Is Anybody Riding TUFO Tubular Clinchers?: Bikefanclub.com

Hi Lon,

I have used the Elite Road tubular clinchers on my tetra and on the tetra tandem. They are a very well made tire, and the ride is almost as cushy as the few real tubulars I have ridden. I used the sealant. I don't know whether it works or not, but I did ride the tires for about 300 miles without incident.

I took them off the tetra because they just felt slow. I tried to convince myself that it was in my head, but they just seemd to take forever to accelerate. Maybe its because they are heavy, maybe it was just in my head, but the veloflex paves that I am using now ride as well, or perhaps better, and feel faster.

I put them on the tandem because I figured the weight wasn't an issue, but ultimately I wanted wider tires, so I sold them to someone who was familiar with them and really liked them.

I will say this, the tread looked new after 100 single bike and 200 tandem miles. As far as durability goes I was quite impressed.

The only major advantage they have over tubulars is ease of use. They do not ride as nice a real tubulars and they are heavy (that clincher strip weighs about 120 grams, more than a normal tube). Also, you have the same issue with having to carry a spare tire in case you trash one on a ride.

Compared to clinchers, I would say they are much more resistant to flatting, especially with the sealant, but I am still nervous about riding them without carrying a spare tire, which is the main reason I don't use tubulars in the first place.

In the final analysis, I went back to clinchers. I can usually find Veloflex Paves or any other decent clincher on sale for half of what I paid for the Tufos, and I can get away with only carrying a spare tube. If they made a slightly wider road version, I probably would use them on the tandem.

Then again, if your main consideration is durability and resistance to flatting, and you don't want to use tubulars, they might be hard to beat.

I know I'm rambling, but hopefully something I said will be useful to you.

Mike