Darby
sage
Reged: 08/03/06
Posts: 438
Loc: Orange County California
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I am looking into buying another wheel set and am considering tubulars. I have talked with a few people whose opinion I respect that tell me that the tubulars are lighter, faster, handle better, ride better and have fewer flats than clinchers. The downside, of course, is gluing a tire on during a roadside repair. I have also been told that this isn't that difficult.
Anyone ride with tubulars? Do tubulars make sense for everyday riding? I do not race, just training rides and club rides.
Bruce
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Darby
sage
Reged: 08/03/06
Posts: 438
Loc: Orange County California
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Update to my earlier post.
After talking with a few people that are more expereinced in cycling than me, I have decided that tubulars are not worth the extra work. A clincher is a better choice for an everday wheel.
Bruce
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Umlungu
contributor
Reged: 03/04/05
Posts: 187
Loc: Plano, TX
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Cool. I've never ridden on tubulars so I can't really comment. The one thing I have noticed is that they seem alot louder than a clincher. I have always wondered why.
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gutefahrt
new member
Reged: 04/11/08
Posts: 22
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I've never ridden tubulars, but if you want the decreased rolling resistance they offer, look into tubeless clinchers.
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Darby
sage
Reged: 08/03/06
Posts: 438
Loc: Orange County California
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Quote:
gutefahrt wrote:
I've never ridden tubulars, but if you want the decreased rolling resistance they offer, look into tubeless clinchers.
I have heard about these tubeless clinchers, but I don't much about them. Are they ready for prime time? It would great to leave the tubes at home.
Bruce
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Umlungu
contributor
Reged: 03/04/05
Posts: 187
Loc: Plano, TX
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My Fulcrum Racing 1s are tubeless compatible but there are a limited number of tubeless tire manufacturers. I can't seem to tell if the tire folks are waiting on the wheelset folks or the other way around.
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Darby
sage
Reged: 08/03/06
Posts: 438
Loc: Orange County California
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Quote:
Umlungu wrote:
My Fulcrum Racing 1s are tubeless compatible but there are a limited number of tubeless tire manufacturers. I can't seem to tell if the tire folks are waiting on the wheelset folks or the other way around.
Tubeless sounds like a great idea, but how do you fix a flat? I would assume that you have to patch the tire since there is no tube.
Bruce
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Umlungu
contributor
Reged: 03/04/05
Posts: 187
Loc: Plano, TX
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Yeah, I'm not sure either. Probably the same way the mtn bike tires are patched since they have had tubeless clinchers in that arena for a while now.
I would guess the patches would be applied to the inside of the tire once its been removed.
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skuke
captain
Reged: 12/22/03
Posts: 323
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Quote:
Darby wrote:
I am looking into buying another wheel set and am considering tubulars. I have talked with a few people whose opinion I respect that tell me that the tubulars are lighter, faster, handle better, ride better and have fewer flats than clinchers. The downside, of course, is gluing a tire on during a roadside repair. I have also been told that this isn't that difficult.
Anyone ride with tubulars? Do tubulars make sense for everyday riding? I do not race, just training rides and club rides.
Bruce
I see that you've already made a decision, but I'll tell why I quit riding sew ups (tubulars) after many years of doing so.
Changing a sew up on the road is not a big deal. You become proficient just like changing a clincher. Yeah, it can be a bit messier, but it's no biggie. But, what happens when you get the next flat after changing the sew up? Or the flat after that? ...or the one after that!!?? Yes, I had four flats on a century ride one day. ...and I only carried one spare sew up. My friends on the ride were riding clinchers and the SAG didn't have any sew ups either. sigh.
I wound up walking into a Walmart type of store, bought a seam ripper, dental floss and sewing needle. I sat on the side of the road (with my irritated friends) ripping apart my sew ups, patching the tube, and sewing them back together! Not so bad when at home with a beer, but it really sucked to have to fix them on the roadside. Shortly thereafter, I sold the wheels and have ridden clinchers ever since.
And, IMHO, sew ups do not necessarily ride better. They do ride and sound different and you can immediately hear and recognize the sound when in the vicinity of a sew up. Maybe it's just nostalgia, but I like the sound. ...right up until I remember having to do roadside repairs :-P
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Skuke
95 Carbonframes Tetra Pro
92 Bridgestone MB-1
90 Moser 51.151
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Darby
sage
Reged: 08/03/06
Posts: 438
Loc: Orange County California
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Quote:
skuke wrote:
And, IMHO, sew ups do not necessarily ride better. They do ride and sound different and you can immediately hear and recognize the sound when in the vicinity of a sew up. Maybe it's just nostalgia, but I like the sound. ...right up until I remember having to do roadside repairs :-P
Your experience would be my worst fear with tubulars and the potential for these types of problems caused me to give on owning a pair.
What caught my attention on the tubulars is that I have considered replacing my Topolinos with a deeper dish rim like the Topolino AX3.0 wheels but then I started looking at the AX4.0 which weighs about 1125 grams a pair with a 40mm carbon rims. I exchanged emails with a guy that owns a pair and he pretty much sold me on them, but I couldn't get past the road side repair issue. If I raced for a living, I would certainly own a pair of tubulars, but I don't race. So reality kicked in and it was back to clinchers for me.
Bruce
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gutefahrt
new member
Reged: 04/11/08
Posts: 22
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They make patch kits and I'm pretty certain you can use a tube if you flat, too. Campy is supposed to be making a tubeless wheelset for next year.
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rbtmcardle
new member
Reged: 05/23/08
Posts: 2
Loc: South Jersey Shore
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I gave up riding clinchers a year and a half ago and only have tubular wheelsets now, for me, they are a more comfortable ride. No its not quantifiable and I have only had 1 flat in almost two years (6000 miles)of riding, I ride early in the morning when its still relatively dark and do not baby the tires, but hey thats why there's 31 flavors at Baskin Robbins.
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God have mercy on the man
Who doubts what he's sure of - springsteen
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Darby
sage
Reged: 08/03/06
Posts: 438
Loc: Orange County California
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Quote:
rbtmcardle wrote:
I gave up riding clinchers a year and a half ago and only have tubular wheelsets now, for me, they are a more comfortable ride. No its not quantifiable and I have only had 1 flat in almost two years (6000 miles)of riding, I ride early in the morning when its still relatively dark and do not baby the tires, but hey thats why there's 31 flavors at Baskin Robbins.
The ride quality of tubulars is why I was considering a change away from clincher, but the thought of a road side repair changed my mind. However, from what I have read the new tubeless clincher tires will provide ride very similar to a tubular and are easier to repair on the side of the road. The downside is that they weigh more than a tubular. The new Shimano tubeless clincher weights 1,514 grams per set and a tire weighs 265 or 290 grams depending on the tire. Since there is no tube, they are really no heavier than a clincher. Also, it is not necessary to carry a spare tube, patches or tire tools so there is an additional weight savings.
Bruce
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gutefahrt
new member
Reged: 04/11/08
Posts: 22
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Quote:
Darby wrote:
Also, it is not necessary to carry a spare tube, patches or tire tools so there is an additional weight savings.
Bruce
From where are you getting this info? Although they are more resistant than regular clinchers, they aren't puncture proof. A friend I ride with got a flat and had to get a ride home due to the inch-long slash in the tire. They're supposedly much harder to mount than traditional clinchers.
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Darby
sage
Reged: 08/03/06
Posts: 438
Loc: Orange County California
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Quote:
gutefahrt wrote:
Quote:
Darby wrote:
Also, it is not necessary to carry a spare tube, patches or tire tools so there is an additional weight savings.
Bruce
From where are you getting this info? Although they are more resistant than regular clinchers, they aren't puncture proof. A friend I ride with got a flat and had to get a ride home due to the inch-long slash in the tire. They're supposedly much harder to mount than traditional clinchers.
I did a Google search for the Shimano model number. One of the reviews I read said that the tires were difficult to mount by hand but can be mounted without tools.
Slashing the tire would be a problem. However, I have never slashed a tire. I always get pin holes in the tubes. There is some gunk that can be put in the tire that is suppose to fix most of those pin holes.
I have attached a few articles I found on Google.
Bruce
web page
web page
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skuke
captain
Reged: 12/22/03
Posts: 323
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Quote:
Darby wrote:
There is some gunk that can be put in the tire that is suppose to fix most of those pin holes.
There goes your "additional weight savings". ...that's also rotating weight as opposed to static weight sitting in a saddle bag.
FWIW, Slime works great in my wheelbarrow tires that sit out in the sun all year. I split one bottle between two wheelbarrows.
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Skuke
95 Carbonframes Tetra Pro
92 Bridgestone MB-1
90 Moser 51.151
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