight of a clincher doesn't include the tube and rim strip. I like lightweight butyl tubes that happen to weigh around 55g.

Road tubulars generally weigh 190-320g, depending on their application. When I raced the typical setup was 250g cottons on 32-spoke wheels with 400g rims. I don't remember the net weight of a tube of rim cement, but one tube usually covers one pair of rims and tires. There might be enough left for the spare if you squeeze carefully from the bottom.

Solanog

After this I'm tempted to go to the bike shop and get a couple of tubulars to ride on the weekend! I hope I can find them and if I do, hope I won't have a puncture!

gemship

anybody here familiar with the road tubeless type? I bought a new bike a few months ago and had it built up with the new Dura ace Scandium wheels. They give the option of running either Tubeless or Clincher. I chose to run with clinchers for the convenience of changing flats. As far as I know Tubeless are very similiar to Tubular but no gluing and some claimed puncture resistance.

Peter@vecchios

Like 'like', wish 'significant' would disappear from bikestuff lexicon. Significant weight difference? No, but my 20 pound Waterford isn't significantly heavier than a 14 lb plastic wunderbike either.

Peter@vecchios

First, a tubeless tire is a 'clincher', it clinches the rim. The ride is very similar to a good clincher, with some comfort due to less air and no pinch flats. BUT if ya do burp all the air out or puncture, and if you don't have a tube, you will never reseat the tire on the road.

Most who have ridden both will say the tubular ride is still 'superior', a subjective measure...

Powerful Pete

Are any tubeless tires currently available? I was under the impression (although I stand to be corrected) that they were purely an R&D exercise at the current moment -stuff Michelin and Shimano were working on and not yet available on the market.

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Peter@vecchios

Hutcheson has a tubeless tire but shimano is currently the only tubeless wheel.

I think it has it's place on MTBs, but those advantages don't convey to a road bike. Having a unique wheel and tire system, along with Stans goop that is recommended to be used, with small or non existent advantages, makes tubeless road tire intro with more wheels and tires unlikely.

Powerful Pete

True, and I agree. But if they can get a couple of pro teams to adopt them (think of CSC or something like that) there would immediately be a significant market amongst the non-thinking "I need what the pros use" crowd...

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11ring

Well I find fixing punctures a pain, but since using Continental competition tubulars, I just don't get them at all.

Seriously, it has been about 8000 ks since my last puncture, I don't even bother to carry a spare tyre anymore. If I get a flat I can always ride on the flat one if I must I suppose, but it hasn't occured yet.

Peter@vecchios

I get very few flats as well(knock on wood) but I still carry a tubie wrapped up and under the saddle. It should be pointed out that tubies get less flats than clinchers, not more(no pinch flats) as urban legend and myth at the coffee shop will often say.

I am pleased this discussion hasn't degraded to some name calling epic, so common on rec.bike.tech-bravo!!

Solanog

It is suppossed to be that way but as you say, knock on wood, I've never had a flat with a clincher I don't even carry patches, but with tubulars I have had plenty I wouldn't go out without a spare. I don't buy expensive tubulars BTW I don't know if that's the reason for the flats or just that I'm riding on too filthy roads and get to many punctures.